Ferret Cages

You don’t have to break the bank to get a nice cage for your ferret, but you do need to know a few things about what to look for in a cheap ferret cages. To begin with, never sacrifice your pet’s safety to save a few bucks. If you find an aquarium, parakeet cage or a plastic hamster enclosure at a garage sale, they are not good choices for your ferret. Ferrets need good airflow to breathe, so you want a wire cage. Make sure the cage you select does not have a plastic coating they can chew off and swallow, as small bits of plastic can make them sick, or even worse close a ferret’s digestive track, and in extreme cases require surgery to remove. The few dollars you saved on a cheap ferret cage could be quickly eclipsed to by a catastrophic vet bill!

Wire bottomed cages are easy to clean, and if you put some linoleum or a place mat on the levels you can make sure your ferret doesn’t get stuck. Be sure to have some nice fleece ferret bedding, or similar non-snag fabric in the bottom of the cage for bundling and burrowing- your ferret will be happy and warm in their “nest”. Plastic levels and bottom sections are also good choices, and easy to clean. Just make sure the cage is roomy enough for your active ferret to roam a bit. A good guideline is a 2’x3’x2′ cage. If you have more than one ferret, just add more space for each one. While most of the time they will sleep together in one big pile, every so often they like to curl up alone.

There are some wonderful tall cages by Ferret Nation that have plenty of room. They have large well hinged doors that make cage changes a snap. A word of caution, however. Ferrets are fearless and inquisitive explorers. Make sure the levels are structured such that they can never fall more than a foot or so. I’ve seen cages designed for birds that claim to be ferret approved- however a 5 foot drop from the drop to bottom is not safe for a ferret! They wrestle and roll, sometimes you have to protect them from themselves and injury. eBay is a great place to find a cheap ferret cages– many times I’ve seen new cages going for about 75% of retail cost, and if you get a used cage you can save even more money.

Marshall also has some nice ferret cages with doors that are basically the height of the entire level, so changing out bedding and litterboxes is quick and easy. You’ll notice in the majority of pictures of ferret cages that there is only one litterbox. While this makes a nice picture, it’s not reality. Figure on a litter box for every level- or at least every other level. Ferrets will use the box if it’s convenient- however if a litterbox is not close at hand a nearby corner usually is. Cheap ferret cages are abundant online- just be sure to get one that meets the needs of your ferret, and yourself.