Ferret Proofing your home is a necessary step in providing a safe and fun place for your ferret to play and live.

The first step in ferret proofing is providing a safe, appropriately sized cage or a designated ferret room for your ferret to live in when you are not around to keep an eye on them. There are many good ferret cages on the market, some of the favorites include the Ferret Nation cage by Midwest and Martin's Ferret Cages. If the cage you choose has wire mesh floors, they should be covered with linoleum, carpet runner or another hard surface to protect your ferrets feet. Floor mats are nice, but something solid to prevent their little toes from slipping through is essential. If your ferret is going to be confined to one room while you aren't home, it should be a room that is entirely devoted to them, not serving double duty as a home office or bedroom. Any furniture in the room should be resistant to ferrets digging in on up through the bottom, all wires and cords should be up off the floor or protected in case they decided to chew and the doorway should be secured with a gate or other material that extends all the way to the floor so they cannot try to slip under the door.

Any space your ferret is allowed to run in should be thoroughly inspected for any gaps or holes in the baseboards or walls, pay particular attention to the undersides of cabinets and appliances as there are often gaps where ferrets can slip in. Get down on the floor at their level and look around. Remember, if they can fit their head through, they can fit their entire body through, any gaps larger than one square inch are prime spots for ferrets to get into the walls or even outside. Ferrets should not be allowed in laundry rooms or near the washer or dryer as there are always vents and drains that lead to the outside attached to these appliances.

Cabinets should be locked using child locks, either the kind that allow the door to be opened just enough for your finger to slip in and open the lock, or preferably the magnetic kind that do not allow the door to open at all without the magnetic key. Remember that most cabinets in homes are pretty sloppily built so even if the cabinet only holds pots and pans or linens, there may be holes they could slip into to get under or into the walls. Cabinets that hold cleaning supplies or food must be locked as ferrets are very curious and will taste most things.

Pick up any rubbery items like rubber bands, erasers, pens or pencils with soft grips, mousepads, remote controls, soft plastic dog toys, any pet beds with exposed foam on the bottom, toys with hard plastic eyes and noses or any other item small and enticing enough to chew or swallow. Blockages are really common in ferrets as their intestines are only about the size of a straw and foreign bodies easily become stuck in their intestinal tracts. Put anything that is not safe for ferrets to play with in a ferret-free room or up high enough that they cannot climb or jump to reach it.

Furniture in ferrets play space must be ferret proofed as well. Ferrets love to dig and burrow and will dig up into the undersides or down into the cushions in upolstered couches and chairs. To prevent digging on the underside of furniture, staple hardware cloth or thin plywood to the bottom of couches and chairs, or remove or shorten the legs so they cannot get underneath. Be careful when sitting down on the couch or chair, check behind and under cushions for ferrets before sitting, or put a blanket or slip cover over the furniture to prevent them from climbing down inside the cushions. Many ferret owners resort to futons, which are pretty much indestructible. Recliners are another big no-no with ferrets, they are open underneath and many ferrets have been killed in the mechanichal works when someone sat down and opened or closed the recliner. Recliners in ferret play spaces should be disabled so no accidents can happen. Television armoires and stereo cabinets are fun places for ferrets to hide in, so if you do not want your ferret playing in your expensive electronics, close up the bottoms of cabinets and install strong latches on doors and drawers. Ferrets also like to clear off the bottom shelves of bookcases, so if you have books in your ferrets play space, leaving the books you do not care about them playing with or emptying the bottom shelf is a good idea. If you empty the bottom shelf, secure the bookcase to the wall as it will not be as sturdy with all the weight on the top of the bookcase.