Ferrets prefer soft, warm places to sleep, and will often search out the softest blanket in the house. Fleece is the most popular bedding material, and is well loved by ferrets. Fleece blankets, towels, old t-shirts (bonus if they smell like you – great for bonding and soothing ferrets when you are gone), old, worn jeans, etc all make great bedding material that is easily washed and changed out each week.
Be sure to provide your ferret with plenty of sleep spaces. Hammocks, round-beds, hanging cubes, sleep sacks, and even just piles of blankets are all very popular. Inexpensive fleece blankets can often be found on sale at WalMart, thrift stores, or other local marketplaces. Despite providing many options, don’t be surprised when your ferrets all pile into one bed together!
It is important to consider safety when choosing a bedding – materials that can get caught on nails should be avoided or used with caution, and bedding that can be ingested, get into eyes/noses, or dusty bedding that could cause damage to your ferret’s delicate respiratory system should all be avoided.
Bedding to be cautious about:
- Straw/hay is a controversial bedding. It is good for insulation, but can be dusty (causing respiratory irritation and damage), and cheap straw may stain your ferret’s fur yellow.
- Particulate bedding such as CareFresh is often used, but not ideal. It makes for more expensive bedding (you have to replace it rather than just wash it), is often dusty (bad for ferret lungs), can be accidentally ingested if it sticks to their food, and is not particularly cozy. It is often used as litter for ferrets rather than bedding.
- Clay-based litter should be avoided at ALL costs!! Litter is NOT acceptable for bedding.
Bedding for bedding chewers:
- denim
- corduroy
- rip stop
- shredded paper
Custom Made Bedding Sets:
Snoopy’s Snugglers
Ferret Bedding by Jules for SCFR
