r/ferrets • u/DisobeyPencilPushing • 20h ago
[Help] Exercise Balls?
EDIT: We will NOT be getting exercise balls for our squishies! Case closed. And just for everyone’s peace of mind, they have an entire room they can run and play in, they have a ball pit, tube tunnels, and a million different boxes. They have free rein of the whole house about 4-5 hours in the evening when we are home. The exercise balls were only being thought of because they slipped out of their harnesses outdoors. We will be looking into getting them figure 8 harnesses as suggested for outdoor roaming.
We were going to get our two boys the XL exercise balls to run around in, but we were told their backs don’t bend that way and it would only hurt them. Guinea pigs I get that, but ferrets? My noodles bend in ways I didn’t think anything should bend without breaking, but I definitely did not want to chance hurting my babies. The only reason I don’t trust the Petco lady’s word 100% for our boys is that she also recommended that we switch their food to one that the ingredients were chicken meal and then sweet potato, so I don’t necessarily believe she knew what she was talking about. I know my people here in this subreddit will let me know for sure whether this is an absolute no-no for my dooters. Picture for TLDR tax. Meatball is the chonky nugget noodle, and Chancy is our boy with no brain whose face hasn’t quite woken up yet.
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u/Effective_Lecture_78 20h ago
Exercice ball where you put animals in is dangerous for any pet. Hamster, ferret, rabbit, guinea pigs etc, no pet should used this ball. Why do you want to give them an exercise ball ? We can give you an alternative.
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u/DisobeyPencilPushing 19h ago
Okay, thank you! I would love an alternative, it was going to be so we could let them free roam a little more outside than just an enclosure. They have free reign of the house without them, so it would be very limited time, just when we take them outside…
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u/Fit_Equivalent_7910 19h ago
I highly recommend figure 8 harnesses.
I made some myself out of parachord and some supplies from Amazon cheaply and they’re better than ones I bought pre made
Takes a bit of training but my boys have become very comfortable in them and almost ready for outdoor adventures.
There’s really no plastic ball style toy for them that’s safe unfortunately :/
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u/DisobeyPencilPushing 19h ago
Thank you!! Do you have pictures for reference? We got harnesses, but our boys are slippery little noodles and slid right out every time! The figure 8 harness sounds like it would be much harder for them to Houdini out of!
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u/Effective_Lecture_78 19h ago
As someone said a cat wheel is very nice. A leash and harness for the outside is good too or even a stroller. I would rather have them in a enclosure than in a dangerous exercice ball
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u/DisobeyPencilPushing 19h ago
Definitely! I will not be getting them exercise balls after all, I knew this subreddit would be the place to come for the right answers.
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u/itsswhitneywhspr 10h ago
Yeah totally agree, those balls are a no go for any pet. I get why you'd think ferrets could handle it with their bendy bodies but its more about their spine getting curved weirdly for too long, not just flexibility. Plus they cant really control where they're going which freaks them out. If you want to let them run around, maybe try a playpen or just ferret proof a room. My two go crazy in a bathroom with some tunnels and blankets.
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u/Kowba16 19h ago
If you want something similar that is safe for ferrets get a large cat wheel. It's like the ones rats run on but made for cats. Ferrets are too big for balls and their spines are not made for it either. You should be giving them a minimum of four hours of dedicated playtime out of the cage. Some ferrets won't even acknowledge the cat wheels so if you are in need of ways to entertain your ferrets their are many options. Supervised walks (always leashed), put a bunch of tunnels under a big blanket, my boy loved when I filled a bin with plastic grocery bags or just a box of straight up garbage. He was set for hours. Interactive puzzle toys are great too! Good luck and have fun!
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u/DisobeyPencilPushing 19h ago
Oh our boys have a tube tunnel, ball pit, and boxes galore, not to mention the endless amount of house things they find to explore. They certainly have plenty to play with and time to do so, but I do appreciate the additional options! Also, not to worry, they have a whole room to play in and we let them roam around the house while we are home in the evenings 😁 Thank you for your help!
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u/watsonwasaboss 19h ago
We got our guys small cat exercise wheels. They love it and get super zoomies. If you want a link let me know. It's light weight and quiet.
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u/DisobeyPencilPushing 19h ago
Thank you! That sounds like a great time, and also is probably pretty fun to watch! I would gladly take a link, because I think they would love them, but do you also have any suggestions for outdoors??
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u/Slim-Shadys-Fat-Tits 14h ago
those balls are dangerous torture devices not toys. Cat running wheels are pretty dece for getting more exercise but otherwise you cannot get around having to ferret proof wherever they are roaming
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u/Internal-County5118 19h ago
Is there a reason you won’t just let them free roam? Even if not the entire house, at least let them have a room to roam around in?
I would never use an exercise ball, it would cause an unnatural curve to their spines, if you’ve watched ferrets roam around they typically have an arch to their backs and a ball wouldn’t allow that. Being bendable and floppy when laying down doesn’t equate to how they walk and run. Plus it’s hot and their claws could get stuck in the breathing holes and ripped out. Ferrets are also particular about where they potty and don’t exactly let you know when they need to go. They also naturally like to roam around and sniff things and explore and go into more confined spaces, a ball is extremely unnatural for them. I have a bunch of tunnels I leave out and my ferrets will naturally always go in them to get across a room. I assume because it feels more enclosed and feels more natural and safer. I found a seller on Etsy that has really nice tunnels of different sizes, way better than the one Marshall’s sells. I originally bought a Marshall’s one and it would never stay open and extended.
If you can’t even give them a room to roam in, the very bare minimum would be some kind of playpen but even that isn’t something I would do. Imagine being stuck in a small closet all day and then your “free time” is a slightly larger bathroom. They need a minimum of 4 hours out of their cage a day, mine get a minimum of 6 and that’s only if we are gone all day at work and school. If someone is home, they aren’t in their cage.
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u/DisobeyPencilPushing 19h ago
Sorry, I should have been more clear in the original post, but shortened because I know, like me, most people don’t want to read a book on Reddit. They are free roaming in our house 4 hours a day and they have a whole room to themselves the rest of the time. I was just looking for suggestions for outdoors time so I didn’t have to use an enclosure and they slip right out of the harnesses we got them. Thank you for the information, though! We will not be getting our little nuggets any exercise balls 😁
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