My ferret keeps digging all his food...?

Question

my ferret herley keeps digging all his food out of the dish. it will get all over. and its a waste. as soon as i put it in he eats a little then digs the rest out. if i just put in a little that doesnt work either. he will just have a bite or two and dig more. its driving me mad. i donno what to do. its not like ferret food is cheap...

Answer 1

Ferrets dig. It's a natural behavior. They are, after all, descendants of burrowing animals (polecats). But many people don't realize when they bring home their cute little ball of fur that he's going to scratch at the carpet or dig all the litter out of the box, or even if your case, his food.

If you have a digger, understand that you can't stop the behavior, but you can redirect it. It's like taking a little kid who is drawing on the walls and giving him a coloring book instead.

Get a plastic storage bin (fairly large, with a lid that snaps on) and cut a hole in the top of it so the ferret can get in and out. We used a hot knife to cut the hole because it leaves the edges smooth, but you can use a box cutter and then use duct tape to cover the sharp edges (make sure your ferret doesn't chew on the duct tape). We put uncooked rice (not minute rice, but regular rice -- 10 pound bags are very cheap at Costco or other places like that) in our digging box, but you can use potting soil if you're not afraid of the mess, or sand (get sandbox sand like for a child's sandbox so it's clean). Generally, ferrets don't eat the rice, but if your ferret eats a grain or two, it shouldn't harm him at all (this is why it’s important to use regular rice, not minute rice). Of course, if he starts eating a bunch of it, you'll have to find something else to fill the box. As for getting into the ears or eyes, ferrets are burrowers, so they're designed to keep dirt and other things out of their ears and eyes (if you blow gently on your ferret's face, you might get him to fold back his ears -- you'll see that they're pretty well sealed). Whenever your ferret starts digging at the carpet or in the litter box or anywhere else you'd prefer he didn't dig, put him in the digging box instead.

Sometimes getting a second ferret / playmate also helps with this problem. Could be partly boredom.

Answer 2

First of all...this is normal ferret behavior.  You know this because you researched ferrets before purchasing herley, right?  hehe  :)

Second...just because he digs the food out of his bowl doesn't mean it is 'waste'.  Pick it up and put it back in the bowl.  You can also curb the digging by not filling the bowl all the way up to the top.

Third...ferrets need time to jump, run, and play with toys.  3 walks a day IS NOT enough for your ferret.  Herley should be out of his cage more then he is in it.  He should also be free to play in a ferret proofed room that has his cage, litter pans, food, water, and toys.

Why not check out this site for more info:  http://www.ferretuniverse.com

Answer 3

put him on a leash and rope and let him dig in the back yard... ferrets dig.

Answer 4

Ferrets are built for digging.  Do this, trust me it works.  Buy a bag or two of dry rice, like the big dog food sized ones. Then pour it into a container of some kind and then place her in it and she'll be digging like no tomorrow.  It's also fun in the winter letting then on the snow because they dig like perfect tunnels, but stay close if you do that or you might never see her again .  My ferret Slinky died last week. :(  

Answer 5

I know what you mean My Sammy used to do that all the time. That's what they do, I don't know why.Tip: I was tired of spending the money for Marshall Ferret food so someone recommended Iam's kitten formula, (dry) my baby boy loved it. As he got older i also tried Purina  chicken flavored dry cat food, he liked that too. His favorite "treats" were Cheerios and only the name brand,I tried a generic, They tasted like sawdust no wonder he didn't like them.

Answer 6

you cant really do anythign to stop him digging in his food. you could either take him outside or make him a sandbox to dig in.

Answer 7

well its just what he does

just let him do it

but if your worried about the mess outside of his cage then put some newspaper under the cage

but if your worried about his mess inside the cage

that would be kinda weird because most animals like their houses messy

the food thing is what he does maybe he just doesn't like eating out of the bowl.

Answer 8

I have three ferrets. He may just be bored being in a cage. You didn't specify whether he has a friend to play with or not, but they are very social creatures. Having another will greatly uplift his/her morale. I always make sure mine are too tired after playing to do anything but sleep after I put them back in their cage.