Ferret Food Digger

Q: We have a male ferret that digs in his food. He digs so hard that the food flies out of the cage. How can we stop this?

A: Ferrets are natural diggers, and this can be quite a challenging behavior to stop. Most of the possible solutions are more of a management plan than an actual solution, but they should help.

Try to be creative with his food by hiding it throughout his cage in boxes or scattering it in different places. You can also place his food dish in a Tupperware-type plastic container with a small opening and a lid to deter the digging and keep the food contained if he does dig.

Additionally, you can provide an appropriate place for him to dig. This can be done by making a sand pit, like for children, out of children’s playground sand. Make sure to keep it clean and check it often to see if the sand needs to be replaced because sometimes ferrets use it as a litter box.