Ferret With Erratic Play Schedule

Q: I have a 10-month-old female ferret. My question to you is about her time spent outside of the cage. My fiancé and I aren’t home very often due to work, although our ferret usually gets about four hours to play each day outside the cage. On Mondays and Wednesdays, however, our schedules keep us away longer. I am concerned that our ferret is unhappy because she only gets out for a few hours on those days. The other days of the week we are home at 6 p.m. and she’s out until we go to bed at 12 or 1 a.m. Do you think that the two days where she doesn’t get out much will have much of an effect on her life? We care about her very much and want to make sure she has the best life possible.

A: In general, I would say it is the quality of time spent with your ferret rather than the quantity of time. As long as you spend time each day interacting with her, she probably doesn’t mind the schedule you describe.