Alexandra Ramirez
1. Midwest
Best Overall Ferret Cage
5/5 Product Rating
The full width double doors allow easy access for cleaning, filling food bowls and water bottles and interacting with your ferret.
The bar spacing is ½” apart which is small enough to prevent the ferret from getting their head or legs caught in the bars. They can also climb the bars easier at that width.
There are plenty of shelves and ramps for your ferret to explore and climb on and the full width plastic pan floor prevents falls or sprains from falling through the bars.
The shelves can be moved easily and put at different heights for what works for your particular ferret. The plastic tray is also removable for easy cleaning.
The ramps are easy to climb with the ramp covers that give the ferret traction and no slipping as they go from place to place inside their home. Add a few accessories like a hammock, house that they can hide in and a pan to use the bathroom and they will have a home that they will absolutely love.
– Jennifer Abel
2. Living World
Best Overall Ferret Cage – Runner Up
4.8/5 Product Rating
It offers plenty of ventilation and comfort for your ferret and is big enough to house two comfortably. The arcing wire top adds style with its red wire and the white wire sides complement the red nicely.
The top open in two places to provide easy access to interact with your pet, fill the food and water bowls and clean it as well.
There is also a wire door on the front of the ferret cage for extra access if needed. This ferret cage has a balcony that is accessed by a ramp.
The tip proof food dish secures to the floor of that balcony to prevent the ferret from knocking their food over…something they are quite good at. Underneath the balcony there is a space for them to hide from others which is something many small animals, including ferrets love.
Along with the attachable food dish that they can’t tip over when it is secured to the floor, this ferret home has a drip proof water bottle and a hay guard too that is perfect for alfalfa hay for rabbits or some other kind of treat. The bottle and hay guard are outside the cage so neither take up any cage space. Assembly is easy and this cage can be put together quickly with the included easy to use clips. No tools are needed at all. Measurements of the cage are 46 – 8/9” x 22 – 4/5” x 24”.
– Jennifer Abel
3. Kaytee Deluxe
Best Budget Ferret Cage
4.6/5 Product Rating
The ferret cage is constructed from coated wire that is chew proof and all of the plastic parts are stain resistant.
The bright green, bright pink and deep purple add a lot of visual appeal as well. The deep base is easy to clean and keeps bedding from being tossed out of the cage and onto the floor.
It removes for more thorough cleaning easily. Everything snaps together for easy assembly. It also has a stand for the cage that has deluxe caster wheels for convenient moving from one place to another.
Measurements of this ferret cage are 24” x 24” x 41.5”. Although you can use this cage for rabbits, rats, chinchillas and other small animals it makes the perfect ferret cage and your ferret or ferrets are sure to love all there is to do in their colorful home.
– Jennifer Abel
Ferret Cage Buying Guide
The Importance of a Good Quality Ferret Cage
Purchasing the right ferret cage for your pet is very important because they spend quite a bit of time in that cage. It needs to have plenty of space for them to explore, climb and run around as well as places for them to hide and burrow when they sleep. The right cage makes a big difference in the happiness of your ferret and that translates to his health.
Even though ferrets don’t have a super long lifespan, they average is about 5-7 years. You want to have a ferret cage that will last for their entire life and not be falling down around them after a year or two. These top rated ferret cages are all durable and long lasting so with the proper care, you are sure to have them last for a long time.
Features of a Great Ferret Cage
There are a lot of different styles of ferret cages to choose from. The best and most convenient cages will be made of wire and have several levels and a plastic base or a slide out plastic pan on the bottom that helps make cleaning easy and efficient. By having a wire and plastic base cage you will not have to worry about the cage rotting or any wood getting ruined.
If you DO decide to use a wire and wood cage you will need to ensure that the wood has been protected in some way from water damage that urine can cause. There are some really beautiful wire and plastic ferret cages available so unless there is a specific reason you want a cage with wood in it, opt for the wire and plastic models.
The cage you choose should never be any smaller than 2 feet x 3 feet but larger is better. The benefit to cages that have multiple floors in the cage is that your ferret gets much more room without the cage taking up additional floor space. You want to be certain that the design of the ferret cage doesn’t have any places where the ferret can fall from the top to the bottom. Levels and ramps can prevent this by providing easy access to the different levels.
If the floors of the cage are wire, get some linoleum and cut it to fit the bottom of the cage floors. It is easy to clean and keeps the ferret from having to be on bare wire all the time which can damage their paws. All you need to do to keep it from slipping is punch holes in the corners of the linoleum and tie it down to the wires on the floor.
Ideally, you want the wire parts of the cage to be made of heavy gauge and rubber coated is even better because that makes it “chew proof”. Most of the ferret cages on the market today, including the top rated models we reviewed above are made from this coated wire that will not flake off or encourage chewing.
Never use an aquarium as a ferret cage. Lack of ventilation is the biggest issue which can cause bacteria to be in the air your ferret is breathing. Plastic carriers will do the same thing even though they have holes in the sides. It simply isn’t enough ventilation for the ferret and will cause health problems.
What Needs to be In Your Ferret Cage?
It is important that your ferret cage is big enough to accommodate all the things that your ferret needs to be healthy. Here is a list of things that will need to go in your ferret’s cage:
- Litter box
- Hammock
- Sleep sacks
- Cloth bedding that doesn’t have loose threads or that can snag (avoid terry cloth)
- Food dish that can’t be tipped over
- Water bottle that attaches to the wires of the cage
- Tunnels
- Toys for the ferret to play with
All of these items need to be included in your ferret’s cage because all of them are important to the health and well being of your ferret. You don’t want there to be just enough room in the cage for all the stuff and then no room for them to travel around inside it, which is why a larger cage is much better. A larger cage is also a must if you have more than one ferret. Most of the double and triple level cages are plenty big enough for 2 or 3 ferrets.
If you have additional ferrets, just be certain to add two water bottles, two hammocks and either a larger food dish or two of them so all of them have plenty of food, water and rest areas.
How to Clean Your Cage to Keep it Looking and Smelling Good as New
Keeping your ferret cage clean is one way to keep it in great working shape as well. A cage that is neglected and left to get filthy, not only can have problems later, it will most definitely cause health problems for your ferrets too.
For your convenience, we have included a good cleaning schedule that ferret owners can follow that will keep the new ferret cage you’ve bought clean and in great condition. Remember that if you have more than one or two ferrets, you may need to increase the frequency that you do the tasks below.
Do These Tasks Every Day
- Scoop solid waste and clumped litter from wetting out of the litter pan
- Wash water bottles every day. (a bottle brush makes cleaning the bottle much easier)
- Throw away uneaten food and wash the food bowls every day. Dry them thoroughly before refilling. Just put enough food in the dish for the ferrets to eat in one day.
- Clean up accidents that are not in the litter pan every single day. Use a cleaner that will not harm them such as hot soapy water.
- Remove and wash soiled sleep sacks, cloth bedding and hammocks if needed. Check them every day for accidents.
- Clean the pullout pan daily and put down fresh newspaper
- Replace cage liners if you use them on a daily basis
Do These Tasks Weekly
- Empty the litter pan completely and wash with soap and water. Disinfect with bleach water and rinse thoroughly. Dry before adding fresh litter.
- Wash hammocks, sleep sacks, and all cloth bedding and toys.
- Wipe down the plastic shelves and plastic toys, tunnels and ramps with the bleach solution, rinse well and dry thoroughly.
- Wipe the whole cage down with a ferret cage cleaner.
Every time you clean any part of the cage it is important that you get it rinsed thoroughly, especially if you have used the bleach solution on it. Also be sure to dry it completely as well before putting it back into the cage.
Never clean the ferret cage with the ferret in it and make sure it is dry before you put him back in the cage. You can put them in an exercise pen or travel cage only while cleaning. This makes it much safer for the ferret and easier for you since they will not be climbing all over your hands and the things you’re washing.
Conclusion
Choosing the right ferret cage is an important decision since your ferret will have that as their home for their entire lives. You want to choose one that is durable, long lasting and that has everything your ferret needs in the way of space, places to hide, places to climb and that has room for all of their toys, hammocks, hiding areas and food and water bowls and bottles.
Fortunately there are plenty of styles to choose from that can work for all ferret owners’ needs. All you need to know about choosing the right ferret cage is in this buyer’s guide. Once you know the space you have to work with, you can look at the features that are part of a good cage and apply those guidelines to the models you are interested in.
Ferrets are social, sweet animals so remember that they should not spend all of their time in the cage. They enjoy getting out of it and should on a daily basis. But once they are back in their cage, you can be confident that you have chosen a cage that will keep them healthy, active and happy.
Resources
- Midwest – http://www.critternation.net/
- Living World – https://usa.hagen.com/Small-Animal?hidden=true
- Kaytee – http://www.kaytee.com/
