To Neal,

I have both ferrets and dogs. My dogs are adults now, but I still have
their puppy toys. Both the dogs and ferrets play with them.

Rope toys are always great puppy toys. The ferrets like dragging them
around too. Plus it cleans everybody's teeth.

Cloth toys are a favorite as well. Cotton bones that have squeakers
are popular among my household. And any kind of stuffed animal sort of
thing from pet stores work well too. Remember, the kind found in pet
stores are made for dogs, so they are pretty sturdy. But watch out if
there is tearing. The pup and ferret are capable of ingesting the inner
cotton material, which can lead to blockages. If tearing occurs, then
sew it back together or take out all the inner material and give the
outer skin back. One of my dogs loves her cloth bone. She kept tearing
it open no matter how often we sewed it back together. We eventually
had to remove the inside fluff. She still loves playing w/ the outer
skin though.

Tennis balls are always a great toy. Or any chew toy made out of tennis
ball material. All of my pets love them.

I know that rubber is dangerous for ferrets as they could cause
blockages, but I have many rubber toys. You just have to know what kind
of rubber toys to pick. Kong toys are good. They are very hard and
don't break easily. They are indestructible when my dogs chew them, so
it would be impossible for a ferret to chew off pieces to swallow. I
don't recommend too many squeaky rubber toys because they are hollow.
Many of them are brittle and open up easily. Its just a matter of
common sense and good judgment when it comes to rubber toys. The hard
and solid ones are the best. If you ever come across a rubber toy that
is breaking or coming apart, just get rid of it. While the dog still
may find it entertaining, the ferret may find a piece to be a nice
little snack. And we all know that would lead to a not so little trip
to the vet.

Examples of good toys for both pups and weasels:
Kong:
<http://www.petco.com/product/2324/KONG-Dog-Toy.aspx?CoreCat=certona-_-ProductList_Dog_2-_-KONG%20Dog%20Toy-2324>

Cloth:
<http://www.petco.com/product/106571/PETCO-Berber-Bone-Dog-Toy.aspx?CoreCat=DogSFC_Toys>

tennis ball material:
<http://www.petco.com/product/111362/Air-KONG-Bowling-Pin-Tennis-Squeaker-Dog-Toy.aspx?CoreCat=DogSFC_Toys>
<http://www.petco.com/product/108232/Air-KONG-Squeaker-Bone-Dog-Toy.aspx?CoreCat=DogSFC_Toys>

Solid rubber toys:
<http://www.petco.com/product/9437/JW-Pet-Hol-EE-Roller-Dog-Toy.aspx?CoreCat=DogSFC_Toys>
(one of the few rubber squeaky toys I would recommend. Dogs love
playing fetch w/ it. And the ferrets go nuts for the sound. My ferrets
don't really chew this guy, but they love hiding it. It's a very sturdy
rubber squeaky toy. I've had it for years since my 3 year old dog was a
2month old pup. It was her first toy and she plays with it every day.
It's fer favorite. Shes a hard chewer, and the toy is still in the same
condition as I got it.)

Cheers,
Nikki K

UC Davis
Animal Biology: Pre-vet

[Posted in FML 6982]