Nancy:

Pardon the late reply. I did not see your original post until now, but
nor did I see replies to it.

Rice -- plain dried rice -- is a good choice for dig boxes. Some people
alternate, every couple of weeks, between starch peanuts and rice, just
to keep things stimulating.

Anyway: it sounds like a bad idea at first blush, but [A] the rice is
hard, and ferrets aren't terribly motivated to chew on it as they are
softer items. [2] They cannot digest it, even if they ingest some (and
they probably will, in the process of eating their "target") plus their
digestive process is far too quick to allow moisture to expand the
rice. Result: almost no chance of blockage, and it may even help clean
out potential blockages (like little hairballs) and so on. Rice has
been used for many years and is (as much as anything can be said to be)
safe for ferrets. SFF.

However, it should also be said that this should not be used with a
ferret who already has a blockage. Retention in the digestive system
will eventually cause it to swell, possibly aggravating the existing
condition.

All that aside... if you can shop at a co-op or commercial market
(Winco, Costco, Sam's, etc.) you can find bulk rice. A 20 lb. bag of
rice is sufficient for a decent-sized dig box, with some left over.
You should be able to get 6" or so of depth.

I like to take some ferret treats, like Marshall's treats, break them
in half, bury 4-6 (halves) in different spots in the dig box and tell
Fred to go to town. He enjoys the heck out of it.

Lonny Eachus

[Posted in FML 7612]