My ferrets favorite toys are tubes.  They have a fat, 6 foot long paper
tube, that the new vinyl for the floor of their room was rolled around,
and a 10 foot length of black, ribbed, PVC drainage pipe.
 
The ribbed tube is bent into a U shape, and is secured by tie wraps to the
legs of a folding table placed in a corner.  Visualize the U tipping till
it rests on one of it's long arms.  The construction of most folding tables
is that the legs are set under the edge of the table about 6 inches.  The
overhanging top keeps the tube U shaped, rather than becoming a big L.
When a ferret enters and begins climbing up the curve, his weight brings
the upper portion down.  When the ferret exits, the now weightless end
snaps back up, being stopped by the table top.  All the ferrets love it,
and it's great exercise.
 
Their next favorite is a plastic boat with both a cabin and a below deck
hatch.  They enter the cabin, look out the windows, then go under the deck
and pop up the hinged hatch.  It's about 15 inches and 2 ferrets can get
into it at one time.
 
The baby angora has his own favorite, an orange plastic halloween pumpkin
about 10 inches across.  He slithers over the side into it, and scratches
at the black face glowing through from the outside.  Or he tips in on its
side and rolls it, or makes snake strikes at his cage buddy from the
opening.  It lives in their half of the cage, and he plays with it every
day, sometimes for an hour at a time.
 
We recently got a package of plastic eggs, and they get chased all over
the ferrets room.  And an old standby is a plastic box from Chubbs baby
wipes.  They also like their nesting plastic cups, and one of those
doughnut shaped rings on a peg, both human baby toys.
 
Georgia
[Posted in FML issue 2256]