Bedding and litter trays: how to keep the ferret cage fresh

A fresh ferret cage starts with two things: a dry floor and a good toilet corner. Ferrets choose a fixed corner themselves to do their business, which makes them easy to litter train. If you set up that corner properly and keep the rest of the cage dry and soft, the cage stays a lot fresher and cleaning becomes a short daily routine.

This category is divided into two subcategories. In Bedding you will find loose bedding, including many Zooply products, and washable fleece blankets and mats. In Toilet pellets & Corner toilets you will find corner litter trays in various sizes, paper pellets, a litter scoop and cleaning products.

At a glance

• ✓ Divide the cage: a dry floor, soft levels and a fixed toilet corner.
• ✓ In the toilet corner, use a corner litter tray with a high back wall and absorbent pellets.
• ✓ Choose low-dust, unscented bedding.
• ✓ Scoop out the toilet corner daily and wash fleece and blankets regularly.
• ✓ Also put litter trays in the room where your ferret roams freely every day.

What will you find in the Bedding category?

Loose bedding

From Zooply, our own brand, you will find cotton fibre, Cotton & Sawdust, Cotton & Cardboard, cardboard shreds, hemp fibre, wood fibre and a large bale of hemp bedding. According to the product information they are low in dust and highly absorbent; we use them every day in the enclosures in our shop and breeding facility. You will also find Back-2-Nature paper pellets, Plospan wood fibre, Esve cotton fibre and Natural Pet Brand cotton pellets.

Fleece, blankets and mats

For the levels and sleeping spots there are Flamingo fleece blankets in three sizes and Zolux Neolife blankets and microfibre non-slip mats. Soft, warm and washable.

Corner litter trays and litter pellets

Corner litter trays for rats and ferrets from Zolux, Trixie and Flamingo, the De Boon square ferret toilet and larger litter trays for a spacious cage or the free-roaming area. With paper pellets to fill the tray and a Beeztees litter scoop for the daily round.

Cleaning products

Cleaning products for animal enclosures, a spray against dried-in urine stains and a floor and surface cleaner, to clean the cage and litter trays thoroughly.

Dividing up a ferret cage

The floor: a layer of low-dust, absorbent bedding catches spilled water and accidents. A few centimetres is usually enough for ferrets.

The levels: fleece or a non-slip mat gives grip and a warm place to lie. Use two sets, so you always have a clean set ready.

The toilet corner: a corner litter tray with fixing hooks in the corner your ferret chooses itself, filled with paper pellets or hemp fibre. Well away from the sleeping spots and the food bowl.

The sleeping spots: hammocks, a sleeping bag or a dark hanging house with a small blanket. Ferrets sleep a lot and like to be sheltered.

The free-roaming area

Ferrets spend a few hours outside the cage every day. The same rules apply there too: a ferret does not walk far to do its business and chooses a corner for it. So put a corner litter tray with pellets in the corners your ferret picks out. On a smooth floor, a fleece blanket or non-slip mat helps at the play spot: your ferret has grip and it is a nice place for a short rest. If something does go wrong on the floor, clean the spot with an enzyme cleaner, so the smell does not draw your ferret back to the same place.

Which size do you choose?

How much bedding you use depends on the number of ferrets, the size of the cage and how often you refresh it. For one or two ferrets in a normal cage, a bag of 30 to 50 litres, or a bag of hemp fibre of 3.5 or 5 kg, is a convenient size to start with. If you have several ferrets or refresh often, the bags of 100 litres or more, or the 20 kg bale of Zooply hemp bedding, are more practical and you need to order less often. Store your supply dry and sealed.

Summer and winter

Ferrets cope poorly with heat. On warm days, take extra blankets out of the cage and provide a cool spot to lie. In colder periods, an extra fleece blanket and a sleeping bag are welcome. The loose bedding and the toilet corner stay the same all year round.

Daily and weekly routine

Every day you scoop out the litter tray and remove wet patches from the bedding. Every few days, or sooner if necessary, you change the fleece. Regularly, you clean the litter trays and the floor completely with a cleaning product for animal enclosures; rinse and let everything dry. Leave a little used material in the litter tray, so your ferret recognises its spot.

Handy combinations

• Ferret cages with levels to divide up.
• Care products such as cleaning products and disinfectants.
• Accessories such as tunnels for in the cage.

Frequently asked questions

Which bedding is best for a ferret?

Low in dust, highly absorbent and unscented. For the toilet corner, paper pellets and hemp fibre work well; for the floor, cotton, cardboard or wood fibre; and for the levels, fleece or a non-slip mat.

Can I use cat litter?

Preferably not. Clumping clay litter can be dusty, and ferrets dig and play in their litter tray. Low-dust paper pellets or natural fibres are a better choice.

How do I litter train my ferret?

Put the litter tray in the corner your ferret already uses, put a few droppings in it and place your ferret in it briefly after it wakes up. Reward it when it gets it right. Also put enough litter trays in the free-roaming area.

How do I stop the cage from smelling?

By scooping out the litter tray daily, removing wet patches, washing blankets regularly and ventilating the room. Fragrances or perfume in the cage do not solve the problem. Ferrets also have their own body odour; that is part of the animal.

Can I use Zooply bedding in the litter tray too?

Yes. Zooply Hemp Fibre and Zooply Cardboard Shreds are highly absorbent and suitable for the toilet corner. Do choose the unscented variant. Many owners use the same material in the litter tray as on the floor; that is handy and your ferret recognises the smell.

How often do I replace a corner litter tray?

When the plastic gets damaged, has cracks or has a hard deposit on it that you can no longer remove. A damaged litter tray is harder to keep clean.

Bedding and litter trays for ferrets at Knaagplaza

With a dry floor of Zooply bedding, soft fleece on the levels and a well set-up toilet corner, the ferret cage stays fresh and cleaning stays manageable.