Because of their curious and fearless nature and small size, ferrets must be protected from dangers that are not generally apparent to other domestic pets and some initial groundwork is needed before bringing ferrets into your home.

It is essential to ferret-proof the areas that your ferrets will have access to. Ferrets can get into spaces any bigger than 1 x 2 inches. They can also jump (a bit) and will, as a rule, will always particularly want to get to places that are off limits. Be Prepared. If they are to be allowed free in your kitchen, block off any holes around the fridge or freezer, or anywhere that they could get lost in. Ferrets know what doors are and will make a dash for it when they hear a door open. Try to avoid this by either giving them the run of a whole area (or your whole house!) or use a barrier across the doorway, like a stair gate.

Ferrets love to play and hide in and under things. NEVER tread on a rug or newspaper without checking that there isn't a ferret under it. Keep glasses, cups, plates, knives etc - in fact anything dangerous or fragile - out of reach. Ferrets want to investigate anything, and most ferrets love drinking out of cups and glasses (mine particularly like tea). Most ferrets appear to have very little fear of danger and will sniff, lick and carry off anything they can get their paws on.

Ferrets do not chew like a dog, nor do they claw upholstery like a cat. They do, however, have a strong urge to dig and some training is often required to stop them from trying to reach Australia through your sitting room carpet! Ferrets can easily be litter trained and will need a litter tray in their cage plus one or more in the play areas of their house to prevent accidents.