If you've had a ferret (or ferrets) for any amount of time, you have probably figured out that they become bored of playing very quickly. That's not good for either you or your pet. When bored, ferrets become destructive and depressed. Spending hundreds at the pet store on various toys is too much for any budget, but with a little ingenuity and work, you'll get out cheaply.

The first thing to remember is that ferrets tend to forget very quickly. Taking something away from them for a few days and re-introducing it is the easiest way to keep them going. Simply moving things around can be enough because it opens up new areas they can explore. The question here is what to move around and how can you do it cheaply. Keep in mind that all ferrets are different and won't take to every suggestion. Just keep trying until you hit the right ones.

Water

Most ferrets are fascinated by water, and not the stuff out of their regular bottle. Even if they're not usually fond of taking a wet bath, giving them a sturdy, heavy bowl of water—the bigger the better— should provide hours of entertainment. If you're worried about your floor, slip a towel underneath and be sure there's no chance they can tip the bowl over. The bigger, the better. Most ferrets should dive right in, splash around, dip their head in, or at least try to figure it out.

There's added fun here too. Try putting in a single ice cube. As they go about their usual splashing, they'll eventually discoverit and attempt to steal it. You can also take the entire dish and put it inside a plastic grocery bag. Your ferret will not only get the fun from the water, but from crinkling the bag as well.

Bags

It seems so simple, but a paper or plastic bag is an excellent toy. Lay out several for maximum entertainment. Be sure to supervise (which they should be at all times) to prevent any disaster. Once they get inside or if they lose interest, start crinkling the bag. It should become an all-out war with your ferret.

Boxes

There are countless possibilities here. Just a box by itself is fun for a little while. Stuffing it with things is where you give ferrets the most to do. Packing peanuts are a start. Their static electricity causes them to cling to the ferret's fur. They go nuts trying to get the peanuts off, clucking happily the entire time. Dry fall leaves, washed off to prevent any disease, do about the same thing and have a great crunching noise.

Another approach, besides just leaving the top of the box open, is to fill it with old newspapers or other noisy and seal the box. Then cut a hole on each end of the box. That keeps ferrets occupied for hours. They run in and out and never seem to tire of this one.

Tubing

Ferrets are natural diggers. Therefore, giving them tubes to run through provides the illusion of tunneling underground. Pet stores take advantage of this by charging $20 for only six feet of tube. That's ridiculous, and you can do it far better and cheaper.

There are actually two ways around this and both involve home-improvement stores. The first is gutter extenders, which usually come in six-foot sections for about $7. They can be twisted and manipulated multiple times and can be interconnected. One of the ends is usually small so if your ferret is a little fat, he or she may have some trouble making it through. Be sure, however, to cover the sharp ends with some packaging tape.

The other option is roughly the same, just on a larger scale. A home-improvement store should sell underground piping for irrigation systems. This is usually located in their outdoor nursery, by the seasonal plants and such. It comes in a variety of lengths, the smallest being 10 feet. It costs only $5 a section that size (you can buy 100 feet for around $20-$30). The bonus here is, just like the pet store, they sell attachments. By connecting them, you can literally have your critters running throughout your home, popping out at certain intervals thanks to the exits these attachments have.

If you go this route, be sure to make plenty of openings for the ferrets to get in and out. If you don’t, it's possible they'll get scared and panic. Make sure to make everything as twisted as you can, even make the pipes go over “hills.”

With either gutter extenders or irrigation tubing, it’s easy to frequently change things around. Try and judge how long it takes your little guy or gal to become bored and then rearrange it. Otherwise, you have tubing all over the place and no ferret playing with it.

Pop Bottles

Two-liter pop containers can be fun if you know how to use them. Filling them with water is the obvious choice, letting your ferret tip it over, making a mess in the process. That's not going to work for everybody since not everybody likes soaked carpets.

If that's not an ideal way for you to entertain them, try this. Get some coins, pennies or quarters will do, and put in just enough to cover the bottom of the bottle. Put the cap on tightly so they can't get it off. Even better, tape it up as much as possible. That keeps them from choking on the cap or coins. Once introduced, they should have a blast rolling and knocking it over while the loud noise from the coins makes it all intriguing.

Old clothes

It doesn't really matter what you offer them: shirts, coats, shoes, pants, or hats all qualify as entertainment to a ferret. They can tunnel into all of this and destroy it at will. They'll rarely have more fun than this.

Be wary of zippers, rubber (especially on the shoes), buttons, and pockets. They could find something you forgot in a pocket or chew anything else. Make sure you've looked over anything you give your pet, and that goes for everything else in this article too.

Blankets

Simply laying a blanket across the floor is usually enough. They'll immediately take to crawling underneath and searching, even if it's over an area they're in every day. Try to avoid a thicker one with tears as they can get their little heads stuck and nothing good comes from that. Avoid electric blankets and anything with frayed edges. It's easy for them to get their nails caught (even if they've recently been trimmed) and get seriously hurt.

Cups

Not exactly the most fascinating thing when you only have one of them, but get together a stack of them, and you're suddenly the best ferret owner in the world. Simple Dixie cups are enough as long as they're stacked high and wide. Almost nothing can match the pleasure of 30 cups crashing to floor at the hands of a ferret. The obvious precautions apply (no heavy cups, nothing with sharp corners, no glass, and supervise at all times).

Laser Pointer

An old classic that works on many animals, a skilled person with a laser pointer is a ferret's best friend. Many of them, for whatever reason, just don't seem to get a pointer like this; don't be surprised if they completely ignore it. They're usually cheap enough, so it's not going to cost a lot to experiment. If they are the type to fall for it, you can give them a quick and easy workout by waving it across the floor. Watch them race after it. Be sure not to aim it at their eyes.

All it really takes to entertain a ferret is to keep things fresh and to use some ingenuity. All of these ideas are proven winners, but creating your own isn't difficult either. Anything can occupy their attention if it's new to them. Just be sure whatever you introduce provides no opportunity to harm them in any way. That's the hardest part. You're the only person who knows what your animal is capable of, so take the time to think things through, and you should never have any problems.