Cat toys work well for ferrets, though you need to be sure they don't
have any small, removable parts or foam stuffing which might cause
digestive-tract blockages [11.1].  Most ferrets are rather harder on
toys than a cat would be, so choose accordingly.  Plastic balls, with
or without bells, work well if they are not easily broken or swallowed
(the little "webbed" ones break too easily).  Soft vinyl rubber is
okay, but not the spongy kind -- it's too easily shredded and swallowed.
For hard rubber toys, be sure they can't get stuck in your ferret's
mouth, and take them away when they start to crack.  Avoid superballs:
ferrets love to chew them to bits and eat the pieces.  Cat or dog
squeaky toys are good if they're tough enough to stand up to chewing
and easily squeaked.  Catnip won't hurt ferrets, but it doesn't affect
them like it does cats.  Remote-control cars are also popular, if
somewhat expensive, ferret toys, though they may prefer chewing on the
wheels.

Most ferrets enjoy playing in a hammock made from a piece of cloth and
some metal eyelets, and the leg from an old pair of jeans will be fun
to crawl through or nap in.  For other toys, try umbrellas, bathrobe
belts, tennis balls, golf balls, ping-pong balls, film canisters
(rinsed to wash out any chemicals), or old socks with bells rolled up
in them.  Plastic shopping bags are popular, but watch to be sure your
pets don't suffocate or eat the plastic.  Cardboard boxes are also
fun, especially several nested together with ferret-sized holes cut at
various places.  Plastic bottles can be turned into clear ferret
play-tubes by cutting off their tops and taping them together.
Carpet-roll tubes and tunnels made of plastic pipe, dryer hose, or
black drainage tubing are popular too.  Avoid tubes from toilet paper
or paper towels, though; they're small enough that ferrets can get
their heads stuck in them and choke or suffocate.

An excellent, inexpensive toy is a piece of plastic dryer hose about
4" (10 cm) in diameter.  Wrap any loose wire ends.  Be sure that your
real dryer hose is out of reach (or get a metal one), since you're
showing your pets that dryer hoses are great fun to crawl through.
Clear dryer hose is even more fun, though less sturdy.  One brand is
Clear Duct by Dryer Mate, Model No. P48-C, a product of Nemco,
Inc.. Several ferret clubs and shelters have begun selling clear hose
as a fundraiser.  If you can't find any locally, you should be able to
order the original hose in 8-foot lengths or by the foot, or new
heavy-duty hose in 20-foot pieces or also by the foot.  Contact
Crissey Fowler Lumber, 117 W. Vermijo Ave., Colorado Springs, CO
80903, 719-473-2411, fax 719-473-0653.  Talk to Stan in Plumbing.

No matter what you decide your ferret's toys are, he or she will
almost undoubtedly choose some household items you never expected, as
well.  Keep anything that would be damaged with a little chewing, or
that might hurt your pet, well out of reach.  Unfortunately, digging
up houseplants is also enormous fun to a ferret, but there are some
things you can do to protect your plants [5.2].