The safest choices for ferrets are recycled paper or wood. These are the most absorbent. However, you also need to stay aware of added chemicals, essential oils, and other unsafe additives.
We’ve done most of the legwork for you in this article. We will review some of the top-rated litter for ferrets and discuss the best options currently on the market.
A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites of 2023
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Best Overall
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Vitakraft Bedding & Litter |
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Best Value
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Marshall Premium Odor Control Ferret Litter – Best Value |
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Premium Choice
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Oxbow Eco-Straw Pelleted Wheat Straw Litter – Premium Choice |
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sWheat Scoop |
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So Phresh Paper Pellet Animal Litter |
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Top 6 Best Litters for Ferrets
1. Vitakraft Bedding & Litter – Best Overall
Designed to be both bedding and litter, Vitakraft 34754 Bedding & Litter is a multi-purpose litter that is a decent choice for most small animals. It is not explicitly designed for ferrets, but it is crafted for small animals in general, which does include ferrets. Of course, you will likely not be using it for your ferret’s bedding. However, it does perform as a decent litter.
It is free of baking soda and made from 100% recycled paper. The paper is entirely safe for ferrets and does a decent job at containing the odor. However, it is not particularly odor-free, so you will need to change the litter often. It is biodegradable because it is just made out of paper, and you may be able to flush it in some areas. It is mostly dust-free, which is perfect for ferrets.
Our main problem with this litter is that you need to change it every few days, or it begins to smell. There is no active odor-control agent, so it does tend to get a bit stinky. It is also a bit dustier than other options and tends to track.
2. Marshall Premium Odor Control Ferret Litter – Best Value
The Marshall Premium Odor Control Ferret Litter is one of the few litters that is designed for ferrets. It is relatively inexpensive as well and is the best ferret litter for the money. If you’re on a budget, this is the litter you want to get.
It is made with 100% recycled paper, which is one of the best materials for ferrets. It is very absorbent and environmentally friendly. We also liked that this litter is entirely biodegradable and environmentally-safe. It is dust-free and designed for sensitive ferrets, so it is suitable for nearly every ferret out there. You can flush this litter in some areas, depending on your septic system. There is no clay in it.
There do seem to be some shipping problems with this bag. There are many reports of it arriving busted or otherwise damaged. Because it is litter, it makes quite a bit of a mess.
3. Oxbow Eco-Straw Pelleted Wheat Straw Litter – Premium Choice
For those with sensitive noses or sensitive ferrets, the Oxbow Eco-Straw Pelleted Wheat Straw Litter may be worth the extra money. This is one of the better litters for ferrets on the market, but it is also a more expensive option. You get what you pay for, however.
It is made of all-natural wheat straw – one of the better litter mediums for ferrets. It naturally absorbs liquids while the enzymes in the wheat block the odor. This is one of the very few ferret-safe litters that clumps and are scoopable. This litter is also very environmentally friendly and completely biodegradable. You can even flush it.
If your ferret accidentally (or not-so-accidentally) eats the litter, there is nothing to worry about, as this litter is even safe to eat. It will not create blockages like other litters will, making it one of the market’s safest options. For these reasons, this is one of the best litters on the market. However, it is also quite expensive.
4. sWheat Scoop
sWheat Scoop is a cat litter that is made out of wheat. It is biodegradable and renewable. The wheat starches trap odors on contact without clumping. The natural enzymes do an excellent job of neutralizing the odors and keeping the litter cleaner for longer. Plus, it is 100% free from added dyes, perfumes, dust, or harmful ingredients. In other words, it is entirely safe for your ferret.
We liked that this litter was completely eco-friendly, flushable, and biodegradable. It is one of the more environmentally friendly options out there, which may be an essential selling point for some owners. It is not remarkably inexpensive, but it isn’t costly either. It is about average as far as litters go.
There are a few somewhat significant problems with this litter, though, which is why we rated it near the middle of our list. Firstly, it is quite dusty and tends to track. This is not good for you or your ferret. Secondly, it is not as good at controlling odors as some other options. It will likely be okay with one ferret, but likely not more than that.
5. So Phresh Paper Pellet Animal Litter
The So Phresh Paper Pellet Animal Litter is relatively inexpensive. It is one of the cheapest options on the market to be suitable for people on a budget. However, it isn’t the best litter out there, and other litters are inexpensive that works even better. It is designed to be used by small animals, including ferrets, so you can rest assured that it is safe – unlike some cat litters.
It does contain baking soda to control odors. However, that is about the only added chemical it contains. Otherwise, it is made out of mostly recycled paper, which does not break apart when wet. It is not clumpable or scoopable, but that can be said for just about any ferret-safe litter on the market. The natural pellets lock in moisture and have some odor-control ability, though it is not as much as some of the other brands we reviewed. Because it is made out of paper, it is biodegradable and environmentally-friendly.
Our main problem with this litter is that it doesn’t do much to block odors. It does contain baking soda, but baking soda doesn’t do much in practice.
6. Fresh News Paper Small Animal Litter
Like many of the top-rated litters we reviewed on this list, Fresh News Paper Small Animal Litter is made of recycled paper. This makes it safe for ferrets and exceptionally absorbent. It is also biodegradable and environmentally-friendly since it will break down faster than some other litter ingredients. It is decently soft as well, which may be very important to some ferrets.
The pellets are quite moisture-locking. However, this does not necessarily make them odor-free. If enough pellets become saturated, you will smell it.
This litter is suitable for ferrets that are sensitive to additives and chemicals. It only contains paper, which is not going to upset any allergies.
The pellets are relatively small and somewhat crushed. This can make it unsuitable for ferrets, as they can track it all over the place. It also gets rather sticky when wet so that it can stick to their feet, nose, and paws. Since ferrets tend to “sniff” when finding a place to go, it can get all over their face pretty quickly.
Buyer’s Guide
Choosing a safe litter for your ferret can be somewhat complicated. There are just many things in litters designed for cats and other animals that aren’t safe for ferrets. For example, clay, which is the most common cat litter ingredient, is not suitable for ferrets in the least. Many odor-blocking chemicals aren’t safe either.
To make matters worse, there are very few litters that are actively designed for ferrets. Many are designed for cats or small animals in general, which means they may or may not be safe for ferrets specifically.
In this section, we’ll discuss some of the things you need to keep in mind when choosing a litter for your ferret. Often, this is more of a question of safety than just practicality.
Scoopable vs. Unscoopable
The main benefit of scoopable litter is that it can be scooped out. This allows you to easily spot-clean the litter and lengthens the time between complete changes. In the end, a scoopable litter makes the life of the owner easier.
However, scoopable litters are also more expensive in most cases. They are not safe for ferrets unless they are made out of some grain. This can be difficult to find, so you have to dig to locate a scoopable litter safe for your ferrets. It also tends to track more than unscoopable litter.
In general, most ferret-safe litters will be unscoopable. This is mostly because they are made out of something like paper, which doesn’t clump naturally. And many of the clumping chemicals are unsafe for ferrets.
Pellets
Litter comes in many different forms. However, we recommend choosing pellets. If you choose a litter that is smaller than large pellets, you’re going to have problems with tracking, and the litter will travel.
Pellets are generally pretty dust-free, while powdered and crushed litter is generally very dusty. This brings down the air quality of your home and can pose health problems to your cats.
The only time we do not recommend pelleted litters is if your ferret thinks they are food. Rarely, ferrets somehow get in their mind that pelleted litters are food and will eat them. There isn’t much you can do about this, so you will need to switch litters to something that looks slightly less appetizing.
Litters to Avoid
There are a few litter types that you should avoid with ferrets. Many of these are unsafe for various reasons, even though they are sometimes advertised for ferrets.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can you use cat litter for ferrets?
Sometimes. Not all cat litters are safe for ferrets, so you do need to check. Clay litter, for example, is not safe for ferrets in the last. Added smells and colorants can also be a problem for ferrets, as they tend to be more sensitive to these sorts of things.
Some cat litters are wonderful for ferrets, but some are not in the least.
- Is pine safe for ferrets?
Not particularly. Some ferrets are okay with pine, but others are not. Softwoods like pine contain essential oils – it is the reason they smell so strongly. Most litters are not manufactured in a way that removes these oils. This may be good for cats since the added oils can prevent odors. However, it is not suitable for a ferret’s sensitive respiratory system. We do not recommend pine litters for this reason.
Conclusion
Ferret litter can be challenging to choose from. Most litters aren’t designed for ferrets specifically, so you have to do a bit of digging to figure out which litters are safe for ferrets. Hopefully, this article helped you figure out which litter to choose for your small pet.
We preferred the Vitakraft 34754 Bedding & Litter over all the others that we reviewed. It is entirely safe for ferrets and works quite well at locking in odors.
For those on a budget, we also liked the Marshall Premium Odor Control Ferret Litter. It is very inexpensive and also dust-free, which is very hard to find when it comes to ferret litter.
Featured image credit: Inna Astakhova, Shutterstock
