10 Best Litters for Ferrets in 2024 – Reviews & Top Picks

All ferrets need litter, but choosing the correct litter for your ferret can be a bit confusing. There are many types of litter that are not suitable for ferrets in the least. For example, clay-based litter gets thick and cement-like when wet. This can stick to your ferret’s paws, mouth, and nose. When ingested, it can sometimes create a fatal blockage.

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 2024

	Image	Product	Details
Best Overall		Fresh News Paper Cat Litter	Inexpensive Recycled paper is biodegradable Soft and virtually dust free	Check Price
Best Value		Vitakraft Fresh Litter Box & Animal Bedding	Minimal dust Made from 100% recycled paper Absorbs liquid well	Check Price
Premium Choice		sWheat Scoop Wheat Cat Litter	Natural litter Clumping litter is easy to clean and maintain Unscented doesn’t contain any harmful added ingredients	Check Price
		Paw Inspired Small Pet Liner Pee Pads	No scooping required with pads Bamboo does a decent job of trapping odors Can be combined with other litter	Check Price
		Oxbow Wheat Straw Small Animal Litter	Wheat is safe for ferrets Expands when wet Does a decent job of controlling odor	Check Price

10 Best Litters for Ferrets

Ferrets don’t have to use litter specifically designed for ferrets. Cat litter serves the same purpose, and as long as it is considered safe for ferrets to use, it can be cheaper and more readily available. There’s also a wider range of cat litters to choose from, including Fresh News Unscented Non-Clumping Paper Cat Litter.

The litter is made from 100% recycled paper, which is completely biodegradable. It is unscented, but it does contain baking soda to help neutralize and trap odors and is especially effective against ammonia smells. The paper is formed into pellets that are softer than wood pellets, but they don’t break up easily, which prevents dust and also helps prevent tracking, so your ferret won’t run the paper around the house. Fresh News is cheap, does a good job of preventing smells, and it is safe for use with ferrets. While it might seem like a small thing, the bag is also resealable which prevents spills and makes it easier to keep the litter tidy.

It is our choice as the best litter for ferrets, but while it does a reasonable job of controlling smells for the first couple of days, it doesn’t take too long before the odor starts to escape.

Vitakraft Fresh World Ultra Strength Litter Box & Cage Small Animal Bedding is another recycled paper product, but whereas the Fresh News litter has been formed into pellets, the Vitakraft Fresh World is just shredded paper. It can be used as bedding but also makes an effective litter for ferrets.

Vitakraft claims that it smells fresh for 14 days. Because it isn’t a pellet, the paper more readily absorbs liquids, and it will expand to three times the size when it is being used. It doesn’t contain baking soda and is unscented and is 99.5% dust free. The litter is also very reasonably priced and is our choice as the best litter for ferrets for the money.

But while the manufacturer claims it is unscented, there is a bit of a chemical smell and because it is just shredded paper, it doesn’t last that long before it needs replacing.

Clumping litter clumps to form small balls when it gets wet. This helps control odor because it holds the smell within the clump, and it is also easier to skim and scoop the used litter out of the litter tray while leaving untouched litter, so you don’t have to completely replace the full litter pan every time you need to clean it out. The litter is made from wheat which is natural, safe for ferrets, and it is biodegradable. There are scented and unscented variants, and we recommend the unscented because it is safer and doesn’t contain any harmful extra ingredients.

Wheat is also lightweight, and it is safe if your ferret decides to try eating some, but sWheat Scoop Natural Unscented Clumping Wheat Cat Litter is on the expensive side and it also tends to create quite a lot of dust so it is best avoided if your ferret, you, or any of your family members are sensitive to dusty litters.

Whatever litter you choose, there will be some degree of scooping and clearing, as well as the possibility of your ferrets tracking pieces of litter through the house. Depending on the litter type, it may also create dust clouds that can irritate your and your ferret’s breathing. An alternative to this is to use disposable litter pads. They can be placed in a litter tray and removed when they start to smell. Once the pad is gone, so too is the smell. Some owners also combine with litter, so the pad goes on the bottom of the tray and litter is placed on top, although this primarily protects the litter tray and negates some of the benefits of litter pads.

Paw Inspired Bamboo Disposable Small Pet Liner Pee Pads are expensive, but they are made from bamboo that does a good job of neutralizing odors. Liquid is pulled away from the surface of the pad before being converted into a gel that is less messy and easier to clean. They can be useful in an emergency and for those that prefer pads but Paw Inspired Bamboo Disposable Small Pet Liner Pee Pads are pricey and they don’t have the best absorbency.

Oxbow Bene Terra Eco-Straw Pelleted Wheat Straw Small Animal Litter is a wheat pellet litter made from heat-treated wheat, ensuring there are no mites or insects in the litter. The litter expands when it gets wet, and it can take on a lot of moisture while also reducing odors in the litter tray. The pellets are dust-free and Oxbow claims that they don’t track or get thrown out of the litter tray. The litter is moderately priced and more effective and efficient than wood shavings. Because it is made from wheat, the litter is also perfectly safe for your ferrets.

However, while dust levels are low and the litter does expand when wet, it is difficult to scoop because the wet litter separates. It can get a bit messy which means that it will mess up your ferret’s paws, and it does track out of the litter tray once in this state.

So Phresh Paper Pellet Small Animal Litter is made of 100% recycled paper and the manufacturer claims that the paper pellets don’t break apart when they get wet. Because it is made of paper, the litter is completely biodegradable and environmentally friendly. The pellets contain baking soda, which is used to help control odors that naturally gather in a litter tray.

The litter is cheap, but the baking soda doesn’t prevent all smells from spreading, and while the top pellets in the bag, which tend to be those that are in the best condition and still whole, do not give off too much dust, the bottom of the bag is effectively a collection of paper dust and may prove unusable. If you have a ferret that likes to dig and scratch around in its litter, this will also cause dust from the pellets.

Purina Yesterday’s News Clumping Paper Cat Litter is another recycled newspaper litter but while other paper litters do not add extra ingredients, Purina has included guar gum that is supposed to make the litter clump, and mineral oil designed to minimize odors and leave a fresh scent. The litter is soft, which is good for your ferret’s paws.

However, while Yesterday’s News is essentially shredded paper, rather than pellets which means that it doesn’t track in the traditional sense, once the paper gets a little damp it will stick to your ferret’s paws and is then easily trodden into carpet and other surfaces outside the litter tray. Once the paper gets wet, it can also be difficult to clean off the litter tray itself, making litter changes more of a challenge.

Sunseed Fresh World Small Pet Bedding is made from 100% recycled paper. The packaging states that the litter contains baking soda. While it is advised that baking soda not be used for rabbits, many owners use it for ferret litter because it does a good job of controlling odors and preventing the smell of urine from spreading through the house.

Sunseed is made from recycled paper and comes in a shredded paper format, rather than in pellet shape. It is a little more expensive than some of the other litter, and because it is shredded paper, it can get wet and slimy when used.

Kaytee Critter Litter Premium Potty-Training Small Animal Litter is a clay litter made specifically from bentonite. Some owners swear by clay litter because it absorbs liquid on contact. Labeled as a premium litter, this is quite an expensive option especially because clay weighs a lot, and you will need to use a fair amount of the litter every time you fill the tray.

As well as being quite dusty, the bentonite gets muddy when it is wet and this mud sticks to the tray which also makes it really difficult to effectively empty the litter tray when you’re cleaning it out. But the packet is resealable which means it is easier and tidier to keep in the cupboard.

Buyer’s Guide: Choosing the Best Litter for Ferrets

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 a challenge to decide on—most available 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 Fresh News Unscented Non-Clumping Paper Cat Litter over all the others that we reviewed. For those on a budget, we also liked the Vitakraft Fresh World Ultra Strength Litter Box & Cage Small Animal Bedding.

Featured Image Credit: Inna astakhova, Shutterstock