Do Ferrets Chew Wires? (7 Interesting Facts)

People who are considering getting pet ferrets often desire to know whether the ferrets chew wires. There are also those who show interest in knowing whether ferrets chew wires out of simple curiosity. Read on, to find out if ferrets really chew wires.

Do ferrets chew wires? Yes, some ferrets do chew wires. They do it out of curiosity and sometimes due to boredom. Keeping wires out of the ferrets’ reach, covering wires so that ferrets don’t chew on them and providing ferrets with alternative things to chew on can be helpful.

Thankfully, ferrets’ wire chewing behavior is not as bad as the gnawing we see in rats and rodents generally.

Nonetheless, you may need to put some effort into ferret proofing cables. This is especially likely to be necessary if your ferrets are of the type that likes chewing on wires.

How Are Ferrets With Wires?

One of the key questions that people who are considering taking up ferrets as pets tend to ask is on how the ferrets are like with wires generally.

We already know how destructive rodents like mice can be with wires. But what about ferrets? Are ferrets destructive to wires? Do ferrets chew cords or wires the same way rodents tend to do?

Now here, it is important to understand that ferrets are not rodents. Ferrets are mustelids (otherwise known as weasels). But they are not rodents.

Therefore rodent behavior shouldn’t be the standard on which we gauge ferrets.

You may have been wondering, do ferrets like to chew like rodents? Or generally, do ferrets chew on things like rodents. But such questions may be misplaced, because ferrets are weasels, not rodents.

However, in spite of not being rodents, ferrets do nonetheless exhibit chewing behaviors. And with regard to wires, ferrets do at times bite/chew on them.

Indeed, there have been practical applications of the ferret cable/wire biting behaviors: in which you find people using ferrets to run cables in hard to reach crevices.

So ferrets can bite/chew cables for sure.

Thus while getting a ferret as a pet, you should do so with awareness of the fact that the ferret may start chewing on your wires.

Not all ferrets chew wires though. But some do. And there is no knowing whether the ferret you will be getting is one of those that like chewing wires or not.

Why Do Ferrets Chew Wires?

So far, we have seen that some ferrets are known to chew wires. This leads to another question, on why do ferrets chew wires.

More specifically, one may be seeking to know, do ferrets bite cords (or wires) due to some instinct in them? Or just why do ferrets like to chew cords and wires?

Now to answer all those questions, we need to start by stepping back and asking ourselves, why do ferrets chew on things generally?

It turns out that the main reason why ferrets generally chew on things is curiosity. Another major reason for ferrets chewing things is boredom.

Those too are also the applicable reasons for why ferrets chew wires.

In most cases, you find the ferrets chewing wires due to curiosity. Ferrets like to explore the world around them. And they do this mostly using their mouths: biting and chewing things.

So that is how you end up with ferrets chewing wires.

There are also cases in which you find ferrets chewing wires due to boredom. For instance, if ferrets don’t have anything tough to chew on, they resort to chewing on any wires they encounter.

Thus curiosity and boredom are the main reasons for ferrets chewing wires.

Do All Ferrets Chew Wires?

Not all ferrets chew wires. Some ferrets exhibit wire chewing behaviors, while others don’t.

Even among the ferrets that exhibit wire-chewing behaviors, the propensity to chew the wires varies. You find some being very intense chewers, even as others chew on wires very little.

Generally though, not all ferrets chew wires. But any ferret can start chewing wires. That is why every ferret owner needs to know how to ferret proof wires.

Which Wires Do Ferrets Chew On?

There are many types of wires out there. Those range from the likes of chicken mesh wire to the likes of electrical cords.

What we now need to ask ourselves is which of these wires ferrets chew on. In other words, do ferrets chew on all wires? Or do ferrets only chew on certain types of wires? Let’s find out.

Do Ferrets Chew On Electrical Cords?

When people ask the question on whether ferrets can chew wires, their biggest fear tends to be about electrical cords.

So, do ferrets chew on electrical cords? Ferrets are capable of chewing on electrical cords, if they happen to find any such cords lying around.

To put it differently, ferrets seem to have the capability to chew all wires – including electrical cords.

The fact that ferrets can chew electrical cords comes with huge implications. It means that the ferrets can easily get themselves electrocuted. It also means that the ferrets’ chewing on electrical cords can cause fires and other hazards.

Can Ferrets Chew Through Chicken Wire?

Ferrets are capable of chewing through chicken wire.

You need to remember that the strength of ferrets’ teeth is such that they occasionally dismantle bones. Given that fact, chewing through chicken wire shouldn’t be too hard for ferrets.

Thus ferrets are well able to chew through chicken wire. This has implications, if you have a pet ferret and also keep chicken.

The ferret may chew through the chicken wire, get into the chicken coop, and cause trouble there.

How Can I Prevent My Ferrets From Chewing On Wires?

Here, the first question you need to ask yourself is, how do I ferret proof my home generally? And in that regard, a good starting point may be that of covering the wires that can be covered.

Ferrets normally won’t pursue wires that are out of their sight to chew. Normally, ferrets just chew the wires they encounter lying around.

Therefore covering the wires can help greatly in protecting them from being chewed by the ferrets.

You may also need to tape/staple cables to the wall, so that ferrets don’t chew on them.

Ferrets normally won’t go out of their way to try chewing on wires that are affixed to walls.

There is also the option of using scents that ferrets dislike to keep them from chewing on wires. For instance, if you spray vinegar around the cables you wish to protect, ferrets may keep off them.

As said earlier, ferrets sometimes chew wires due to boredom. One may then ask, what can ferrets be provided with, to alleviate such boredom? For instance, do ferrets need chew sticks?

The answer is ‘yes’, providing chew sticks and other tough chewing foods can help in keeping ferrets from chewing wires.

There are also those who may consider providing the ferrets with chew toys. But there are also safety concerns that come with such toys for ferrets. This is because the ferrets tend to swallow bits of the chew toys, leading to health crises.

But providing tough foods to chew on tends to do the trick, alongside the other measures outlined above.

Final Verdict – Do Ferrets Chew Wires

Ferrets do sometimes chew wires. In many cases, ferrets chew wires out of pure curiosity. At other times, ferrets chew wires due to boredom: especially when they don’t have other tough things to chew on.

Ferrets are even capable of chewing on electrical cords, getting electrocuted, causing power outages or starting fires.

If ferrets chew and swallow the cable coverings, they may end up with internal obstructions.

Thus if you are getting a ferret, you need to be ready for the fact that the ferret may start biting wires. You may therefore need to put in place protective measures, to bar the ferrets from chewing wires.

Keeping wires out of the ferrets’ reach, covering wires and providing ferrets with alternative tough things to chew on may help stop them from chewing wires.

As a pet lover, make sure to learn about pet more and give your pet ferret a good and comfortable life! 

Rajkumar Ravichandran

Welcome to Learn About Pet. My name is Rajkumar Ravichandran and I love all pets, travel, and amazing food. I write about my passion and personal experience caring for multiple pets in this blog! ❤️