Long story short is this. We got a new sectional couch and my ferret won't stop getting under it and inside it. She rips out some stuffing and just endlessly scratching inside and underneath where we sit. 

We let her out when we get home to play but after like 10 minutes she goes straight for the couch. We love her but we can't even have her out to play because she starts destroying our 2.5k$ sectional. We can lock her in our spare room but she just destroys the carpet trying to get out. We bought a wire play pen but it doesn't hold her, she just squeezes through the bars.

And on top of that, every time we fill her food bowl she just flings it out everywhere like she's having a tantrum.

I just don't know what to do. I don't want to get rid of her but I'm not letting her tare apart our new carpet and new couch.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

I have been there.  I hate to say it, but fixing the furniture obsession will take a bit of work.  You can get a staple gun and tack old sheets on the bottom. or thin plywood.  Plastic carpet runner next to the door may deter carpet digging.  Good luck.

THE DOOKS OF HAZARD

A ferret is hardwired to be curious (getting into the couch) and energetic (destroying said couch, and other things). You must ferret proof, ferret proofing is a constant task that never ends, read up on it, master it. The ferret will find what isn't ferret proof and ferret all over it. I am constantly finding new things that need to be ferretproofed, I have owned ferrets since 2009. Like i said, it is a ongoing process , and if you can't keep up with it, a ferret might not be right for you. I have a baby gate with cardboard over the fencing parts so they cant climb it, on the same apparatus i have ikea shelves (single shelves) on the carpet so they dont mess that up. I have sections on my carpet that are completely covered in perfectly fitting linoleum. ( you get become really handy if you are already not). Rolls of linoleum have worked wonders, it seems a bit ridiculous to cover sections of your carpet with linoleum ( and expensive), but man does it work. If I where you, I would put a baby gate (board the see thru parts with cardboard) in the room where your sectional is, and make it a completely ferret free zone, where you don't have to ferret proof ( only 2 rooms in my house are ferret proofed, and the kitchen). Also be sure to play with the little guy every day for a few hours, ferrets that are interacted with are less likely to be little wieners. ( NOT A GUARANTEE, I SHOULD TELL YOU ABOUT THIS ONE FERRET CHICHA). Good luck man, hopefully you don't have to give your little buddy away, but if you are not down with the stuff i said above, I see nothing but frustration in your future.

crisp20

 The ferret will find what isn't ferret proof and ferret all over it.

   Also be sure to play with the little guy every day for a few hours, ferrets that are interacted with are less likely to be little wieners.

^This. All of this. Ferrets can be crazy. Ferrets will get into what you don't want them to. Ferrets can make you want to tear your hair out (I speak from experience, especially after someone dumped a bowl of raw soupie all over the carpet....)

Instead of throwing the ferret against the wall, try the suggestions listed here instead. Do you have a ferret safe area where you ferret can play instead? Make sure she is getting at least 4 hours of playtime a day.

It sounds crazy, but I find they are much better with a playmate. It helps them burn a lot of their energy.

Ferrets: Wesley, Percy, Owen    -rip Bandit-
Bettas- Kitty, Pip, and Logan
Sun Conure- Kita
Gerbils- Piper and Tailer

crisp20

The ferret will find what isn't ferret proof and ferret all over it. 

whiskandbowl

Instead of throwing the ferret against the wall, try the suggestions listed here instead.

Can I just say, I laughed really hard at both of these comments. I think I may just be very over tired, but it was a good three minutes of laughter. 


But, yes, I have the same issue with Turbo, but I had it even more so with Fievel. He would climb into the under side of my mattress and sleep under there. I could not get him out, I would panic not being able to get him out from my mattress, and it happened every day. Eventually Turbo discovered what Fievel was doing and started to do it himself so I had two ferrets fast asleep in the depths of my mattress. Thankfully there's no springs in it, it's just like a wooden mattress skeleton wrapped with fabric and my actual Bob-O-Pedic mattress sits on top. Same thing happened with the couch, though. I ended up buying two sections of ply wood and staple gunning them to the bottom of the couch and my bed. I think ply wood is like, $30 a piece? You'll need a table saw to fit it to your furniture pieces (or I'm sure that Home Depot or wherever you went would cut it for you), but there is no more climbing into the couch and mattress. It's a beautiful thing.

That is what Ferret DO!!! You just have to be smarter than they are. Not as easy as it sounds! As far as the couch as another poster said use plywood or even MDF and nail/staple it to the underside of your couch so she can't get inside. I used a different method and blocked off the outside of the couch and wall unit itself. I used 3 inch molding (painted it so it looks nice) and then attached the moldings together so they form a wall around the outside of the couch so no-one can get under it. Or you can wedge a 2X4 under it or towels, Idea is to keep her OUT from under it and she can't get into it. You WILL NOT TRAIN HER NOT TO DO IT! Ferrets dig, Ferrets Explore, so only way to keep it intact is keep her OUT! The playpen you mentioned is probably Not the marshalls playpen they have on this site. I am not a huge marshalls fan but some things they got right a ferrte playpen needs to have vertical bars not too many horizontal bars they use the horizontal bars like a ladder. A good 8-10 strip of cardboard at the TOP of your playpen blocking the horizontal bars will prevent escape (if she can't use the horizontal bars at the top she can't get out)If she is squeezing through the bars it is the wrong playpen not meant for a ferret bar spacing should be no more than 1/2 inch apart any more and it is useless. If she loves to dig do NOT try to deter her encourage her but in the right way, make her a dig box (ideas and direction on this site or just ask) Ferrets LOVE to dig give her a place to do it and when she tries to dig outside the box pick her up scruff her and then put her in her dig box. Bury some treats or a favorite toy give her something to dig for. As for food flinging do not totally fill the bowl give her smaller portions but 2 or 3 times a day so there isn't a pile of food to dig in. Plus the dig box may give her the right place to dig therefore taking care of her urge to dig. If she flips the bowls get the lock on crocks they cannot flip them as the are attached to the cage. Ferret-proofing takes TIME, Creativity, and PATIENCE LOTS of PATIENCE. I've had Pirate 7 years now and every once in a while he will find something new that I have to ferret-proof. it is an ON-Going battle, you NEVER totally win it. Even at 7 he finds new ways to get in trouble BUT that is what you signed up for when you took home a fuzz-butt! Good Luck

Bella, my first ferret got into a sofa and the box springs of my bed.  She was deaf so calling her was useless.  I panicked many times when I couldn't find her.  After her, every ferret followed her lead and got into the box springs until the bottom liner was shredded.  After  I ripped it off, it made me wonder why the mattress makers bother with such flimsy material.  Either make it tough enough to last forever or don't bother.  

THE DOOKS OF HAZARD

Firstly, locking a ferret alone in a spare room isn't going to do any good. ANY animal wouldn't be content with this. Ferrets are highly social and want to spend time with their humans or other ferrets (sometimes cats or dogs). 
 
Sorry about your expensive couch but having a pet sometimes means that your belongings are at risk and you might have to redirect any destructive behaviors towards these items. I've only had three ferrets and when they were all young, each one liked to get into my box spring. It just took some restapling of the material and a small board to sit between the bed frame and box spring but so the entryway is covered. Your ferret probably likes the material she can play with in a dark, secluded space so try to give her a space of her own like that. A storage container or box with a few inches of rice and some toys can be great enrichment for your fuzzy. She'll love to dig in it and you can hide treats in the rice for her to find. Ferrets are stubborn, but she might be getting into your items because she doesn't have enough enrichment of her own. Other toys like ball pits, fleece hideouts like an Octoplay can also be a huge hit with ferrets.

A ferret is an exotic pet that needs lots of attention and love. I've had ferrets for nine years and I still learn about how I can better my ferret's life every day. There's always so much to learn.

Is your ferret caged and then let out for playtime? What is their living situation like?

Please do not let your anger get a hold of you and try channeling this ferret's energy in a positive way for both of you. If things don't improve, you and your ferret may not work out and she might need another home.

Good luck & please keep us updated.

First things she will need are a dig box and ferret friends if she doesn't have them already. These can stop most bad habbitts. I put our couches on bricks so the fuzzies can't get under them. And with all their toys and stuff they don't really bother with the couch anymore. As stated by many before locking in a room only puts negativity into her and will probably make her want to do it even more. She's having something she likes taken away and she wants it back .

For the couch check to see if the legs are detachable. I recently found that one of my ferrets made a hole underneath the couch and I  am watching closely. So far neither have gone inside, but the feet of my couch are detachable and I will remove them if I need to. You should check yours as well to see if thats an easy route. I like the plywood ideas from people here, maybe something thinner could be used such as craft board as it is lighter and can probably be stapled. I will be keeping this in mind for my couch too if I don't want to take the feet off. :D

As for all the box spring/mattress issues, I know OP didn't post this but my mom suggested this fix and so far it's worked. I currently have a queen bed with a split box spring, but this should work with a single box spring too. Toki kept getting between the box springs and scratching. Her claws made fast waste to the flimsy fabric used on them and we were worried she would get inside and become injured or worse. My mom suggested putting a sheet on the box spring. We have one underneath the box spring (fitted sheets, btw) so that the elastic is facing upwards, then we put a second one on the proper way, then the mattresses on top. My ferrets have been out for a week constant and were obsessed with trying to get in there again for a few days and then they gave up. No interest there anymore. :) Hope that helps someone. Quite cheap!

I had the same problem with my sofa, unfortunately, I don't have a saw to cut plywood so I used chicken wire and stapled it under it. Voila,it worked but the little rascal started digging under my pillows, so I covered that with sticky tiles, ha! 
I love the idea about the fitted sheets on the box springs, I will have to do that. I also have 2 digging boxes, one with rice and one with packaging peanut.

Mama to Sherlock & Watson