I live in a small apartment, and my new ferret Luna lives in her cage in the hallway. She's been doing extremely well with litter training both in her cage and when she's penned up in the hallway, so I'm starting to consider leaving her cage door open during the day while I'm at work. There are four exits to the hallway: the front door, the bathroom (also with a door), the kitchen (I've purchased a nice ferret-proof gate for it), and the exit to the living room. For the exit to the living room, I've purchased a Marshall's playpen, and I hope to hook it to the wall on either side of the hallway exit, expanding her space to play into a little portion of the living room. 

My main question is whether or not the playpen is safe for her - I know some people have horror stories of ferrets getting their heads through playpen bars and getting strangled, and when I'm at work I wouldn't be there to rescue her. Of course, after I'll be trying out the pen for at least a few weeks to see how it works with her before making a decision to leave her out, but I was wondering if anyone here had any experiences with the playpen and whether or not you think it's a good idea.

The hallway is completely ferret-proofed - besides her cage and travel crate, there's only a small rug and a shoe rack. If people think that the shoes could be a problem (she hasn't shown any interest in chewing them, but I think I've read that some people have ferrets who chew the rubber on the soles?), I could move them to somewhere else she can't access.
Thanks!

I would definitely do what you said first - about testing everything for a good while before making a decision. But personally I wouldn't do it at all, either. 

I have never used a playpen but might be getting one soon - but here are things that come directly to mind:    

How long are you away for work? Ferrets are quite content sleeping long periods of time in their cage. It is not at all like leaving a dog home alone during the day. If you do it ALL the time (like having no time for them every day for long stretches) they might get lonely, but Luna will most likely just go to sleep and then be happy to play with you when you get home.

The shoe rack I would move. She might not show any interest in it now but she might if she's bored and alone during the day. The rubber issues can post serious health concerns and maybe even death if the blockage (assuming she eats some) is not removed in time. Sometimes blockages require surgery to remove as well which is an added vet expense (and totally unecessary if you just moved the shoes). I would feel guilty, and I'm sure you would too. We never want to cause harm to our babies even if unintentionally.

Another concern is you said it is an apartment, meaning you don't own the property. Is the landlord OK with the ferret? If so, are they ok with a free roam? I would also personally be weary because they can enter the premesis if an emergency happens such as a broken pipe. If this were to happen would your landlord know how to handle Luna and be comfortable doing so to put her safely in her cage? I know it's an extreme, but better safe than sorry!

If Luna were to get out of the hallway what areas would she have access to and are they secured? You don't want her getting out of a window or getting under the sink into chemicals, or any scary place like that. They also might chew on an electric cord because of the rubbery texture. 

I know you said it's ferret proofed, but you've only had her a week. They are SMART buggers and ferret proofing is never a one-and-done task. You need to constantly ferret proof as they learn and adapt to their surroundings. 

I would PERSONALLY advise against it. I've only had ferrets for a year (tomorrow! :D) and I still don't leave them out when I'm gone for the day ( I might leave them out for a couple hours while I go grocery shopping, etc ). I feel that if they are ok with being in the cage, then I feel more at peace personally knowing that they are safe in their cage and not possibly stuck in something or eating something that they shouldn't have. 

Just my opinions/ideas of course. 

It's a good idea to try out the arrangement while yo are around.  I have personally never heard of issues with the playpen, but of course I don't know everything.  I guess a small ferret might be able to get their head between the bars, but we've been using one for years without problems, and we've had kits and a tiny adult.  They will try to move the playpen, so securing it properly is important.  
We have a couple ferrets that will steal insoles out of certain shoes, but not all shoes.  For a while, Abita considered every insole to be hers, but she's no longer interested in them.

THE DOOKS OF HAZARD

Hahahaha, unclejoe. I have that problem with  Meechy. I had a friend over the other day and before i knew it both of her insoles were....no longer in her shoes. Luckily his secret hiding spot isnt too secret. Now whenever people come over I put their shoes on the bookshelf 

Thanks for the advice, everyone! 

Seleen, I'm usually out of the house from 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM. I usually come home straight from work, but maybe once a week or so I'll go out with friends or run errands and not be home til later - those are the days I feel guilty about, and the main reason I'm considering letting her have run of the hallway.

My playpen arrives today, so it'll be a good chance for me to start testing it out and make sure it's really ferret-proof.

DEFINITELY test everything out - but even with 100% success - I would never let my guys out of the cage all day while I'm not home....and they have their own room LOL
 
If you're worried about your ferret being alone all day - get another ferret to keep company :)
 
They get used to your schedule and sleep when you're not home.  I put a blanket over the cage and they know when that's up - it's time to sleep.  They seriously sleep 20 hours a day so as long as they're out the majority of that other 4 hours a day on a consistent basis - it's fine for them to be in the cage all day.
 
I would never forgive myself and came home to find them injured, missing or worse.

Momma to
Joseph Francis Tribiani aka Joey Came to his forever home 9/26/2011
Daxter Chandler Muriel Bing aka Daxy Came to his forever home 7/30/2014

Waiting at the Bridge:
Gabby, Rylee, Maya, Roxy Heart, Goofy and Tig

Fen



Seleen, I'm usually out of the house from 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM. I usually come home straight from work, but maybe once a week or so I'll go out with friends or run errands and not be home til later - those are the days I feel guilty about, and the main reason I'm considering letting her have run of the hallway.

Thats not so bad even if you did it once a week I think hed be alright.