Cage Biting and Rattling

Question
I have a twelve week old ferret that I got from a petstore about four weeks ago. He is very sweet. The only problem that I am having is that late at night and sometimes during the day he will begin clawing and biting at his cage. Usually during the day when he does this, I try to wait until he stops for a moment and then I let him out to play. However, he often wakes me up several times a night with this same behavior. It is impossible for me to play with him at 3 or 4 or the morning because I have to work.  I know it would be helpful to you to include more information about his schedule and cage, etc. He lives in a three level cage that is approximately 4 ft in height and 2.5 feet wide. I make sure his food and water are always filled so that he can eat when he wishes. He has a hammock to sleep in as well as a few balls and stuffed toys to play with. I am trying to adjust him to my schedule so I play with him several times throughout the day. Usually his first time playing is when I wake up for about a half an hour. Throughout the day I let him out when he wakes up for playtime and at night his last playtime is around 12.30am before I go to sleep. This out of cage playtime amounts to a total of about 2.5 to 3 hours per day. He has many toys outside the cage to play with such as tubes and tunnels and balls and I try to interact with him a great deal during playtime.  I'm worried about this cage biting because I don't want him to get hurt and I don't know if this behavior is common or if there is any way to try to stop it? Any information would be greatly appreciated!

Answer
Cage biting can be a big problem because it leads to tooth wear and infection.  So we want to make sure it stops.  He is getting a lot of activity, just make sure the playtime is interactive and exciting, not just free time.  Check out Bob Church's information on Enrichment online.  He gives some specific ferret enrichment wich should help.  He also offers suggestions for making a cage more interesting.  At 12 weeks old, he has a lot of energy and gets bored quite easily.  When he wakes up he is looking for fun.  When they are young, they are awake often throughout the day and night.  ferrets are crepuscular so more awake at dawn and dusk as you are noticing!  Even a big cage can be boring.  Making it more interesting will help - rotate toys.  10 toys are interesting for a few days then he has seen, sniffed, and played with them all and it bored again.  Adding interesting smells etc can also help.  Bob Church really has some great stuff on age enrichment as well as things for you to do with your ferret to keep him interested.