Post by dookorama on Jan 13, 2006 3:55:14 GMT -5
Home Sweet Home
A guide for proper ferret housing
One of the most important things when preparing to bring home your new ferret is proper housing. Most people prefer to cage their ferrets when they can not supervise them. If you plan on using a cage for your ferrets then there are a lot of things to consider before you buy one. The first thing I will look at is material. Ferret cages come in a wide variety of materials such as galvanized wire, PVC coated wire, powder coated wire and stainless steel. My top choice of material is PVC coated wire because it will not rust, it is durable and easy to clean. You will find a lot of galvanized cages on the internet that seem really nice. The main drawback of galvanized wire cages is that they can rust if they become wet which can be fatal to your ferret. If you choose galvanized wire you must take great care to carefully inspect the cage often for any signs of rust. Galvanized wire is also harder to clean than coated wire. Most commercial cages like those made by super pet and Midwest are powder coated. This type of wire is less likely to rust than galvanized but the paint can be chipped off and could rust if it became wet. Stainless steel will not rust but it is rarely used in cages because it is expensive.
The next thing I look for in a cage is the door size. You want a cage that has doors big enough to pass large litter boxes through when you are cleaning. Cleaning a cage with small doors takes much longer and involves much more work. You also want to make sure that the doors latch securely to prevent escape or injury. All doors should have at least two hinges and two latches. A door with one latch in the middle could become dangerous to a ferret prying open a tiny gap in the corners. The door and frame should also be free of any sharp wire edges that could hurt you or your ferret.
Flooring is a very important topic in properly housing your ferret. Many cages have wire floors which can be dangerous if left uncovered. A lot of people choose to cover wire floors with a hard material such as Plexiglas, linoleum, tiles, rubber mats and wood. Wood should not be used as it is porous and can hold bacteria. All hard floor coverings should be also covered in soft absorbent bedding. Moisture on hard floors can cause mold, irritate your ferrets feet and cause problems. My favorite floor coverings for wire cages are fleece cage pads which can be made to fit your cage. The pad is thick enough to offer support and make the floor safe but is also absorbent and comfortable.
One of the most important topics in proper housing is where to put the cage in your home. The best place for your cage is a dark place out of direct sunlight that is also near to where you spend a lot of your time. Ferrets need a lot of darkness for proper hormone functions so the cage should be in a place that can provide 14 hours of darkness in the winter and 8 in the summer.
Food and water containers are also an important thing to take into consideration. Water should be in large bottles mounted on the cage with a locking drip cup beneath them to catch and water that might drip. A dripping water bottle can quickly cause unsanitary conditions if left to drip on the cage and bedding. Food should be in bowls that cannot easily be tipped over. Good bowls are heavy ceramic crocks, gravity bins and locking crocks. Food and water should be in an area that is easily accessible and away from the litter box.
Some people choose to keep their ferrets free roam in a designated "Ferret room" . This is a perfectly acceptable choice but it is not for everyone. Preparing a ferret room takes a lot of time, work and modification. There can be no holes or gaps for a ferret to get stuck in or escape into. There should be no accessible electrical outlets. Any vents without a ferret's reach should be tightly secured and checked frequently. You will need multiple litter boxes in various corners because the ferrets won't want to travel to go to the bathroom. You will either need to find a way to mount water bottles on the wall or go with water crocks. Most ferrets love to play in water and a water bowl is seen more as a play area than a drinking place. Water bowls get dirty easily and must be changed frequently. If you have a ferret room you might want to look into purchasing free standing sleep cubes and hammocks which can either be made or bought on the internet. The gate in the doorway of the ferret room should be made of a hard material like Plexiglas that cannot be climbed. You can purchase Plexiglas at most hardware stores and it can be easily cut to fit the dimensions of your doorway. A ferret room can give your ferrets a lot more space than a cage but with that comes the risk of them proving that nothing is really ever ferret proof.
Cleaning is a very important topic to cover when talking about proper housing. Your ferret's entire living environment should be thoroughly cleaned once a week. All of the bedding should be removed and washed. All of the litter boxes should be emptied and washed in hot soapy water. All food and water containers should be washed in soapy water and thoroughly rinsed. The cage floors should be wiped down with a ferret safe cage cleaner. If you have a ferret room your floor should get swept and mopped with a ferret safe cleanser. During cleaning you should put your ferrets securely in a playpen or have someone watch them. Litter boxes should be scooped at least once a day and any accidents should be cleaned up immediately when noticed.
Proper housing is very important to your ferret and makes injuries much less likely to occur.
Written By: Jennifer Morris AKA "The Dook Mom"
Please do not copy or repost without my consent
A guide for proper ferret housing
One of the most important things when preparing to bring home your new ferret is proper housing. Most people prefer to cage their ferrets when they can not supervise them. If you plan on using a cage for your ferrets then there are a lot of things to consider before you buy one. The first thing I will look at is material. Ferret cages come in a wide variety of materials such as galvanized wire, PVC coated wire, powder coated wire and stainless steel. My top choice of material is PVC coated wire because it will not rust, it is durable and easy to clean. You will find a lot of galvanized cages on the internet that seem really nice. The main drawback of galvanized wire cages is that they can rust if they become wet which can be fatal to your ferret. If you choose galvanized wire you must take great care to carefully inspect the cage often for any signs of rust. Galvanized wire is also harder to clean than coated wire. Most commercial cages like those made by super pet and Midwest are powder coated. This type of wire is less likely to rust than galvanized but the paint can be chipped off and could rust if it became wet. Stainless steel will not rust but it is rarely used in cages because it is expensive.
The next thing I look for in a cage is the door size. You want a cage that has doors big enough to pass large litter boxes through when you are cleaning. Cleaning a cage with small doors takes much longer and involves much more work. You also want to make sure that the doors latch securely to prevent escape or injury. All doors should have at least two hinges and two latches. A door with one latch in the middle could become dangerous to a ferret prying open a tiny gap in the corners. The door and frame should also be free of any sharp wire edges that could hurt you or your ferret.
Flooring is a very important topic in properly housing your ferret. Many cages have wire floors which can be dangerous if left uncovered. A lot of people choose to cover wire floors with a hard material such as Plexiglas, linoleum, tiles, rubber mats and wood. Wood should not be used as it is porous and can hold bacteria. All hard floor coverings should be also covered in soft absorbent bedding. Moisture on hard floors can cause mold, irritate your ferrets feet and cause problems. My favorite floor coverings for wire cages are fleece cage pads which can be made to fit your cage. The pad is thick enough to offer support and make the floor safe but is also absorbent and comfortable.
One of the most important topics in proper housing is where to put the cage in your home. The best place for your cage is a dark place out of direct sunlight that is also near to where you spend a lot of your time. Ferrets need a lot of darkness for proper hormone functions so the cage should be in a place that can provide 14 hours of darkness in the winter and 8 in the summer.
Food and water containers are also an important thing to take into consideration. Water should be in large bottles mounted on the cage with a locking drip cup beneath them to catch and water that might drip. A dripping water bottle can quickly cause unsanitary conditions if left to drip on the cage and bedding. Food should be in bowls that cannot easily be tipped over. Good bowls are heavy ceramic crocks, gravity bins and locking crocks. Food and water should be in an area that is easily accessible and away from the litter box.
Some people choose to keep their ferrets free roam in a designated "Ferret room" . This is a perfectly acceptable choice but it is not for everyone. Preparing a ferret room takes a lot of time, work and modification. There can be no holes or gaps for a ferret to get stuck in or escape into. There should be no accessible electrical outlets. Any vents without a ferret's reach should be tightly secured and checked frequently. You will need multiple litter boxes in various corners because the ferrets won't want to travel to go to the bathroom. You will either need to find a way to mount water bottles on the wall or go with water crocks. Most ferrets love to play in water and a water bowl is seen more as a play area than a drinking place. Water bowls get dirty easily and must be changed frequently. If you have a ferret room you might want to look into purchasing free standing sleep cubes and hammocks which can either be made or bought on the internet. The gate in the doorway of the ferret room should be made of a hard material like Plexiglas that cannot be climbed. You can purchase Plexiglas at most hardware stores and it can be easily cut to fit the dimensions of your doorway. A ferret room can give your ferrets a lot more space than a cage but with that comes the risk of them proving that nothing is really ever ferret proof.
Cleaning is a very important topic to cover when talking about proper housing. Your ferret's entire living environment should be thoroughly cleaned once a week. All of the bedding should be removed and washed. All of the litter boxes should be emptied and washed in hot soapy water. All food and water containers should be washed in soapy water and thoroughly rinsed. The cage floors should be wiped down with a ferret safe cage cleaner. If you have a ferret room your floor should get swept and mopped with a ferret safe cleanser. During cleaning you should put your ferrets securely in a playpen or have someone watch them. Litter boxes should be scooped at least once a day and any accidents should be cleaned up immediately when noticed.
Proper housing is very important to your ferret and makes injuries much less likely to occur.
Written By: Jennifer Morris AKA "The Dook Mom"
Please do not copy or repost without my consent
since ferrets need light too.
all my kids are doing well otter is getting real beefy feeling <winter weight?> and his coat is getting real soft not many noticeable changes overall,, new guy is getting big