#55. Ferret Care Series #2

Ferrets are curious pets & love to explore but need to have a safe secure cage & a safe secure area when not in their cages. I had an x-pen for my ferrets to play in & the bathroom when I had new foster ferrets, so they could have separate areas to play in till their quarantine period was up. I didn’t introduce new ferrets to the others till they completed a 30 day quarantine period. Ferrets are escape artist & like to take things so free roaming is not wise. A room for them to play in that is ferret proof is a good idea. You need to make sure nothing dangerous is in that room, electric cords, small unsafe items, cleaning supplies etc. You will need to keep food & water available at all times, if using water bowls make sure your ferret knows how to drink from one. Some ferrets use a bottle only & don’t know how to drink from a bowl. water bottle link https://amzn.to/3ZW6sNf ceramic bowl link: https://amzn.to/4dVszJp

Your Ferrets cage should be larger if your ferret will spend more time in it than out of it. They do sleep a lot, but they love time out of their cages for a few hours daily at least, to run around, chase each other, explore, & play. I like a few cages for ferrets, some of my favorites were the Ferret Nation https://amzn.to/43DOJwx & the Feisty Ferret cage https://amzn.to/43XNYND There are others here are a few more from Amazon: https://amzn.to/3ZUnr2s https://amzn.to/4mUcWGg https://amzn.to/4mVmfG1

Some features to look for in a cage are: large doors so you can easily clean the cage, ferrets will not always go potty the litter pans so you need access to all corners easily to clean. Plastic trays for their feet, better on their feet than metal grates. Large doors also allow you to easily remove litter pans & the ferrets themselves. All metal bars are important so your ferret doesn’t chew on plastic parts of the cage. Wheels are great for moving so you can clean behind easily, be cautious when moving it, be sure a curious little ferret isn’t near the wheels. Multi level is a favorite thing to ferrets in my experience.

If your cage is in the same room as their play area will be, then you can leave the cage open so they can climb in & out & have access to water & food. They need to have access to food & water all the time, they are energetic & need to eat frequently. The floors in the play area should be tile or some type of floor that is easy to clean, not carpeted.

I recommend litter pans in the cage & a couple in their play area depending on the size of the area. There are a variety of types & honestly you may try some & the ferrets won’t use it, or will knock it over or it’s just not to their liking. Luckily they are not expensive & you may be able to donate any to a rescue that your ferrets won’t use. I add the links for several types here. https://amzn.to/4kR1Fog https://amzn.to/4kteg1e With this next one, please remove the grate so their feet don’t get caught in it. https://amzn.to/43CEys3 These Kitty litter boxes work nicely & these come with scoops & it’s a set so have for several locations & extra while changing & cleaning one. https://amzn.to/3TdWmDI

You will need a scoop or two, you will need to scoop the litter box daily & empty about once a week, adding litter as needed. There are several options for litter things such as https://amzn.to/4kY3lfW or your ferret & you might prefer https://amzn.to/4l30C54 There are many options so I am giving you several to consider https://amzn.to/3ZZn7zs. I used wood stove pellets that are made for heating a grill or used in a wood stove such as these from Amazon: https://amzn.to/4jBlHSJ https://amzn.to/3HMG16m https://amzn.to/3ZqXmI9 Links for scoops: https://amzn.to/4kzNNPR Like the boxes there are different types of scoops, its for dodo so don’t need to spend a lot https://amzn.to/4ktxHXP

You will also want to find some very strong clips to keep the litter pans in place as ferrets make it a mission to move them, tip them or go behind them & do business. You want it to be easy for you to get the litter pan out, but not for the ferret. I used spring clamps like these from Amazon https://amzn.to/4kR3pxO

People say that ferrets smell well that can be true, but keeping a clean cage & changing the bedding for freshly washed bedding minimally of once a week can seriously help prevent this. When I say bedding I mean hammocks, sleep sacks, sleep tunnels ECT… Most people who came into my home when I had 4-10 ferrets (I fostered & had a couple of my own) did not realize I had them. I highly recommend you have several sets of bedding including things like hammocks https://amzn.to/3ZoyZLi they come in a variety of colors & patterns https://amzn.to/3HMHWI8 Plus a variety of styles so you can mix it up & give them some variety to enjoy https://amzn.to/4mThZqD blankets to cuddle in & under https://amzn.to/3FHThc2 Ferret like donut shaped beds like this https://amzn.to/4kX8Vz9 sleep sacks are something they enjoy as well https://amzn.to/3HAmpT2 Many items like this sack is made for cats, but ferrets really like https://amzn.to/3ZnoiIX. I prefer not the hairy type as the smooth ones wash up easier as accidents will happen with ferrets.

I hope whether you have ferrets or are thinking about a couple for your family, I hope you found this information helpful & you are looking forward to my next post in my ferret care series. Please subscribe to my blog so you get a notice when I publish a new post. You won’t get spam, just an email letting you know I published a new post. My first ferret care post was #50, so if you haven’t read it you can go back & do that. On my home page you will find the Table of Content so you can see all the topics I have blogged about so far. It can be found under the show tab in the upper left corner. Please check out my previous posts, during the summer I may not post as often due to summer activities keeping me busy. I blog about a variety of pets as I have a variety of experiences. Please help me get the word out about my blog, you can help by subscribing, liking posts, commenting, visiting often & sharing about it on your social media sites. My goal of this blog is to help pets parents to help their pet to strive & not just survive. I have learned a lot over the years & enjoy sharing from my experience & research. If you have questions you can email me directly at echoinggreatpetcare@gmail.com Thanks, Debbie