oldmolly

If it breaks your heart, could you not ferret proof a room for them? I
don't believe that *any* homes are built ferret safe. It is up to us to make
them that way and you will find it quite a simple and inexpensive task,
unless there is another reason for you wanting to get rid of them?


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jason and holly harper

Is this a decision you've come to recently or have you been giving this
thought? If this is something you thought of recently I think maybe you
haven't thought it all the way through. And if this is something you've
been thinking of, then I probably won't be able to change your mind. But,
I'm sure as a ferret community we may be able to think up several solutions
to your problem. I would hate to see these ferrets end up in a shelter
situation only to suffer from shelter shock. I think your babies would
rather stay with you no matter how long you're able to let them out right
now. Things change, and there's a possibility that you won't be in the same
situation 3 months from now. I think that a playpen would be better than
nothing right now. Spend as much time as possible with them.

Ok everybody, don't be accusatory...put your thinking caps on and lets see
if we can help this couple.

Holly

melissa

I'm not sure (because I don't know you and I can't see your new house),
if you're looking for an excuse to get rid of the ferrets, or if you
really want to keep them if you can figure out a way to do so. If you
*really* want to keep them, how about letting us know some of the
problems you're having ferret proofing. What are some of the
"impossible" things to ferret proof? Maybe some of us will have some
inexpensive solutions you hadn't thought of.

I agree the room with no fan or airconditioner MAY be "out" but maybe
not. Does the room next to it have a good fan or airconditioner? For
less than $20 you could build a barrier across the door to that room
with a piece of clear plexiglas or even wood. Something high enough for
you to step over but too high for the ferrets to climb or jump over.
-and smooth so they wouldn't be able to climb it. Then the door could be
left open -with the barrier in place- and the air from the room NEXT to
it might be able to keep it cool, especially if you use a fan to help
circulate that air.

-Melissa

katgall

I would build them a playpen. We've used one for ours for the last 7
yrs and I swear by them

Cheap about $50 to $60. Get 4 plastic pegboard panels, a roll of
linoleum and some computer ties. Use the computer ties to fasten the
pegboard panels together. Roll out the linoleum under it to keep the
floor or carpet from being damaged.

Another option is a children's yard or pet pen. The ones I've seen
cost $48 new at Walmart, probably $60 elsewhere. Cover the inside
with plastic carpet runner to keep them from climbing out. Put a roll
of linoleum under it.

Check your large pet stores for small cirtter playpens in the $21
range. Some of the Marshall's ones are suitable for ferrets.

Have your BF bulid something. 4 panels of particle board, painted
over and eithe r pounded together or holes drilled and held to gether
with computer ties. I don't know the price on this one.

Put in a litter box, water bowl, food dish, a blanket to hide it and
some toys and tubes. PVC pipe works well. They should be happy to
burrow in the blanket. Ours sleep in the blanket and in it. They are
always happy together.

KG

princebilly1

we have a six foot by four foot foldaway play pen made of cheap 1" x1" timber
and covered on chicken mesh.

We place this on the grassed lawn and they dig for hours. We also put in a
turkey roasting tray filled with water and they are in and out of it all day.
add few minute drops of tea tree oil and it also keeps the fleas at bay.

We give them tubes to run in and out and golf balls to lake with and they are
cool. The top part of the lid is covered and shaded so they can catnap when
they so desire

steve

chris and seanna

I take a bit of offense to you thinking Im looking for an excuse to get rid
of my babies.I love them more than anything but I dont feel they are safe.

Ill go room by room with you on the safety issues.

Kitchen- space between stove and cabinets,large whole where the water lines
go,the refrigerator wires,etc.

Living room-the 2 dogs trampling them which we can work around sometimes,TV
wires,stereo wires,plugs,a whole under the built in entertainment center
that cant remove.

Bedroom one-the closet which door wont shut has a hole for the water heater
lines which runs into a closet where the water heater is that is sealed
off,a small hole from where cable lines were

Bedroom 2-the safest room when slightly blocked off but no way to cool them
off.also a closet that is adjacent to Bedroom 1

Bathroom-washer and dryer,the vents,a shower drain that slides right off and
cant be fixed down until we put in the new tub,not to mention medicines,the
toilet and a million things they can get into.

As you can tell this a double wide mobile home,all on one floor.Im not sure
when and if comp will give in and pay my fiance and until tehm we have a
house payment,car payment and all of our bills all off of my check.Their
food and vet bills arent what Im griping about,I knew that when I took my
babies but I didnt realize all teh work to make this place safe for
them.Almost every door is high enough so they can slip right under,so even
if one room is safe what about if they escape that room.Ilove playing with
my boys but with myself working 50+ hours a week,Chris at physical therapy
and 2 dogs and 2 cats also,100% supervised time is kind of lacking lately.I
hate to see them whenever I walk by giving me that look.I want to hold and
kiss and cuddle but Im normallly running to feed someone,get a shower,do the
laundry and a quick kiss is all tehy get.When I got Loki,the blaze he was a
bad biter and I put months into breaking him of it,now he is soo snuggly
ansd cuddly and I dont want to see him back that way again.Both of them have
had owners who didnt care previous to me and I dont want ot be one of those
owners.I used to revolve most of my life around my pets and its been lacking
lately and I just want the best for them.

zpl

Alot of the things you mentioned are easy and rather cheap to fix. You are
going to need to fill in those holes anyway for energy bills - you might as
well get started now (They sell stuff in a can called "Great Stuff", spray
foam that seals those holes and can be sanded back off.). But, like many
other things, it is just a matter if doing it.

Sounds like you are at the end of your rope. Doesn't sound like you are
getting any help from the other(s) in the household. Maybe you are right in
that the little ones need a new home. I feel for the dogs, too.

Warning - Worker's Comp Claims can go on for years. I would not expect a
quick resolution or any more help anytime soon.

bay.


they

mark steele

I've seen some ideas for play room for these ferts, here are some for
cooling...

D**** a clean wet (not dripping) towel over the cage. The evaporation will
help cool things down. This works best in dry climates - use your judgement
to see if this works.

Fill a clean 12 oz. plastic soda bottle about 90% full of water and freeze
it.
Then put that in a clean gym sock (not thread bare and no holes) tie the
top of the sock in a knot and put it in the cage (or on top of the cage if
you are unsure). Larger bottles work well, but they don't fit in socks too
well. You might not want an exposed bottle in the cage since they could
get chilled too quickly if they fall asleep on it. Remember that ferrets
will
play with whatever you put in there and try to take it apart. If they do
manage to get the bottle open (or bite a hole in it) you want to make sure
they only get water - don't use a toxic cooler pack.

Make sure they have plenty of water - maybe even double up with a bottle
and a dish.

A small fan on the floor can make a huge difference. Couple that with some
2 liter bottles of ice and you have a ferret air conditioner. There will be
condensation on the bottles that will drip down so be aware that you will
have water dripping off the bottles during the day.

Regardless of the solution, make sure that only part of the cage or playpen
is cooled. You don't want to find your ferret shivering in the corner 'cause
it can't get away from the ice!

I hope some of these ideas help

-Mark