Cages

[lindseybarnie]

You'll probably be seeing a bunch of random things and questions from me, I'll probably get annoying after a while, I'm researching (still) and I'm thinking that If I'm going to come along some furry friends in the future, I can start slowly gathering up things that I might need.

What are some tips and suggestions about some cages?
(Best toys, dishes, all that jazz)

I've been looking at this two story cage. It's 36"Long x 25"Wide x 62 1/2"High it's just massive. The general rule to any cage is the bigger the better, right?
Here's a picture of this cage:


What are your opinions on this cage?

[Johnny and Demon]

That's probly the best cage for a ferret ;D lol Yes, the bigger its the better. That's why my ferrets don't have a cage, they have their own room ;D lol But if I had to buy a cage it would be that one because the levels are safe so your ferret can fall from too high and be injured. Ferrets are not natural climbers, they can fall and be injured. Your cage is a good one lol Here's an example of a cage that is not suitable for a ferret:

I've seen one of those cages in a Pets Unlimited store and my gosh its cheap and no good for ferrets

Ferret Nation provide enough space for hammocks, food and water dishes, water bottles, toys and a litter box. I use this litter box by Marshall:

Male ferrets usually like to have their whole boddy in the litter and most ferrets enjoy square litter pan no corner ones lol.

[Johnny and Demon]

Oh and about the toys, here's some pictures and videos of my ferrets favorite toys

That's a video of tunnels that I made for them. They enjoy them ! Demon loves his squeaky squirrels (its a dog toy)


and Johnny loves his Loopies (also a dog toy)

They both love the Marshall's Octo-Play. Here's a video:

[christina127]

what should i use at litter?

[airy]

Aug 20, 2009 11:47:30 GMT -4 @christina127 said:

what should i use at litter?

Hi Christina

I would suggest Yesterday's News for litter, or anything in Pellet form and does not produce a lot of dust, regular cat litter can clog their nasal passages and can be quite harmful to ferrets.

[Johnny and Demon]

I also suggest you Yesterday's News (its very cheap lol) but if you can find one maybe you can buy the one by Marshall (its the same litter) ;D

[christina127]

okay thank you ..i'll have a look tomorrow at the pet store..

[jenclarke23]

Hi Christina! Good for you for building up your supplies before getting a ferret. It can be quite expensive to get everything all at once. The cage you pictured is a really good one. It's easy to clean and ferrets have a lot of space.

Another suggesstion for ferret litter boxes is to buy the plastic containers you can get in some dollar stores and at walmart for cheap. Then just cut out one side and file it down so it's not sharp and tadaa ferret litter box. Another thing we've found really useful if your ferrets roam free in a room is to put down a piece of lineoleum that is cut and bent to form a sort of box (I'll try and take a picture of the ones we use) and use duct tape to stick it to the carpet or hardwood floor. Then place a peice of newspaper over that and it's easy to change a few times a day if necessary and if some pee leeks then it's easy to clean from the linoleum (and doesn't ruin the wood floor).

Cheers,
Jen

[Ashley]

"Another thing we've found really useful if your ferrets roam free in a room is to put down a piece of lineoleum that is cut and bent to form a sort of box (I'll try and take a picture of the ones we use) and use duct tape to stick it to the carpet or hardwood floor. Then place a peice of newspaper over that and it's easy to change a few times a day if necessary and if some pee leeks then it's easy to clean from the linoleum (and doesn't ruin the wood floor)."

That is a great idea! I was wondering what I could use when I move into my two bedroom (where my ferrets will have their own room) so that if they miss the litter box their urine wouldn't ruin the floor. Thank you!

[mindy]

another great choice for litter that is super cheap is wood stove pellets. you can get them at kents, home depot, or canadian tire. just make sure they are all wood and not held together with any kind of glue. they smell so much better than yesterday's news, which i can't stand the smell of! the wood stove pellets also neutralize the smell of ferret pee and it hardly smells at all. i just scoop the poop and the broken down pellets with a big stainless steel spoon that i bought from the dollar store. i really love this littler. it is usually about $7-8 for a 40 lb bag.

[cody n christina]

with a double ferret nation cage do you need ramp covers?

[mindy]

I would suggest covering the 1/2 levels and the ramps. It is super easy to do even if you don't buy the specific mats.

I use mens athletic socks (tube socks) and pull them up over the ladder. They fit perfectly. For the 1/2 levels I use fleece blankets and wrap them around and clamp them down with small clamps that I got from the dollar store. It works well.

[Tressie]

The Super Pet ramps are solid hard plastic whereas the Ferret Nation ramps are metal rungs. Ferrets can catch their toes, paws or feet in the rungs. It is also not very good for their delicate paws to walk on these. So yes the ramps do need to be covered.

The Ferret Nation shelves also require covers or blankets tucked in underneath to keep them from slipping off. The bare shelves are slippery and a ferret can slip and fall off and get injured.

Mindy's suggestions to clamp the blankets is also an excellent idea.

Tressie

[cody n christina]

what about buying a mat and making it the right size and clamping it down.. i was going to put the food n water on that level.. i like the sock idea .. if i got somesome to soe me a cover for the floorr and ramp?
would that be safe?

[mindy]

You can sew mats for the Ferret Nation. You can also order them from lots of people online. But, fleece blankets from the dollar store and men's tube socks are MUCH cheaper. I spent about $75 on a set of mats for my Ferret Nation. I can get a fleece blanket from the dollar store for $1 and I take my husband's old socks. That is super cheap. If you have a fabric store near you you can get fleece for much cheaper than at the dollar store.

To be completely honest, I like the socks on the ramps MUCH better than the ramp covers that I ordered. They slip around and move and don't cover the whole ramp all the time. The socks don't slip and always cover the whole ramp.

I don't know why you want to make things more complicated than it needs to be.

Did Christina find a Ferret Nation cage?

[cody n christina]

my gf?
its our ferrets

[cody n christina]

i think socks would look ugly..
my gf's mom is a great at soein..
i'll get her to soe a full wrap around the ramp.
its the same idea..but it will look better..

[mindy]

I think that it will be difficult to keep them on. But that is your choice.

Black socks look like black covers on the ramps, you can't tell it is socks. And besides, ferrets don't care.

[cody n christina]

i never knew you could get black.

[Tressie]

Hi Cody,

Is the Christina who posts here - your girlfriend That's great that you have someone who can sew covers, etc. for your cage

Tressie