kshultze372
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Am I raising my ferrets alright?
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Sunday, July 26, 2015 9:03 PM
Hi everyone, I am here looking for advice. I am concerned I am not providing the 'typical' care for my 3 guys, Meeko, Teddy and Hershey, and looking for some guidance/advice. So let me give you a little background and tell you the situation. A year ago, my girlfriend and I got three ferrets and were very excited about it. The main reason for getting them were because she is allergic to cats and dogs. Since then, we have broken up and I am now the caregiver of the boys. I have also moved 2000+ miles away and their room is a little smaller than their previous one. The current room size is 12x13. I typically will have their cage open for ~3 hours in the morning and ~2 hours in the evening. I do not let them into the rest of my apartment, so this is the only space they explore and play in. Lots of toys (but I haven't introduced new toys in couple months) and tubes, etc.. Occasionally, meaning ~2 times a week, I'll hear dooking and I do see the dance of joy often. Rarely do they sleep individually, and their favorite spot to sleep is in one of their hammocks, stacked on each other. They all are eating and drinking normally, and play with each other normally. So, is this a typical setup for a group of three ferrets? Here are questions: 1. Do ferrets need to have my entire house to run through? Is their room enough space for them to be happy? 2. How often should I be buying new toys? 3. Am I doing everything okay? I just want to give them the best lives I can. Any help is appreciated! Thanks.
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bandit99
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Re:Am I raising my ferrets alright?
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Sunday, July 26, 2015 9:17 PM
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Hello and Welcome to the forum! It sounds to me like you have a good setup for them. Mine have our living room to play in not the whole house. They are out 4 hours a day. Instead of always buying new toys, put some away for a while then get them back out. In other words, rotate the toys occasionally. I wouldn't take their favorites though.
Fuzzbutts Rule!
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kshultze372
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Re:Am I raising my ferrets alright?
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Sunday, July 26, 2015 10:20 PM
Okay, thanks for that! I love the idea of rotating the toys. How often is a 'while'? Two weeks, a month?
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bandit99
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Re:Am I raising my ferrets alright?
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Monday, July 27, 2015 12:52 AM
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Every couple of weeks should be ok.
Fuzzbutts Rule!
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unclejoe
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Re:Am I raising my ferrets alright?
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Monday, July 27, 2015 7:12 AM
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How much time do you spend interacting with them? A room of their own is enough space.
THE DOOKS OF HAZARD
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CharlieandBlaze
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Re:Am I raising my ferrets alright?
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Monday, July 27, 2015 7:45 PM
Sounds like they have lots of space. Our three have access to the living room, bedroom, and bathroom. Not the rest of the house though. I stay home so they are out almost all day, but 3 hours and 2 hours seem pretty sufficient. I haven't bought new toys in months. But about once a week, I will steal back all their toys they have hid everywhere and let them steal them all again, and will change up the layout of the room/where their big toys are, etc. For cheap entertainment, I will also throw in random things every few days.( a couple cardboard boxes, a few gift bags, some crinkly paper, whatever is safe that we have laying around) and I only leave it in there a couple days, so it doesn't get boring. A big box with some holes cut in it usually is a favourite too.
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unclejoe
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Re:Am I raising my ferrets alright?
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Tuesday, July 28, 2015 7:58 AM
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you can also try some plastic grocery bags. never seen a ferret that could resist them.
THE DOOKS OF HAZARD
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LilMissFerret
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Re:Am I raising my ferrets alright?
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Tuesday, July 28, 2015 2:24 PM
Sounds good to me. :) My girls have been living in my room (about 12 x 12 ft), and seem far happier than Luna ever was when she was in the living room. Of course, up here, I have it set up so that they can't get into very much. Mine have at least ten hours of out of cage time though, and I've been working on trying to get them to stay out all day, if they would only let me sleep! I've now added my third one to the mix, and everything is going better than I had hoped. They have lots of entertainment, too. Aside from each other, they have a ball pit, a dig box, an assortment of cardboard boxes, and other random odds and ends. They especially love shoes, and Andi steals every sock she can. Their favorite toy though, is the laundry basket. Its one of those little round ones, and when its empty they flop around in it and let it roll all over the place. As long as they are getting enough attention, yours should be just fine. :)
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kshultze372
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Re:Am I raising my ferrets alright?
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Tuesday, July 28, 2015 4:02 PM
I spend between 1-2 hours interacting with them. Is that enough? How much time should I be spending with them?
<message edited by kshultze372 on Tuesday, July 28, 2015 4:16 PM>
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kshultze372
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Re:Am I raising my ferrets alright?
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Tuesday, July 28, 2015 4:04 PM
Okay great, thanks for all the ideas! I am looking into making a tube tower using a cat post/tower. Also, what do you use for the digging material in the dig box?
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bandit99
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Re:Am I raising my ferrets alright?
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Tuesday, July 28, 2015 10:02 PM
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I have a turtle sandbox for my babies. I put small toys in it. While mine are out I'm in the room with them part of the time. I interact with them. Sometimes they prefer to play with each other or take a nap.
Fuzzbutts Rule!
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unclejoe
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Re:Am I raising my ferrets alright?
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Wednesday, July 29, 2015 7:28 PM
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For a dig box you can also use plain white rice, shredded paper or starch packing peanuts. Ours is on our screened porch and we used clean fill dirt. That seems to be the favorite.
THE DOOKS OF HAZARD
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