frosty days, ferrets health and water bottles

[B.P.R 2,798]

hiya guys. it really hit me this morning how cold it is starting to get now. the roads slippy, the car need defrosting and ive got to wear my slippers on the laminate floor in the morning!

 

over the summer i just had the ferrets in their hutch with a wee blanket and on my way to work i felt a bit guilty on them. sure they would turn themselves into a mass of ferrets under the blanket but im thinking of giving them an extra few seeing as its getting frosty. what do you do for bedding in the colder months?

 

second thing is their waterbottles. im paranoid of them freeziing over, ive always been paraniod of one bottle breaking, to the point where ive got 4 waterbottles on the hutch just incase one breaks then they can still get water. what do you do to stop them freezing over? i know you can get them covers for the waterbottles but at somewhere in the region of £8 a piece its a bit expensive. is there anything i can cover their waterbottles in? off the top of my head i was thinking a sock with a bit of foam in or something similar. maybe tape some foam around it? havent got a clue what would work.

 

ideas please. cheers

[TOMO 28,445]

yep thik socks,, on your bottles,,, and stop being parranoid,,, ferrets can go a few hours without water shoud one freeze up.

 

and youse hay or straw in your nest box just fill it right to the top,,, they will burry themsevs in the middle

[KittleRox 2,147]

any old fleeces/jumpers for the bedding, bubble wrap on the bottles and keep an extra bottle in the house which you can change over in the morning when its been cold

[joe14 98]

Mine have thick layer of newspaper in their bed box's on the bottom, they have got atleast half of dozen fleece blankets from quid shop.

They also have old jumpers, hammocks if they get too warm. But I like to know their not gonna freeze. When I put my hand in there on a morning

they are always toasty. Probably warmer than me because their in a shed too.

 

I just have spare bottles, and when the start to freeze I put the frozen one in the house to defrost and swap them over.

Tried them bottle covers, they work for abit but its the metal spout that freezes before the bottle. I made my own, good layer of tin foil and good layer of bubble wrap wrapped round the bottle then a sock!

 

The kits in the hutch have got hammocks, fleece blanket & shredded paper in their bed box.

Edited November 7, 2011 by joe14

[The one 8,583]

Aye just double the amount of water bottles you have ,then put a set on the hutch and a set in the house to swap over every morning , The cold doesn't worry the ferrets as much as heat does so don't go over board as it hit minus 15 last year and the ferrets where fine

[patterdalejoel 669]

bring the bottles in the house at night and take them back out in the morning. simples

[Adam_Chuck 256]

for bedding I just use loads of saw dust with even more shredded paper so its packed up to the top of the nest box.They wrap themselves up around each other anyway. As for water bottles when it starts to get cold enough for freezing just keep a spare in the house aswell as keeping the other 1 wrapped up in a sock

[masmiffy 82]

Have to say I had my last lot of ferts in an old shed. Had lined the walls and put 2" polystyrene in the voids and under the floor where they bedded down! They had hay or shredded paper for the nest, they were always cosy

Still loved to get out in the run tho and play in the cold. Water bottle was in shed as well and covered with bubble wrap, as has been said its the spouts that then freeze co they are metal!!

[Gaz_1989 9,539]

I plan to just load the nest box with blankets and old clothes. Contemplating putting another nest box inside the nest box with Foam insulation between the 2. Just for peace of mind.

 

Gaz

[chilly 59]

to be honest i dont think it makes any difference what you wrap around the bottles to stop them freezing , its the water in the metal bit they drink from that will freeze first and you cant really insulate that , just keep changing the bottles thro the day

[The one 8,583]

'gareth_daniel' timestamp='1320702535' post='2325698']

I plan to just load the nest box with blankets and old clothes. Contemplating putting another nest box inside the nest box with Foam insulation between the 2. Just for peace of mind.

 

Gaz

 

I think after you have went to all that bother mate they will sleep in the run as the box could be too hot ?.

[Lab 10,979]

hiya guys. it really hit me this morning how cold it is starting to get now. the roads slippy, the car need defrosting and ive got to wear my slippers on the laminate floor in the morning!

 

over the summer i just had the ferrets in their hutch with a wee blanket and on my way to work i felt a bit guilty on them. sure they would turn themselves into a mass of ferrets under the blanket but im thinking of giving them an extra few seeing as its getting frosty. what do you do for bedding in the colder months?

 

second thing is their waterbottles. im paranoid of them freeziing over, ive always been paraniod of one bottle breaking, to the point where ive got 4 waterbottles on the hutch just incase one breaks then they can still get water. what do you do to stop them freezing over? i know you can get them covers for the waterbottles but at somewhere in the region of £8 a piece its a bit expensive. is there anything i can cover their waterbottles in? off the top of my head i was thinking a sock with a bit of foam in or something similar. maybe tape some foam around it? havent got a clue what would work.

 

ideas please. cheers

Are you sure your in the army????????????.......

[Tiny 7 1,694]

hiya guys. it really hit me this morning how cold it is starting to get now. the roads slippy, the car need defrosting and ive got to wear my slippers on the laminate floor in the morning!

 

over the summer i just had the ferrets in their hutch with a wee blanket and on my way to work i felt a bit guilty on them. sure they would turn themselves into a mass of ferrets under the blanket but im thinking of giving them an extra few seeing as its getting frosty. what do you do for bedding in the colder months?

 

second thing is their waterbottles. im paranoid of them freeziing over, ive always been paraniod of one bottle breaking, to the point where ive got 4 waterbottles on the hutch just incase one breaks then they can still get water. what do you do to stop them freezing over? i know you can get them covers for the waterbottles but at somewhere in the region of £8 a piece its a bit expensive. is there anything i can cover their waterbottles in? off the top of my head i was thinking a sock with a bit of foam in or something similar. maybe tape some foam around it? havent got a clue what would work.

 

ideas please. cheers

Are you sure your in the army????????????.......

:laugh:

[Tiny 7 1,694]

yep thik socks,, on your bottles,,, and stop being parranoid,,, ferrets can go a few hours without water shoud one freeze up.

 

and youse hay or straw in your nest box just fill it right to the top,,, they will burry themsevs in the middle

 

Second that tomo

 

Thats what i do couple of socks on the bottle wrapped up with a bit of bubble wrap stuff and just check daily, And pack full with hay/straw and a decent lare of saw dust at the bottom and they make a nest type thing,

Edited November 8, 2011 by tiny 7

[max abell 196]

We keep a spare couple of bottles and if the ones in the court are frozen in the morning we just change them for fresh ones if its really bitter cold check them a couple of times through the day

Also keep the sleeping compartments stuffed full of shredded paper in the winter as the one said its heat that kills ferrets not the cold as long as there conditions are dry and they have plenty of warm bedding they will be fine