Moving Ferrets Outdoors

[beany01 223]

Hello, I just brought two adult jill ferrets yesterday, and the owner had moved them in her house due to the cold weather a month ago. I have read a hell of a lot about keeping ferrets beforehand, but there' so much contradiction, so I'm not sure what to believe. Would these ferrets be ok to move outside now? The weather has been frosty the last couple of mornings, and the forecast looks the same for the next few days. The hutch they were in is poor, more like an over night type affair. I wanted to build a proper ferret court, but I cant leave them in this. Today I went and got a 5' two-tiered rabbit hutch, but over the next few days want to built a 6'x6'x4' run to attach to the hutch. If I put a piece of canvas over the mesh on the top tier, would this be warm enough? Cheers James

[johnpee 214]

Ferrets have lived outside in the wild for years. So keeping them nice and warm in a hutch in the garden will do them just fine. Unless your going for the ferret air freshner in your house.

[Arry 18,746]

I use one of those as I don't have much room, I swopped the doors over so you have two doors at the top and two mesh doors at the bottom. Then built a nest box 18"x 20" and front to back aprox that I can pull in and out of the top section this also makes it easy to clean out. It just fits inside the door and about one inch short of the top. Fill that with clean barley straw and they will be fine. I have a separate run with pipes etc that they have a run around for a few hours.

 

Hope this of some help.

 

Cheers Arry

[johnpee 214]

Don't use straw as mites can hide in it use hay.

[beany01 223]

Cheers for the replies! I just didnt know if the move from the house to a frosty garden would do them any good. Or maybe the fur would have got thicker if they werent inside. The ferret air freshener is something else! It doesnt take many pees to start to honk!

The hutch was made locally, it isnt symmetrical, so I cant swap doors about.

[Arry 18,746]

Don't use straw as mites can hide in it use hay.

I was aways told you can get ticks in hay. And wheat star is better but I find that very hard to get hold of I've use star all my life and never had a problem, but I do use Frontline ever three months. But even before Frontline never had a problem.

 

Cheers Arry

[Micheala Robinson 400]

Don't use straw as mites can hide in it use hay.

Some people say don't use hay as it sweats and use straw.

No wonder folk get confused, each to their own though.

I alternate from straw and shavings (get the straw free from work) but shavings smell nicer and seem to absorb more.

I have a upturned wooden wine box and fill that with straw on the lower deck.

Then at the top in the bed compartment I have a cat/dog bed and have that filled with blankets and old sheets.

They sleep at the top and mainly use the bottom nest box to stash their food, which solved the problem of them taking the rabbit and pidgeon parts into their beds! Putting your hand it and feeling around trying to find a ferret was like lucky dip.

[iworkwhippets 12,247]

Always kept my ferrets outside, and cleaned out daily, i dont let em fester in their piss and cacky, nice n dry is important to me, good bedding, good grub, flesh, no problems

[johnpee 214]

I've never had a problem with hay but like yourself use frontline on them.might be because there well looked after so we don't have no problems.

[johnpee 214]

 

Don't use straw as mites can hide in it use hay.

Some people say don't use hay as it sweats and use straw.

No wonder folk get confused, each to their own though.

I alternate from straw and shavings (get the straw free from work) but shavings smell nicer and seem to absorb more.

I have a upturned wooden wine box and fill that with straw on the lower deck.

Then at the top in the bed compartment I have a cat/dog bed and have that filled with blankets and old sheets.

They sleep at the top and mainly use the bottom nest box to stash their food, which solved the problem of them taking the rabbit and pidgeon parts into their beds! Putting your hand it and feeling around trying to find a ferret was like lucky dip.

yes they do sweat if you leave it in for a while.al but if you change it daily its not a problem. I used to use old fleece jumpers but there forever need washing

[Micheala Robinson 400]

 

 

Don't use straw as mites can hide in it use hay.

Some people say don't use hay as it sweats and use straw.

No wonder folk get confused, each to their own though.

I alternate from straw and shavings (get the straw free from work) but shavings smell nicer and seem to absorb more.

I have a upturned wooden wine box and fill that with straw on the lower deck.

Then at the top in the bed compartment I have a cat/dog bed and have that filled with blankets and old sheets.

They sleep at the top and mainly use the bottom nest box to stash their food, which solved the problem of them taking the rabbit and pidgeon parts into their beds! Putting your hand it and feeling around trying to find a ferret was like lucky dip.

yes they do sweat if you leave it in for a while.al but if you change it daily its not a problem. I used to use old fleece jumpers but there forever need washing

Was that because of the smell they needed washing or were they peeing on them?

I have a load of old ones I just swap them over now and again, they don't smell though but mine are Jills? And I do bath the ferrets occasionally much to there horror so maybe that's kept fresh.

[Micheala Robinson 400]

[johnpee 214]

 

 

 

Don't use straw as mites can hide in it use hay.

Some people say don't use hay as it sweats and use straw.

No wonder folk get confused, each to their own though.

I alternate from straw and shavings (get the straw free from work) but shavings smell nicer and seem to absorb more.

I have a upturned wooden wine box and fill that with straw on the lower deck.

Then at the top in the bed compartment I have a cat/dog bed and have that filled with blankets and old sheets.

They sleep at the top and mainly use the bottom nest box to stash their food, which solved the problem of them taking the rabbit and pidgeon parts into their beds! Putting your hand it and feeling around trying to find a ferret was like lucky dip.

yes they do sweat if you leave it in for a while.al but if you change it daily its not a problem. I used to use old fleece jumpers but there forever need washing

Was that because of the smell they needed washing or were they peeing on them?

I have a load of old ones I just swap them over now and again, they don't smell though but mine are Jills? And I do bath the ferrets occasionally much to there horror so maybe that's kept fresh.

just with the smell and raw feed they would drag into there bed area.i have hobs and jills and the hobs stink far worse then the Jill's. I've never new anyone to bath there ferrets fair play to you. You obviously take good care of them but you'll be telling me next that they chil out with you on the sofa watching the soaps.

[Arry 18,746]

Cheers for the replies! I just didnt know if the move from the house to a frosty garden would do them any good. Or maybe the fur would have got thicker if they werent inside. The ferret air freshener is something else! It doesnt take many pees to start to honk!

The hutch was made locally, it isnt symmetrical, so I cant swap doors about.

Not the same, but these thing are built of thin ply or boards that why I put in a slide in a nest box built from 1/2" ply.

 

Cheers Arry

[Micheala Robinson 400]

 

 

 

 

Don't use straw as mites can hide in it use hay.

Some people say don't use hay as it sweats and use straw.

No wonder folk get confused, each to their own though.

I alternate from straw and shavings (get the straw free from work) but shavings smell nicer and seem to absorb more.

I have a upturned wooden wine box and fill that with straw on the lower deck.

Then at the top in the bed compartment I have a cat/dog bed and have that filled with blankets and old sheets.

They sleep at the top and mainly use the bottom nest box to stash their food, which solved the problem of them taking the rabbit and pidgeon parts into their beds! Putting your hand it and feeling around trying to find a ferret was like lucky dip.

yes they do sweat if you leave it in for a while.al but if you change it daily its not a problem. I used to use old fleece jumpers but there forever need washing

Was that because of the smell they needed washing or were they peeing on them?

I have a load of old ones I just swap them over now and again, they don't smell though but mine are Jills? And I do bath the ferrets occasionally much to there horror so maybe that's kept fresh.

just with the smell and raw feed they would drag into there bed area.i have hobs and jills and the hobs stink far worse then the Jill's. I've never new anyone to bath there ferrets fair play to you. You obviously take good care of them but you'll be telling me next that they chil out with you on the sofa watching the soaps.

You have now!

No they don't come inside very often, i watch the soaps with the cat instead haha.

Edited December 29, 2016 by Micheala Robinson