Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Could some people post what their set up looks like for their ferrets? I have 3 ferrets right now and i am just trying to think up more ideas for their living space. if anyone could post some pics or even just give ideas that would be great.

Oh yeah and does any use cat litter for their ferrets?
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Rose

Hi Rose! I have just 2 ferrets right now. The most I've had at one time has been 4. I'm going to be adopting 2 more hopefully soon. I've had ferrets since 87. I've had a few different kinds of cages. All were made of chicken wire and wood. I've had tile for the bottoms of some (easy clean-up), but for the past 8 yrs I've had a very thick dense foam mat. It's very easy to clean also. The first cage I had we had up on a table, a short one. Kind of like an end table. We had one cage on top of the other. We had a home made ramp going up to the cage and 2nd level. Both cages were about 2 ft long, 1 1/2 ft wide and 2 ft high. When my 1st girl got old, she didn't do so well on climbing the ramp so we put the cages on the floor. We had them both on the floor and my hubby made an opening and put a tube there so they could go between the 2 cages. When we moved here, my hubby made 2 new cages. Chicken wire again with wood. They are 3 ft long, 2 ft wide and 2 ft high. The tops are not nailed on. He made it so they can be opened on top at either end. One half lifts up while the other can stay down. Both tops are like this. It makes very easy cleaning of the litter boxes and getting them out if needed. The tops are held in place by bungie (sp) cords. I have these 2 cages back to back. I have a divider I can put in if needed. When one is sick, or I get new ones, I can keep them separated from the others. Yet they still can see each other, smell each other etc. The 2 cages are each large enough to have it's own litter box and sleeping things. But normally they are open to each other and I have the litter box in one cage and their sleeping area in the other. I'm going to have to look and find out how to post an image to the photo gallery. That way I can show you a pic of a part of the cage. I don't have one of the whole cage.
As for litter, I use a soft paper litter and Yestersdays News. At one time I used a clay cat litter, but that was so dusty. This paper stuff is so much better. Btw, never use a clump litter. It can be dangerous for ferrets.
I'll try to get a pic up Thurs. nite of the cage.
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Kat
Ferret mom to Jasmine and Daffy
A Cheesehead from Wisconsin

Ok, I'm going to try and post a pic of part of my ferrets' cage. They are standing on 1/4 of the top of the 2 cages that are together. In the middle of the top part my hubby put hinges so I can open 1/2 of the top of either cage. This really comes in handy when I want to clean the litter box or take them out. I have a bungie cord on both ends of the tops so they can't push it open with their heads. Now I'll try for the image. Btw, Daffy is in the upper left, Jasmine on the bottom and Willow, who passed away this past summer, is on the top right.

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Kat
Ferret mom to Jasmine and Daffy
A Cheesehead from Wisconsin

Your babies are so cute!
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I've learned that I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy it.

Kat
Your babies are very cute, i did have one dark ferret but he got really sick and nothing was working to make him better. He was the good one out of the four.
Anyways, i also use the foam mat things, i don't know if the ones you are using is the same one as me but mines are the mats that can be connection together and can be used for different thing(indoor or outdoor). Well my ferrets like to dig where the mats connection sand try to pull them up if i am not around. Using tile is something i should use. When you used tile was it tile floor? did you do it or was it like that before time? The cage i am using i just got from the store i don't know anything about building a cage. The cage that i have has four level, it came with wheels that can be taken off which i did. I have two of the play pin for small pet connection that sits on the mats. Their cage is pushed against one of the play pin and i leave the bottom cage door open so they can get out. i am still working on that pic, it would be better then me trying to explain it. Thanks
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Rose

I am really sorry I haven't gotten back here sooner. Things just keep piling up at home and work. But about the tile. I've used linolium (sp) in the pastin their cages. Tile would be fine too. Stores where they sell linolium, carpeting, etc. quite often have scraps of these items that they sell really cheap. I also had a piece of carpet over that. It didn't cover the whole floor but part of it. When my ferrets got older, they had a hard time on slippery things like that. I got carpet pieces at stores and fleamarkets really cheap. I cut them down to the size I want. Right now my ferrets have their own room, which I don't like but I have a hubby to deal with. But anyways, my hubby put a very thick plastic over the carpet in their room. I have mats and a runner over some of this. This way the girls won't slide around on the plastic so much. When they get older they can get arthritis just like us and have problems with their joints. Having mats around ables them to walk better than on plastic.
One other thing...I also put some kind of material, like old pillow cases or t-shirts right in front of their litter boxes. Ferrets like to wipe their butts when they're done so I have some cloth there so I can wash it when it's dirty. Easier to wash that than carpet...for me at least! LOL!
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Kat
Ferret mom to Jasmine and Daffy
A Cheesehead from Wisconsin

For my main group I have a Martin's New Englander. The ferrets themselves have decided the bottom level is the potty, middle level is for eating (though they do have some sleep sacks there too), and the top level is for sleeping. I have a couple of the SuperPet Funnel cages too. Right now I'm just using one for a single boy that won't integrate. Sleepsack & litterbox on bottom level, hammy and a bed on the top. Food & water on the ledge in between. Sorry I don't have any pics, no digicam.

As for litter, I used pelleted pine litter. I find with multiple ferrets it's the best for controlling odor.
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I've learned that I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy it.

Do the pine litter smell like pine or can you ever smell anything from it? I am using for type of litter that is made from news paper. it say it control the smell but with 3 ferrets its hard to tell. I am just trying to see if i can do better then the litter i am useing.
Oh yeah is that martin's new englander a brand for ferret cages?
thanks
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Rose

It does have a slight pine smell but it's not overwhelming. I'm actually allergic to pine but I still use it because I find it so much better at controlling odor than the newspaper pellets.
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I've learned that I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy it.