# very new to ferret keeping, hello!



## helluvatractor (Jan 30, 2010)

hi all, names matt from barnstaple up in north devon. after years of umming and aahing have decided that i really do want to kep a few ferrets. been reading lots, weighing up pros and cons and i want to give it a go. (its not just a whim). luckily i work part time so i do have the time to spend with 'em.

anyway, i would appreciate any advice, because i am still at the stage of setting up their home: we have a garage, with a room adjoining, measures about 10foot x10 foot height about 7 foot. at the moment it is a blank canvas. i intend to replace the door with a wire mesh door. other than that i would like to whitewash the walls, (and possibly paint a sandune vista on the walls(i know sounds a bit silly , but i'm from braunton burrows area, ( i have uncles who spent most of their childhood poaching rabbits, (by dog, gun and ferret from there).

the only thing is that its a bit impractical to build a run outisde, so the ferrets willl be housed inside the house, other than the occasiaons when i will take them outside. so what kind of lighting would be needed?

also will ferrets be ok on concerete flooring or will they need woodchipppings?

i'm planning on setting it all up long before i even think of buying any ferrets, using pipes , boxes etc to make their life interesting. just wondered what sort of beds/house they would like?

any ideas on this would be very much appeciated as i would like to give these lovely animals the best l;ife they can have. a;so i've read that deon and cornwall is quite short of ferrets so if anyone who has any, who is not too far away could let me know, i should be ready in a couple months orso, and i dont mind travelling, 

many thanks, matt


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## hawksport (Dec 27, 2009)

I would paint the floor with garage floor paint to seal it and then use the wood chippings to make it easier to clean, I would also line the bottom six inches or so with perspex as when they go to the toilet they like to back up to a corner.


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## hawksport (Dec 27, 2009)

If you have room think about a double door system so they don't run out as you go in. Dont worry about what lighting to use. For beds Iwoul just use cardboard boxes full of hay with a couple of holes for them to get in and out, you can then replace them when they get dirty.


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## helluvatractor (Jan 30, 2010)

thanks hawk, i can quite easy build a double door , like an aviary? and where i work , cardboard boxes are easy to come by. can;t quite grasp what you mean by the perspex though, can you elaboarate a bit? :wink:

by the way, just had a gander at you photos what lovely dogs and parrots. my uncle's into his birds, after 8 yrs he's just has a bit of success bredding goulidian finches. lovely looking birds, but so bloody delicate!!. !!! as for dogs, we've got the most disobediant, lazy, but lovely springer!!


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## hawksport (Dec 27, 2009)

If you fix perspex or something similar to cover the bottom six inches of the wall it will be a lot easier to clean than brick work.


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## helluvatractor (Jan 30, 2010)

aah, i see , will do that then, thanks


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## Guest (Jan 31, 2010)

Hi, I used to keep ferrets in a shed built on to the back of our garage. We built a large ferret house adjoined to the wall with a snug sleeping area. A ladder of wood can be used for them to access the floor.
Our hutch on the wall was 6ft by 3ft by3ft with different levels and toys, we then just let them out into the larger shed area once a day to play.
It really does give them more excitement in their lives to have a different area to investigate once a day.
In the shed area we had a wood pile, various tubes, toys that they only see once a day and wellington boots, ferrets love wellington boots


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## FourFerrets (Oct 10, 2009)

Ferrets do best with natural light. Are you saying they wouldn't get natural light at all?


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## hawksport (Dec 27, 2009)

In what way would they do better with natural light?


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## FourFerrets (Oct 10, 2009)

I have read that unnatural/artificial light and light cycles MAY be a contributing factor to adrenal problems.


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## hawksport (Dec 27, 2009)

Thanks Ill look into that


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## diane_1980 (Jul 31, 2009)

hi

if you havent already have a look on this site, its great for advice on ferrets

Ferrets Forum


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## lorelei0922 (Feb 26, 2010)

helluvatractor said:


> hi all, names matt from barnstaple up in north devon. after years of umming and aahing have decided that i really do want to kep a few ferrets. been reading lots, weighing up pros and cons and i want to give it a go. (its not just a whim). luckily i work part time so i do have the time to spend with 'em.
> 
> anyway, i would appreciate any advice, because i am still at the stage of setting up their home: we have a garage, with a room adjoining, measures about 10foot x10 foot height about 7 foot. at the moment it is a blank canvas. i intend to replace the door with a wire mesh door. other than that i would like to whitewash the walls, (and possibly paint a sandune vista on the walls(i know sounds a bit silly , but i'm from braunton burrows area, ( i have uncles who spent most of their childhood poaching rabbits, (by dog, gun and ferret from there).
> 
> ...


Hi Matt! I'm down here in South Devon.. good luck with your new partners in crime! as to your questions... here ya go...

the size of the room you are planning sounds ideal... i would suggest with your mesh door you consider a stable door type effect... the bottom half just short enough for you to step over... this will stop the lil beasties from making a mass escape effort every time you open it lol.

Concrete will be fine for them, and it will make clean up all the easier. Light sources..and temperature control for that matter... this should be kept as natural as possible for them as artificial light has anectodally been linked to adrenal disease which can make them rather poorly. The same can be said for artifical heating sources.. Ferrets deal very well with the cold but not so well with the heat.

Beds and housing etc... i would recommend a sturdy wooden box with lid..with a hole in it stuffed with old fleece blankets etc... Ferrets like to snug down in the dark! You can provide several nest boxes as well as hanging hammocks made from any material that wont catch their claws.. ie no towels... my lot love a pillow case strung up as a hammock as well as one of those pop up hampers tipped on its side with blankets in for bedding.

As for sourcing them... I will be breeding a pair of lovely saindy jills this spring if you're interested give me a shout!

All the best
Heather


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