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Ezra
Apr 25, 2014 8:29:54 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2014 8:29:54 GMT -5
Good morning, everyone! I got a new phone and tested the camera out on my fuzzball this morning. He was snoozing and woke up to roam around his room a bit before I went to work. The aqua colored fleece is new, and I think I really like it. Of course, he's content to lay on anything soft no matter what it looks like. For now, I don't have internet at home because we just moved, but once I get up and running I think I'll do a guide on how I built his cage. Is that something anyone would be interested in? Or do you just want to see more of his fluffy behind? Ezra sleeping with Sam. Thanks for looking! I'll update this thread with better pictures of him when I have the tools to do so. (nod)
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Ezra
Apr 25, 2014 8:44:30 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2014 8:44:30 GMT -5
Aw he's beautiful! I love the name Ezra as well. What style of cage do you have?
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Ezra
Apr 25, 2014 8:56:36 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2014 8:56:36 GMT -5
Aw he's beautiful! I love the name Ezra as well. What style of cage do you have? It's 100% homemade and very similar to the C&C Gineau Pig cages, but built UP instead of sideways. C&C stands for 'cubes and coroplast'. Here's just an example of one of the stock cages from their website: The one pictured is 3x2 on the bottom and 1x2 on the top. Ezra's cage is a curved 3x1 on the first, second, and third floors (so it's like a tall L-shape). He has white "cubes" and white coroplast, so it's a much lighter color. I've experimented with a few things (like the bulky black snaps that come with the wire cubes as seen in the above image) and zip ties (which don't offer much stability) and I've found that clear packing tape has the most stable hold. It's also incredibly tedious. I think we cut about 300 tiny inch-by-3-inch squares of tape! I tested it with a 45-lb weight and it does fine (probably because there are a lot of points of contact) and because it's flush to the metal and entirely clear, he doesn't know it's there. I know there are a ton of FN cage lovers here, so I'm not sure what the interest in DIY cages are. Mine is built for access and stability, but it's to my preferences. I guess the cool thing is that it's cheap (around $150 for everything you need) and you can make it as big as you'd like, to fit your space. I built mine with 5 doors for my cleaning purposes. The coolest part is I can move the ramps, shelves, make new doors, or make an entirely new shape with it... I really like the idea, but I haven't seen much of the same on here.
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Ezra
Apr 25, 2014 9:04:31 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2014 9:04:31 GMT -5
That's nice! I like how much free space they have access to run around in. I have a standard tiered cage pictured bellow. It does the job and he gets a lot of time out of cage and getting attention since he's an only child too. I regularly rearrange it to make it more exciting for him but that looks much easier in yours. I'd love to have a C&C (thank you for finally clearing up what that stands for!) but I just don't have the space in my flat
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Ezra
Apr 25, 2014 9:13:32 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2014 9:13:32 GMT -5
That's nice! I like how much free space they have access to run around in. I have a standard tiered cage pictured bellow. It does the job and he gets a lot of time out of cage and getting attention since he's an only child too. I regularly rearrange it to make it more exciting for him but that looks much easier in yours. I'd love to have a C&C (thank you for finally clearing up what that stands for!) but I just don't have the space in my flat That's a great looking cage! I'm very fond of the curved top (like a birdcage almost, very whimsical!). I think if the cage pictured fits in your flat, you'd have no problem fitting a custom-built C&C in there if you were interested in doing so. The ones they offer on their websites aren't for ferrets, so they're longer than they are tall. If you build, you can overlap the cubes and make it the exact right size (to about an inch) if you have a tight space to fit in. I am pretty sure Ezzy's current setup takes up less floor space than that cage, but I haven't measured it so I may be wrong. They always take cage pictures in such a way that the dimensions are hard to tell. I love the changeability of mine though, and the best thing is you can always build up if you don't have room to build out. I've thought about doing his as a 4-story eventually. However, they are a TON of work to build. I have the shelves staggerred and one full-hammock layer to prevent falls since it's so tall. Ezzy is a only child as well, I think he really prefers all the attention. It's cool that Linus is an only child and enjoys it as well.
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Ezra
Apr 25, 2014 9:22:20 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2014 9:22:20 GMT -5
I am pretty sure Ezzy's current setup takes up less floor space than that cage, but I haven't measured it so I may be wrong. Ezzy is a only child as well, I think he really prefers all the attention. It's cool that Linus is an only child and enjoys it as well. Maybe it just looks like it but the base looks a bit wider I suppose. I have more than enough space vertically, it's when it comes to floor space it gets a little cramped! Yeah I was worried when I got one at first, thinking he might be lonely, but he's spoiled rotten and I think his anyferret trying to steal his thunder would miff him a bit! He's played with a couple of dogs successfully though! After careful introductions of course Agree
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Ezra
Apr 25, 2014 9:29:45 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2014 9:29:45 GMT -5
Maybe it just looks like it but the base looks a bit wider I suppose. I have more than enough space vertically, it's when it comes to floor space it gets a little cramped! Yeah I was worried when I got one at first, thinking he might be lonely, but he's spoiled rotten and I think his anyferret trying to steal his thunder would miff him a bit! He's played with a couple of dogs successfully though! After careful introductions of course Agree Yeah, the base of the image I posted is quite a bit wider than the one I built. Mine is about half that. I think I'll post a video/pictures of the cage soon (once my internet gets up and running) and you can see how tall/wide it is to see if it might work for you. If you think it might, if you'd like any information on how to build it just let me know! I think it's a great alternative to more traditional cages and like you pointed out, the customization ability is awesome! Only thing is you have to be a little handy with hot glue and scissors. I was also really worried about Ezra being lonely when we first got him. We did try to get him a friend, but unfortunately the little guy was sick and didn't stay with us for long. Ezra didn't seem very happy with him anyway, either (they got along fine but Ezra's energy levels were not up to par). They didn't cuddle or play, so much as lived in the same environment separately. Ezra may have just known he was sick, but he seems much happier on his own either way. I've had Ezzy around both a cat and a dog at separate times. Both times he took no notice of them. [img src="http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h352/JW_2012/Emoticons/ .gif" src="http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h352/JW_2012/Emoticons/ .gif" style="max-width:100%;"] Good to hear that your Linus is good with dogs. He seems like a very calm and good boy. I bet he'd get along with Ezra.
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Ezra
Apr 25, 2014 9:44:37 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2014 9:44:37 GMT -5
We did try to get him a friend, but unfortunately the little guy was sick and didn't stay with us for long. I bet he'd get along with Ezra. Yeah I'd love to see the cage once your able! That's really sad, it must have been hard having the wee guy for such a short time. May I ask what made him ill? I'd love to get Linus a bachelor friend to play with! I have no one around me who owns ferrets, so no ferret play-dates on the cards yet (disagree)
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Ezra
Apr 25, 2014 9:59:17 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2014 9:59:17 GMT -5
Yeah I'd love to see the cage once your able! That's really sad, it must have been hard having the wee guy for such a short time. May I ask what made him ill? I'd love to get Linus a bachelor friend to play with! I have no one around me who owns ferrets, so no ferret play-dates on the cards yet (disagree) It really was quite sad to have him for such a short time. From the time I picked him up until the time he passed on was less than 72 hours. We are not sure what made him ill, and should've gotten him checked out before bringing him home. Lesson learned. EDIT: I'm removing the full story from here because it's sad. But I'll message you if you'd like to hear it. What area do you live in? I am betting you could find someone on here who owns a ferret and would do a play date with you, unless you're in a very remote area.
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Ezra
Apr 25, 2014 10:33:26 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2014 10:33:26 GMT -5
Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but in the excitement of getting a new pet you never think it could start out so drastic. And 72h is such a short time for noticing something not right about a new pet since you don't even know how they act normally!
Ah sounds like a tough story, I'd like to hear it if you are comfortable with that?
I live in Scotland in the UK, so even fewer ferret-friends to play with!
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Ezra
Apr 25, 2014 10:36:26 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2014 10:36:26 GMT -5
Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but in the excitement of getting a new pet you never think it could start out so drastic. And 72h is such a short time for noticing something not right about a new pet since you don't even know how they act normally! Ah sounds like a tough story, I'd like to hear it if you are comfortable with that? I live in Scotland in the UK, so even fewer ferret-friends to play with! Hindsight indeed... Ah aren't they quite rare in the UK? I don't know much about ferrets in other countries. I know that apartments mostly don't allow them here in the USA but they are still sold in about half of our pet stores so they are not uncommon.
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Ezra
Apr 25, 2014 10:44:23 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2014 10:44:23 GMT -5
Nobody really understands ferrets here...
People generally think they are the stereotype; smelly, bitey, personality-less, only used to kill cute little bunnies. I try to re-educate but when I tell people to think of him like a cross between a puppy and kitten they look at me like I have two heads! I'm trying to make it clear they are sociable and intelligent and much more like a dog or cat than a hamster (which is the surprising consensus here!)
People in the vet industry thankfully know more than the general public so we get pretty good health care for them.
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Ezra
Apr 25, 2014 10:52:54 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2014 10:52:54 GMT -5
Nobody really understands ferrets here... People generally think they are the stereotype; smelly, bitey, personality-less, only used to kill cute little bunnies. I try to re-educate but when I tell people to think of him like a cross between a puppy and kitten they look at me like I have two heads! I'm trying to make it clear they are sociable and intelligent and much more like a dog or cat than a hamster (which is the surprising consensus here!) People in the vet industry thankfully know more than the general public so we get pretty good health care for them. Good, decent vet care is what really matters after all. I really can't believe that so many people think they are small animals like hamsters or rats. I've met a lot of people here who are just like "A ferret? What's that?" and that's really weird to me too. I think they are definitely an ideal cross between a puppy and a cat. More people should have them... especially if they don't have other pets because of the pros or cons. Ferrets are pretty ideal imo.
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Ezra
Apr 25, 2014 11:08:49 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2014 11:08:49 GMT -5
They are the perfect student pet ha! Sleeping ~20 hours a day really helps them fit into pretty much any schedule! I like the cross in nature they seem to have. I like that he has cat like tendencies and wanders off to play by himself for a bit and then come fleeing into the room dooking and bounding like a puppy looking for hugs! I think I might go and get him out his cage now... Time for ferret hugs!
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Ezra
Apr 25, 2014 11:14:48 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2014 11:14:48 GMT -5
I agree that they are the perfect combination of a kitten and puppy, and I say baby names because they STAY cute and fluffy and playful like babies! It is too bad they don't have the lifespan of most cats and small dogs though....
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