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Post by Deleted on Jan 18, 2015 19:34:43 GMT -5
Hi Everyone,
I am new to the boards and have my first little guy Zander. He just came home yesterday and his cage is pretty small. He is my only ferret for the time being but i will be getting him a friend in the future. My dilemma is should i just buy a Ferret Nation or should i make a cage? I have seen some beautiful cages made from armoires and i am pretty handy, but I am not sure what is best as far as ease of cleaning, less smell, and the ferrets overall happiness with it. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I just love my little boy and want him to be as happy as can be:) Thanks so much!!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 18, 2015 19:43:01 GMT -5
My friend and I made a cage out of an old dresser, we outgrew it and I now have a Critter Nation. So much better. I designed the dresser cage to be open and easy access, but it was still hard to keep clean.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 18, 2015 20:13:22 GMT -5
I love the look of those furniture cages. So pretty. However, I'm a huge fan of the FN cages. I've had many cages and the FN is by far the easiest to clean. I have the old 142. It moves easy (has wheels) and you can hang anything from anywhere in the cage which makes weekly set up changes a breeze. Withwood you would have to put hooks or something everywhere to hang the hammocks. Is your ferret good with using the litter box? Wood is porous and while a few misses don't matter after time it may be an issue. If you will be switching Zander to a raw diet the raw meat may also be an issue with wood or MDF. You could always check Craig's list for a cage. In my area they even have those furniture cage for sale too!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 18, 2015 20:13:54 GMT -5
That is my main concern, keeping it clean. I am sure i could make something beautiful and safe but to me, if it is a pain to clean and holds the smell, it isn't worth it. Thanks so much for sharing your experience.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 18, 2015 20:18:04 GMT -5
ooh, I never thought of the raw meat. Yes, I plan in switching him to raw, I actually have freeze dried raw on order to start the switch over. I was told he was litter trained and watched him go in the litter box when i was looking at him at the store, but he is going in the littler box and in the corners since i put him in his cage. Maybe a ferret nation or critter nation is the way to go.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 18, 2015 20:23:46 GMT -5
one thing i did not like about my ferret nation cage----- ferrets cannot free roam. My ferrets r free roamers---there is no way i would leave any of the doors open at any time----it is a long drop to floor even from bottom level. There is a ramp you have to buy, but it is too narrow for my taste and the incline is too steep. At night ferrets may tumble out accidently if doors r left open. My husband took 3 bars off one end of bottom level, and put the ramp there. I double socked the ramp poked holes thru the socks, and we zip-tied black, 6 inch corrugated drainline to it. now they go in and out as they please. I am happy now (dance) If you make your own, double or triple coat your shelves. Use gloss or semigloss paint, so that shelves will have a finish that will wipe clean easily---we modified a cage with a plywood shelf. Message is so sweet.  |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2015 16:45:07 GMT -5
Hi and Welcome to the HFF  Congratulations on your soon to be new Ferrenthood. There is nothing as much fun as ferrets. I think it's a great idea to have a friend for your little one, especially if you have a busy schedule. An only ferret can be happy, but you are their only means of fun and enrichment. We can't snuggle up at night with them or do the Wild Weasel War Dance correctly, or chase them under a couch. Ferrets bond and that's something special to see. The Ferret Nations are by far the most popular cages on the forum. That's mainly due to ease of access and that makes them easier to clean. abbeytheferret6 has a husband who built a very clever ramp for hers. We have alot of threads on cages and ideas, here is one: holisticferret60.proboards.com/board/6/creative-ferret-rooms-cagesHonestly, I wouldn't try to convert furniture. Ferrets dig, they will have poop accidents and warp the wood and they will spill their water and stash their food. Mine are all free roam. We have a cage for emergencies and travel, but we don't use it. Since my five are all over the house, in drawers and closets and all kinds of places, I've sustained some damage to things. They're well behaved but they are ferrets. Ferret proofing is ongoing but they are smart, curious and mischievious. The more out of cage time, the happier they will be. For your cage time though, I'd stick to a good cage that can withstand and is designed for ferrets. You can buy ramp covers, sew bedding and have some fun outfitting it. We will be begging for pictures when the new one (s) come home. Have fun and let us know all about them. (dance) |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 20, 2015 9:18:45 GMT -5
Thanks for all of the help!!! I am going to get a ferret nation as soon as my taxes come in. Got my little guy home and named him Loki. He is the sweetest thing. Right now i have him eating the Wysong Archetypal-2 but holy cow does he poop a lot and they are huge and stinky. I have ordered some stella and chewyy's FD raw, hopefully it will get here soon so i can switch him to that. I will post in the other forum and introduction and pics as soon as i get home tonight.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 20, 2015 11:32:42 GMT -5
Does that mean that Zander has a friend named Loki or did you change Zander's name to Loki?
Kibble poops are larger and smellier. Kibble has to use fillers to make the meat hold it's shape.
Wysong is a good kibble, but it's still kibble and you will have more waste (pun intended), so the poops will be different than on raw.
Stella and Chewy's FDR is a good product. Did you get the feline versions? I used it to transition mine while I learned about raw and the Frankenprey diet. Mine loved the duck,duck,goose and tummy,ticklin turkey. One small piece of advice, if you stay with FDR (the same applies to kibble), you want a couple of different varieties. Manufacturers will often change their formula or even discontinue a product. Since ferrets imprint on their food, a sudden change will make your finicky ferrets protest and refuse to eat a new product. If they are use to one or two other products, you will have something to fall back on.
FDR has alot of the benefits of raw. You will notice his fur get softer quickly. It doesn't offer the benefits of cleaning teeth that bones will, but you can do teeth cleaning for him.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 20, 2015 12:49:54 GMT -5
oops  yes i changed his name to Loki. My son started calling him that for some reason, so he is Loki now. Still need a friend for him, that will be with my tax money too:) I got the feline versions of the raw, duck duck goose and I think chicken. I am not sure if he will stay on that or if I will move on to raw with the bones, I am squeamish around raw meat so this will be interesting to say the least. Cleaning his teeth myself might be the way to go, but I will at least try the full raw diet since it is best for him. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2015 15:56:41 GMT -5
 I made this for mine.....it lasted about 3 months before it was dismantled and and thrown out! I wish I had brought a proper cage to begin with  but at least it kept me busy It was the hardest thing to clean ever and started to smell after a while. Gross! Congrats on your new family addition!  |
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Post by gfountain on Jan 23, 2015 19:39:39 GMT -5
@splash89, I LOVED that home you built. It's too bad it got stinky. What did you replace it with?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2015 10:04:28 GMT -5
Thanks! It was really fun to make and she loved it but it was impossible to stop urine soaking into the wood...eww! I did try and prevent it lol. I have the Savic Royal Suite double now. I couldn't find a FN but its pretty similar. I LOVE it! Especially the litter guards. So much easier to clean |
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Post by gfountain on Jan 24, 2015 11:34:12 GMT -5
I started out with a homemade cage also. It was fantastic, with a tile floor and my little guy was good about using the litter box so we never had a problem with the smell, but when the FN went on sale for under $100, we grabbed one. Good thing, too, because ferret math prevailed and four fuzzies wouldn't have fit in the other cage, lol.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2015 12:23:12 GMT -5
oops yes i changed his name to Loki. My son started calling him that for some reason, so he is Loki now. Still need a friend for him, that will be with my tax money too:) I got the feline versions of the raw, duck duck goose and I think chicken. I am not sure if he will stay on that or if I will move on to raw with the bones, I am squeamish around raw meat so this will be interesting to say the least. Cleaning his teeth myself might be the way to go, but I will at least try the full raw diet since it is best for him. The Stella and Chewy duck,duck,goose is a good product. It also makes for a nice transition. It can be expensive, but mine loved it, when they were on it. Gizzards are good for cleaning teeth. If you can get some, try to get Loki to like the gizzards. It will be a new food and once again, you'll have to convince him that it's food and not some new form of poison. |
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