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Post by LindaM on Oct 10, 2017 18:59:18 GMT -5
Uhh.... well from experience.. you need to pretend that room doesn't exist either. Don't let them see you go into it, don't give attention to it.. spend several days pulling determined diggers away from it with "No!"/"No dig!" and plop them somewhere else.. and run back and forth doing that for a while.. and pray there isn't TOOOOO much damage done.
This is all from my furballs discovering some of the downstairs rooms they aren't allowed in yet, or really ever supposed to, like my office. It took several days worth of work to get them to stop harming the carpet and that digging wasn't going to do them any good. Now, if I am in my office, I can hear them sniff the door, maybe give a small dig or two, but then they go do something else, like bug their daddy whose office area is open to them, haha.
My furballs love the stairs.. every morning is the ferret adventure of exploring upstairs and they expect it. They line up by the barricade first thing every morning now and some days they'll even wardance on the way up the stairs. It's totally adorable! Thank God our stairs are carpeted though... much as they have the hang, one might tumble down a single one once in a while.
Our alpha, Athena, is an avid velcro lover.. so.. anything with that gets hidden from her, and items in their room with it on that serves no purpose gets their velcro snipped off. And bedding items like cage liners that use it are personally designed and sewn at home to keep them out of her reach.
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Post by Sherry on Oct 11, 2017 9:23:07 GMT -5
You can do what many of us do- get heavy duty plastic carpet protector and cut it to fit around the doorway, and staple it down
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Post by runningdog on Oct 11, 2017 16:30:47 GMT -5
Angus was straight to the door to dig up the carpet again today - carpet protector sounds like it’ll be the answer, since it’s the inside of the bedroom door he’s digging up in order to get to the rest of the house and, as of Sunday night (I pick up his new cage on Sunday), he’ll be living in my bedroom so I can spend even more time with him.
One nip today, and twice he was playing and was about to close his mouth on my hand when he changed his mind and decided to let go and dance a bit more instead. I felt his teeth just touch my skin - but there was no pressure at all. I can live with that!
Holly seems to have remembered about humans and teeth again already. I’m waiting to see if her sister Ivy goes through the same thing or not.... I’ve no idea why some do and some don’t start nipping again, having been fine, but it never seems to last long. Maybe it’s a teenage hormonal thing? The two girls are such adorable little fuzzies, too, being 7/8 Angora and having coats twice as long and dense as the boys, that I’d much rather they didn’t nip when I’m cuddling them, because I spend so much time wanting to cuddle them! Not that they’ll tolerate a lot of cuddling anyway, they’ve far too many other things to do, like run all over, steal anything not nailed down, pounce on the boys and otherwise just be normal hyperactive young jills.
My other albino, Joker, tried on Angus’s jacket today. He was trying to steal it, but since he wanted it that much I put it on him. He reversed around the kitchen non-stop, trying to wriggle out of it again, until I took it off him, then tried to steal it out of my hand and hide it under the filing cabinet. Loony and Bane had a look at the jacket but they can’t fit in it - Loony’s far too big and Bane’s quite stocky-built, much more thick-set than Joker and Angus even though all three are much the same weight. I think I need to weigh the girls again, they look bigger than they were a month ago. I may just weigh the lot of them - they’re all putting on at the moment for the winter anyway, so it’s a good time to check they’re gaining properly.
I have to say I’ve never had such super shiny coats on a business of ferrets going into winter - I think it’s the pure salmon oil they’re drinking this year. In previous years they’ve had different oils - cod-liver, ferretone, vegetable oils - and I’ve always fed my ferrets regular raw egg, but the pure salmon oil is suiting them beautifully and it’s a great way to get even wriggly young ferrets to stand still in one place for two minutes for a daily brushing.
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Post by lyles on Oct 11, 2017 21:22:01 GMT -5
If you are letting them free roam quaduple check your room for any material that is soft and rubbery that they would chew on. That includes remotes, pen grips (and grips on any other item), erasers, earphones/earbuds, just to get an idea.
Ferrets will spend their first couple of weeks in a new room running tracks, but after they start to settle in they will start the quest on what they can get themselves into.
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Post by runningdog on Oct 12, 2017 7:42:31 GMT -5
I only let them roam under supervision, because of the dogs, and I’ve had ferrets long enough the house is pretty much ferret-proofed anyway... though undoubtedly Angus will find something I’ve missed when he looks for it hard enough! The only thing that they’re likely to try and chew that they shouldn’t is my mobile, which has a rubber bump protector on it, but that’s usually in my pocket anyway. Most of today’s been spent prepping meals for the five who’re staying home while I’m away; my elderly mother will be looking after them for me but she’s not up for (a) biting ferrets or (b) prepping quantities of raw meat for them daily. I’m leaving her freezer packs made up of two meals for five ferrets, all packed into an old ice cream tub and labelled with the day they’re for. I had 7 rabbits to cull today from my rabbitry so that’s six boxes made up and frozen plus today’s evening meal for fuzzies and dogs. I’ll get the other four boxes done early next week. The carpet sharks won’t get their run indoors each day while I’m away, but they’ve got each other and plenty of space in their run, they’ll survive. Just don’t anyone tell them Angus is coming with me.....
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Post by runningdog on Oct 14, 2017 12:06:24 GMT -5
Angus discovered his revamped dig-box yesterday and promptly went spring-heeled-jack on me! It’s a top-opening snake tank that has been sitting around empty since our geriatric corn snake died some years ago, and he’s used to finding it half-full of rags, towels and stuff, which was ok but nothing great in his opinion. I pulled all the textiles out and stuffed it full of shredded paper for him instead, which is stage 1 of the Great Dig Box Revamp Plan (it will in due course get a plywood lid with a tube leading from the box to his cage, so he can come and go as he likes. Eventually).
He got in, paused a moment, then danced so furiously he was almost turning somersaults! Even after he’d got out and danced all over my desk, he was still so thrilled he had to dance all over the floor as well, then he went back for a second go in the box, dooking non-stop the whole time. All in all, it was nearly five minutes before he calmed down again.
Fingers crossed (don’t want to jinx it!) he hasn’t even nipped for three days now.
Road trip tomorrow - he’s coming with me on a long drive to pick up his new cage and bring it home, which will also involve pausing for coffee and ferret-discussions with the lady currently holding the cage, which was a raffle prize. I want him to get accustomed to the idea that just because he’s in a car on a long journey, he will not be handed over to a stranger at the other end; I’ll still be there for him and he’s coming back home with me afterwards.
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Post by runningdog on Oct 16, 2017 18:59:17 GMT -5
Quite a long day yesterday - 2.5 hour drive to pick up the new cage, which Angus spent mostly snoozing in the hammock in his carrier.... after the first ten miles, when he dug furiously all around the carrier, anyway. When we got there he was allowed to play all over their kitchen floor with their ferrets’ toys, lucky boy, and relieved himself all over their ferrets’ puppy pads, too! After that he slept in the car while we played with their ferrets, then we loaded up the cage and various goodies and it was another 2.5 hours home again. I put the cage together when we got home. It’s not the biggest but it’s okay for one ferret. It came with metal shelves and ramps which were too narrow and slippery for a ferret, so once Angus had tried them out briefly I pulled them out and replaced with with a big hammock that makes a complete upper storey for him, with a fabric tunnel secured to the side of the cage for him to climb up and down easily. Needless to say he’s tried every other way of getting around in the cage before settling to using the tunnel! I left one shelf in so he’s got somewhere to land when he slithers out of his hammock, and it also gives him somewhere to stand while he drinks from the water bowl, which is secured to the bars high enough he can’t dig in it (much....). He’s using the litter tray on the ground floor quite readily, so I must have put it in the right place! His first reaction to the cage was absolute hate. He threw things around, he turned trays over, he rattled the bars. After I’d made the changes, he settled with a bit of grumping into his hammock and went to sleep. This morning he’s climbing in and out of the lower door quite happily and likes being able to come and go when he’s allowed out for a play. It was interesting that when I put him into the new cage last night he started biting hard again whenever my hands were within reach. This morning he’s back to merely trying to steal the socks off my feet and the occasional accidental nip when we’re playing and he grabs, but not hard bites. I think maybe he was tired and grumpy, plus he felt confused and insecure in the new cage, so he defaulted to the old behaviour pattern for a bit. The dogs are thrilled. They can lie on my bed and gaze at the ferret in his cage - it’s better than TV! This evening he was looking very comfortable and relaxed.
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Post by LindaM on Oct 16, 2017 19:11:28 GMT -5
When I got my ferret cages.. I tried to arrange things the way I like and I wanted. My furkids rearranged as THEY liked and wanted. And then we bought this house and my ferrets got their own bedroom.. I tried to arrange things the way I like and want... and our Athena, alpha that she is, soon rearranged things in the way that SHE wants the room to be. And I gave up, it's her rule, her business... so she can do whatever she wants, as long as they are all happy, LOL. Now I just end up stuffing extra things in there, doing toy checks, doing their laundry and dishes, changing their pads and litter boxes, and giving them water and meals. I leave the organization of the room up to them.
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Post by runningdog on Oct 18, 2017 10:20:27 GMT -5
I don’t mind the fact that however hard I try to set a cage up the way I think they’ll like it, they disagree and want it to suit themselves. That’s fine - it’s their space and their preference. I’m used to that, no problem. Angus and I really need to work on a mutual timetable, though. Yesterday he came out and played in the morning, which was fine.... and he came out and played in the evening, which was fine. But then he wanted to come out and play at midnight, too! I let him out for a bit and he insisted on teasing the dogs by war-dancing right next to their cages - I moved him away, he dashed straight back and danced some more. I opened the door and he was off. Along the passage, down the stairs, through the hall and into the kitchen, where he discovered a freezer bag that had been left within reach. Even better than any other bag! Tougher, rustlier, shinier.... before I’d finished shutting the door behind him, he was trying to drag the freezer bag behind the filing cabinet. He played for half an hour, then consented to go back to bed again. Apart from a brief interlude somewhere in the small hours when I woke up to the sound of rabbit shoulder-bone being crunched loudly, all was well. I’ll learn to sleep through that soon enough. This morning he’s been out again, had a lovely play, and stashed his day-old-chick somewhere. I’m blowed if I can find it! His lurid pink stashing-mouse toy may be in the same place, because he’s made that vanish too. I gave him the chick first thing as usual, left him to it for a bit while I got on with the morning round of rabbits, quail, other ferrets, dogs, my breakfast, etc, then came back and let him out. No visible chick, fine, he must have eaten it. A few minutes later he retrieves the chick from under a blanket in his nest and bounds off with it, disappears under the bed somewhere, and while I’m still looking for him under the bed, he appears without the chick from behind the chest of drawers. I’ve had the boxes out from under the bed - no chick. I’ve had the chest of drawers out, too - no chick there either. I’ve grovelled all over the floor with a torch, which is not the most relaxing of jobs even without a ferret of his toothsome habits ‘helping’ by climbing on me, but I can’t see hide nor hair of the chick. I asked the dogs to sniff for it but they just looked blank and lay on the bed (that was after Angus was back in his cage, of course! Sleeping the innocently curled-up sleep of a ferret.) In future, I’ll feed him at the end of his play-sessions, not before, and when he comes out tonight I hope he remembers where he left it, that’s all!
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Post by runningdog on Oct 18, 2017 14:11:39 GMT -5
How is it, with everything he *should* have on his furry little conscience, that he can look this innocent and cute?
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Post by Sherry on Oct 19, 2017 8:20:54 GMT -5
Because "ferret"
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Post by runningdog on Oct 19, 2017 15:04:27 GMT -5
Definitely “ferret”!
The chick is definitely behind the chest of drawers somewhere. Somehow! I know this because when I let him out tonight he bounced around my ankles dooking for a minute, then decided that was enough happiness directed at his human and made a straight-line dash off under the chest of drawers, emerging with the remains of the chick in his mouth a few seconds later. He carried it around for a minute or so, then disappeared back under the chest of drawers and came out without it.
Once he’s asleep later..... I shall find that chick and remove it, permanently. He’s clearly not starving!
I got him some new cat-toys today, all variations on the ‘small round rattling thing’ theme. He’s stashed one under the bed, but I know where that is.
Last night he was hyper from 1 til 2 am, belted all round the room, danced along the passage to the stairs, danced back and dooked at me, then danced off again with me following, and we spent an hour in the kitchen while he played with the dogs’ water bowl and I mopped the floor repeatedly. He liked ‘catching’ the mopping cloth, too.
Since one of the things he did last night to persuade me to let him out in the small hours was dislodge his water bowl and turn it upside down in his cage (thus forcing me to open the door to mop inside his cage and therefore letting him out!), today’s shopping also included some lock-crock bowls. If he figures out how to dislodge one of those and turn it upside down, he’ll deserve his playtime! The previous dish was one of those stainless steel rings with a bowl sitting in it and I think he just lay upside down under it and scrabbled it out - but I can transfer it to some other critter’s cage when it won’t matter if it gets turned over once in a while.
Tonight we’re going to have a very extended play before my usual bedtime and see if he’ll let me sleep. It’s like having a toddler in the house again.....
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Post by LindaM on Oct 19, 2017 15:26:51 GMT -5
Sounds like you found his food stashing spot.. my lot used to do that in our bedroom under my bedside table when they still could. I had to put in a little mat because I didn't want meat juice on my carpet and I wanted something easy to clean, lol. Perhaps make the wee boy a feeding den? Somewhere nice and safe for him to stash his munchies in.
LOL! Reminds me of back when I had hamsters and birds.. we had this one lovebird who had.. issues.. and he would cry in the night.. and the hamsters would chew bars until they got placed in empty aquariums/terrariums for homes instead. Never prayed harder for sleep to take me, haha.
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Post by runningdog on Oct 20, 2017 10:38:18 GMT -5
The extended play-session worked. He got to play for nearly two hours last night until he just lay down and napped on the rug, at which point I popped him back in his hammock with a bit of rabbit mince, and I got to sleep all night! I feel so much better for it, too. The chick has been removed. This morning’s chicken wing headed straight under there, but I picked it up and gave it back to him when he went back to bed after this morning’s play session. I found his pink stashing-toy in there, too, so everything’s been retrieved and can now be handed out for him to (probably!) stash all over again. It’s all part of the fun of ferrets! I’ve been offered a couple of 3-month-old hob kits. I have the cages and space, I have time to spend with youngsters. It really doesn’t cost much more to feed 8 than 6, so.... I’ll be collecting them in November, when we’re back from our various travels and settled down again. At the moment I have the two albinos, Joker and Angus, and then Bane and Loony are ordinary poleys (sable, I think it’s called in the States? Over here it’s traditionally called ‘polecat coloured’ or ‘poley’.) Holly and Ivy are black sables, very dark indeed. A couple of sandy boys will make a nice addition to the business..... who knows? Maybe Angus will suddenly take a liking to one or both of them..... I’m not holding my breath, though. I don’t know what they’re called as yet. They’ve been rescued by a friend of a friend and are now looking for homes. How does a ferret just 3 months old need to be rescued and rehomed? Someone who doesn’t know how to nip-train a kit, I guess, and rather than finding out how to care for their pet properly, just hands them on. Growl. My electronic ferret-finder has been refurbished and now works fine again, so once I’m home and we’re all settled and rested up again, including the new boys, I’ll take some of the fuzzies out rabbiting. Loony, Angus, Joker and Bane are all ideal for working ferrets - dense short coats, adult, loads of energy and the urge to just ‘run and find out’ down any tunnel. The girls and the new boys will be on the young side - plus those incredible, gorgeous 7/8 Angora coats the girls wear may be a problem in damp soil or wet weather, they may clog up with mud and water. Ferrets should be full-grown before they’re expected to wrestle a live rabbit in a narrow tunnel deep underground, so we’ll see - maybe by late spring, otherwise maybe next year.
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Post by LindaM on Oct 20, 2017 14:42:15 GMT -5
It's quite common here in the States, heartbreaking as it is. People will go to the pet stores and get a ferret, often with ZERO knowledge or preparedness ahead of time. Few people take heed that ferrets are high-maintenance animals (and cannot simply be cage-kept 24/7). People do stupid things.. like there was a couple who wanted to buy my little Athena the same night we were there at the store getting some supplies for the cat (I tend to wander over to the ferret cage), and they figured it was gonna be fine to put the ferret in with their two guinea pigs. Suffice to say, that baby girl came home with us that night and the couple with their kid left the store disgruntled, but hopefully with actual information about ferrets as I definitely ran my mouth. Too many people think they can put ferrets in shared cages with prey animals or think they don't have to offer specific amounts of out of cage time. Ferrets need to have bite-inhibition told to them, people don't know how or are too lazy to bother. In the end, just easier to give up the animal. It's horrible, and it breaks my heart every time I hear or see it. And it makes me rage like a she-demon from h*ll too.
Let us know how the trip rabbiting goes if you end up doing it. <3
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