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Post by trippyferret on Sept 30, 2011 9:19:52 GMT -5
Hi guys!
Long time no see! Recently my husband's little brother moved in with us and we're having to give up the ferret room and move them into the bedroom with us. We need some ideas for keeping the carpets and baseboards protected from digging and poop/pee! We want to make it as ferret proof as is possible. These guys aren't the most accurate about the litter box, so it really is a must we protect the carpets the best we can. This is a rental, after all.
One more thing. When I had ferrets in my bedroom before, they LOVED pottying under the bed. I need some awesome ideas on ferret proofing that as well. I need to keep them out from under it completely, because even keeping comfy blankets under there does not deter these guys!
Your help is so much appreciated!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2011 13:30:26 GMT -5
Here are some suggestions...
We had the same everybody-poo-under-the-bed issue. Bought linoleum remnants to put under the bed, stopped it short. Now everyone HATES pooping under the bed, have only had one or two stray pop up. The linoleum is slick and they slip all over the place trying to poo/pee there.
We also had cut some linoleum triangles to put in the corners. For the most part it stayed in place except for in front of the door, where they found their new most favoritest pooplace. Chairmats are more expensive but are very nice, since they have the teeth on the bottom that holds them in place. Last a very long time, can be cut to fit whatever spot becomes a favorite.
We are moving into a rental where they will have their own dedicated room, and our plan is this: lay down tarp (protective mats with teeth are ideal but out of budget), then lay down cheap carpet so the rental carpet is never touched. The tarp is to prevent liquid from leaking through. Also will be a barrier for odors. Tarp: $10 at discount stores, remnant carpet: 50 cents per sq foot.
Some people only have issues with corners. My thing is, if you are renting, you want to protect the whole floor from odors and messes. It is no fun having them take your deposit or try to go after you for pet damage after you move out.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2011 14:59:17 GMT -5
We have this extra hard carpet( the kind that makes your face itchy when you lay on it) that we cut out and put onto the places where our ferrets scratch. i screw them into the carpet , i will post a picture in a few minutes. but anyway we just cut it out and put it in the places where they poop and scratch at and they can dig to their delight but that carpet is not going to tear for another 2-3 years  good luck! edit-   |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2011 19:28:57 GMT -5
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Post by trippyferret on Sept 30, 2011 20:29:29 GMT -5
I really like the berber carpet idea. I might try that! I have tried the chair mats but I noticed that urine leaks through the cracks and turns the carpet yellow. Yuck! Didn't work too well for me! lol. Maybe if I got some of the more flexible ones and stapled them up the wall some, that may work. But that might be hard to do around door areas, which is inevitably where they will end up pooping.  I also might try these cube square things to go around the bottom of the bed or 2x4's. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2011 20:38:10 GMT -5
you might want to put carpet runners under the carpets if you really care, but my ferrets have already stained the carpet but i just steam clean it once every two weeks:) but it works way better then chair mats trust me! less seeps through but make sure you get the right kind, it is a little bit rough to the touch. and take a nail with you and to test, put the nail through the carpet and pull as hard as you can, if none comes up, it is the right kind!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2011 20:52:39 GMT -5
Well they also sell vinyl floor protector mats, with teeth, for cheaper than rug mats. More like this: www.amazon.com/Superior-American-5300069-Carpet-Protector/dp/B001MJX9D8 or some that are sold in 4' rolls. I've seen the 4' rolls for just a couple of dollars at places like Dollar General or Family Dollar. You could use those on the hot spots. Also, any time you have overlapping/joining mats or plastic sheets, I think it's a good idea to close the gap with something like tape so there isn't a problem with leaking through. |
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Post by Sherry on Sept 30, 2011 23:23:12 GMT -5
Another idea that may work well with the carpet protector. You were mentioning stapling it up the wall. Why not remove the baseboards(or pick up the really cheap variety), run the protector up, and attach the baseboards(or replacements) over TOP of the protector?
If you get the cheap replacement baseboards, you could attach them above the existing ones.
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Post by katt on Sept 30, 2011 23:42:03 GMT -5
I bought rolls of plastic carpet runners and lined the edges of the rooms, and under the cage. I used a staple gun to staple the plastic down and made sure there was some overlap on the edges. Then I bought big berber rugs from Home Depot (they were like $8 each I think for a 4x6ish rug) and laid those out (again, with overlap on the edges where possible). These were nailed down with thin nails and a strong hammer. Then on top of that went more plastic around the closet doors and main doorway, stapled down again. It has worked out quite well.  |
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Post by katt on Sept 30, 2011 23:46:44 GMT -5
Also please note because it took me FOREVER to find what I needed. It's not "carpet protectors" or "chair mats" or anything else. The plastic that is nice and flexible and easy to cute but still sturdy enough to withstand ferret claws - it's called a carpet runner. Long and narrow (so you could say put it down the middle of a high-traffic hallway). My search for carpet protectors and rolly chair mats was unsuccessful time and time again. It wasn't until I found a very nice old man at the store and explained to him what my idea was (to see if he knew of anything else since no one seemed to have what I needed) and why I needed them....and he said "like carpet runners?" And took me to a shelf with rolls and rolls of the stuff! It was what I had been looking for all along (just kept missing them, they were kind of in an odd part of the store lol) and had been told time and time again that no one had them. *facepalm* Semantics! Sheesh! And they are MUCH cheaper than plastic floor mats I might add! |
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Post by trippyferret on Oct 1, 2011 18:06:57 GMT -5
Great ideas, everyone! Thanks so much! I think I'm going to go with the carpet runners and staple them to the wall and carpet. That should work pretty well. The only thing I don't like about it is if I want to vaccuum under them I can't really move them. But I suppose that's a better alternative to a poopy carpet. lol!  |
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;D
