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Post by xclairex on Oct 14, 2011 16:00:10 GMT -5
Ok so.... I'm trying to make a decision about whether or not to bring my furkids indoors for the winter...
As some of you already know, I was thinking of bringing them indoors for winter... but I'd like to do what's best for them...
I've read so many websites that say its not fair to leave them outside in such cold temperatures... and other websites that say they are healthier and happier living outdoors and perfectly capable of withstanding the cold because it's their natural environment etc...
Its since I have had to have Lola indoors while she has been sick that I realised how much I am missing when they are outdoors... I dont get to see them sleeping etc...
I know that one benefit of keeping them outdoors is that they get the natural light, fresh air etc and I understand that having them indoors can mess up their natural body clock....
I dont want to be selfish and have them indoors for my own benefit, I want what's best for them... I have just read so much conflicting information and i'm not sure what to do for the best??
My four furkids live in the garden in a large chicken coop, their bedding area is filled with lots of fleece blankets. The coop has a cover that i zip up on a night to keep out the draft.
(just to remind you I am in the UK)
Anyone got any ideas on this??
Thanks
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Post by Deleted on Oct 14, 2011 16:34:15 GMT -5
I think you should bring them inside, animals do like to get into the cages whether it is birds or bugs. even mice ( i don't know if that has ever happened) AND if they find a way out ( those sneaky little things!) it COULD happen even if they have not before i would bring them in, in fear of losing them or them getting bitten by something or even having their food stolen!!! it does happen you know!
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Post by miamiferret2 on Oct 14, 2011 17:12:36 GMT -5
Won't their water freeze during very cold temps? I like to keep them inside.
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Post by xclairex on Oct 14, 2011 17:19:23 GMT -5
My furkids cannot escape!! Each door has a small padlock on it!! Chester went missing once and ever since I've been super careful!! Yeah the water does freeze when it gets really cold! I just make sure I keep emptying it and re-filling it. X
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Post by Deleted on Oct 14, 2011 17:35:06 GMT -5
while you are at work? i really do think you should bring them in, i heard this years winter is supposed to be the worst yet!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 14, 2011 19:13:27 GMT -5
You have to weigh the pros and cons. Healthwise, yes, it is better for them outdoors, and, with the proper set-up, I think they probably would prefer being outside than in. But, from my understanding, there is a lot of ferret theft in the UK. I guess you'd have to pick which has the more risk.
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Post by Sherry on Oct 14, 2011 21:03:12 GMT -5
If they are very secure, odds are they'd be further ahead outside. I believe the majority of our UK members have them out year round. Is there any reason you can't bring them in to play on a daily basis?
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Post by Deleted on Oct 15, 2011 11:02:25 GMT -5
The indoor/outdoor dilemna is such an individual thing. Risks vary so dramatically by location. Here's a fine example from where I live.....a headline from the Denver Post: "In two months, three coyote attacks on kids in Broomfield" By Jordan Steffen and Monte Whaley The Denver Post Posted: 09/21/2011 01:00:00 AM MDT Updated: 09/21/2011 08:58:21 AM MDT ....not to mention that we have warning signs regarding mountain lions in the open space behind our house. Dogs (even large breed dogs - including German Shepherds) are dragged out of yards and killed by coyote packs. Dogs (even large breeds) have even attacked on leashes this past year. The presence of people/adults does not phase these coyotes. While I' sure the UK has nothing this dramatic going on, a local perspective would be helpful for making a more comfortable decision. Do you have any local ferret clubs that might be able to help you determine what might be best for your ferrets? (or maybe even a good ferret vet?) A lot of people in the UK do keep ferrets outside, but there could be different risk factors in different locations that we may not be aware of. -jennifer Humor: And yes, I know I'm using the old fart, "old American", once-taught-in-schools , no-longer-accepted spelling of the word dilemma. ;D
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Post by xclairex on Oct 15, 2011 13:16:08 GMT -5
Ok, thanks for your replies! This is what I have decided...
I am going to convert a shed into a ferret house! Its going to be great!! I'm going to have different platforms and tubes all around, and I am going to make a special insulated nesting box for them to sleep in.
I cant wait :-D its going to be big enough for me to walk into and shut the door so I will still be able to interact with them as much as I want in the winter time.
If anyone has already done this and has some pics for ideas that would be great xx
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Post by crazylady on Oct 15, 2011 13:44:02 GMT -5
claire mine all live in a ferret house outdoors ( sure mine is super huge and is lined with cages lol ) if your using a shed why not have one side with fitted cages and the other side with a large cage floor to ceiling with diffrent levels and ramps in and pipes ( this way in the daytime play cage they can run around like crazy and cover more levels but you know there is no escape and no hiding places just think huge mesh front easily constructed inside a shed ) but at night you simply lift them out into the individual cages complete with sleeping compartments to chill out and you can lock each one in individually with there own portion of food and water !( or if they live together just have one night cage ) have a mesh screen door made for your shed too so that on days when its not so cold you can simply open the outer door close the mesh door ( have a lock fitted lol ) and let in fresh air and extra light safe in the knowledge there is no escape lol take care bye for now Bev
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Post by dook2dook on Oct 16, 2011 6:26:49 GMT -5
As alot of people above have said you have to factor the risks. I would bring them in in the winter but a ferret house sounds really cool! Here in Australia pretty much everyone who humanley keeps ferrets either have them indoors all year or have them in huge aviaries. I hate seeing ferrets in rabbit hutches! I'm from Australia so I have to consider these factors -feral cat attack they can get into anything -snake attack -my own dogs -foxes my neiboughs rabbits and chickens have been eaten by foxes -extreme heat -paralysis ticks, these ticks are deadly! They cause the entire animals system to shut down. So thats why I chose to keep my boy indoors
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Post by xclairex on Oct 16, 2011 9:58:21 GMT -5
Thanks for your replies. There only real risk we have here in the UK is humans stealing the ferrets!! which I think is pretty rare really!! This is the reason I have padlocks on the chicken coop that they are in at the moment. Apart from that there's nothing else that puts them at risk being outside.. Its was more the colder temperatures that I was worried about.
I suppose we do have foxes here but we never see them and I've never had them in my garden or anything!
I have got the shed and built it today, I plan on having stable type doors so that I can open the top half during the day and close it up on a night. I will seed some kind of second mesh door- I'm not sure how this will work yet.
If anyone has any ideas of how I could transform a shed into ferret house that would be great!!
xx
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Post by Heather on Oct 16, 2011 10:24:37 GMT -5
I have no ideas to offer you but I would like to ask you to post them when your done or post while you're putting them together. You might take a look a Marie's site, she didn't use a shed but you could get some really cool ideas from her indoor enclosure trickytrixie.tripod.com/summer2011/innerenclosure.htm. She also goes into considerable depth on how to build nesting boxes as well trickytrixie.tripod.com/nestbox/winternestbox.htm She has gone to great lengths to allow her wee ones as much natural space as possible ciao
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Post by Sherry on Oct 16, 2011 12:07:49 GMT -5
Looks like the first link isn't working(at least not for me ), but if you go to the index from the second link, you can access everything from there
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Post by crazylady on Oct 16, 2011 14:16:43 GMT -5
Hi the internal mesh door is pretty easy to make just make a simple frame to fit the inside of your shed and cover it with chicken wire using staples ( the mesh can be bought from BQ ) and secure with two hinges on the inside of your door frame ( so it opens inwards ) add a couple of fasteners on the outside and hey presto lol having an internal mesh door means there is no way you ferrets can climb over your stable door and nothing can climb in so you have peace of mind and they have fun in safety ! hope this helps take care bye for now Bev
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