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Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2012 20:28:37 GMT -5
I want to maybe put the ferret cage in my 3 season room eventually so that they can get an even more natural lighting/temperature situation than they have now. I know some people keep their ferrets outdoors so I was thinking this is the next best thing.
I already have an orange lightbulb in the room where their cage is, but the 3 season room is where they get to play. It has no heat and no AC so I want to monitor the temperature of the room to see how cold it gets this winter and how hot it gets this summer. But I need to know how cold is too cold and how hot is too hot. I can add AC if necessary in the summer and maybe a space heater in the winter. Any thoughts?
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Post by Sherry on Oct 25, 2012 20:30:12 GMT -5
65-70 would likely be the ideal. Getting up to 80 degrees can be very dangerous. They can handle cold temperatures far more easily than warm.
They can deal with short exposures down to about -20 celcius, but I'm thinking just for their comfort no lower than about 50. Just add extra blankets in sleeping dens if they need it.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2012 21:00:06 GMT -5
Yeah keeping them warm is gonna be much easier than keeping them cool without electric help. Gonna get a room thermometer to monitor the temp in that room.
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Post by Sherry on Oct 25, 2012 21:10:35 GMT -5
One good way to tell if it's getting too warm for them- they start to lay down on anything but fabric, start sleeping separately, and have little energy so sleep a LOT more.
If they ever do become overheated, use a cool cloth and wipe them down. You can also put their feet in cool(not cold) water.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2012 22:27:48 GMT -5
yeah they definitely do that in the summer. We don't have AC. I usually mist them regularly, put frozen soda bottles in their cage, put wet towels over the cage with the ceiling fan going. I'll keep the feet thing in mind too. The 3 season room might be able to have a small AC because it can be closed off from the house. Our house has an open floor plan so it would just eat up the AC if I put it in this room. We'll see. Gotta see how cold it gets in there this winter, too.
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Post by Sherry on Oct 25, 2012 22:32:39 GMT -5
Sleeping dens can make a world of difference. We got some rubbermaid containers and cut two holes in either end. Had to put in some ventilation holes all along the sides as well as the inside was actually getting damp with condensation from their body heat!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2012 11:03:10 GMT -5
My personal experience is that mine do best between 55-75 degrees. Above 75 they become very sleepy and don't want to play. During summer, our home stays no warmer than 70, and winter we keep the bedroom between 55-60 degrees. At this lower tempatures they become very playfull.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2012 11:22:07 GMT -5
on the note of low exposures to cold, how do ferrets fare the harsh canadian winters? i live pretty close to the border soooo i guess imagine winter in washington?  what do you guys think? can do go on walks in the snow? or should i drive them to the park and let them play and come home? |
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Post by Sherry on Oct 26, 2012 15:54:19 GMT -5
Ours love to play in the snow  But watch for cold feet. When they stop playing it's time to come in. |
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Post by Heather on Oct 26, 2012 16:00:18 GMT -5
Pictures of my guys enjoying winter fun. It was a sunny day and the wind was practically non-existant. The guys played outside for the better part of an hour. Now they did come back in once in awhile but were right back out again playing again.     I think Katt has some fantastic photos of Koda and Kenai playing outside during the winter too ciao |
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Post by lorelei0922 on Oct 28, 2012 12:47:22 GMT -5
Having grown up in Northwest Washington.. about an hour from Bellingham.... and now living in the UK where we keep our ferrets outdoors.. i can say i would happily keep them outdoors all year round in Washington...
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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2012 17:03:54 GMT -5
a lot depends on what they are used to, age and health status. A ferret with compromised health may not be able to handle 80 degrees. A naked adrenal baby would obviously have issues with cold. But in general, I find cold is better than too warn for ferrets. One day, I left the window open in the Fall. We have unpredictable "mountain weather in Colorado.... it was 38 F (32F = freezing) in the room - the brats were young at the time - they were all crammed into a single nest but warm as toast. when the cme out to the nest, they were bristling with energy :excited - while I ran for my coat  I protect them more now that they are "old ferts" -jennifer |
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Post by crazylady on Oct 28, 2012 17:07:48 GMT -5
LoL lorelei knows how cold it gets here lol ( minus 2 where I am last night lol ) my guys simply grow plush thick coats and still love to hunt in two foot deep snow lol if the temp is really hot ( sorry this sounds gross ) wet the top of the head well as the brain can cook in extreme temps so soaking the head is a good way to ensure its always cool also even though you have the orange light bulbs try and limit the use of them think cycle of the moon ( there are only certain times of the month when a ferret in the wild would get extra light from the moon ) if you try and keep it as natural as possible then you cannot go far wrong take care bye for now
Bev
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