Hospital Cage and Cage Furniture:
 
Use a small cage, maybe 2 by 3 ft. for the floor dimension.  Cut 5 or 6
layers of cardboard to cover the floor of the cage (old boxes are perfect
sources), and stack them in place; remove them one at a time as they
become badly soiled.  Some very weak ferrets may have a problem keeping
traction while walking on cardboard, but that is easily solved by cutting
1 in. strips and gluing them to the walking surface, or you can roughen
the cardboard surface with 30-grit sandpaper.  My favorite solution is
to simply apply strips of duct tape in a lattice-like pattern (is there
anything duct tape cannot do?).  Another solution is to cut the cardboard
to fit, then tape one end to a broomstick and wind the cardboard as
tightly as possible around the handle.  Unwind, and repeat in the
opposite direction.  This will force tiny wrinkles into the cardboard,
improving traction tremendously; just flatten it out for use.  Yet
another solution is to paint the cardboard with white glue, then sprinkle
sand over the surface.  Vinyl floor is a fair second choice.  You still
have the "slick floor" problem plaguing weak ferrets, and rather than
just tossing it out when soiled, you will have to clean and disinfect
it, but at least the sick ferret doesn't have to walk on a wire floor.
 
Cage furniture needs to be compact, easy to remove and clean, and either
disposable or easy to disinfect.  I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you make at
least TWO of each item of cage furniture so one set can be used while you
are cleaning and disinfecting the other.  Only use the cage furniture in
the hospital cage; do not swap them back and forth with other cages; you
want to minimize cross infections (sick ferret to healthy one, as well as
from healthy ferrets to sick ones).
 
Make a "sick ferret litter box" out of a small cat litter box by cutting
down a short and long side so the wall is only about 2 in.  high.  Sand
and round off the cut edge.  Drill a hole in the remaining 3 tall corners
and use clamps, wire, or shower curtain rings to fix the box to the cage
(some people use plastic cable ties, but they have to be cut and replaced
each time you remove the box).  An alternative is to cut down a cardboard
box, but it cannot be cleaned and will have to be replaced as it becomes
soiled.  You can more-or-less waterproof the cardboard with a heavy coat
of matt spray paint if you allow it to dry a few days before adding the
litter.  Or you can coat the inside of the box with spray adhesive and
glue in a plastic garbage bag, trimming it down to the edge of the box
after the glue dries.  I recommend this later solution if your ferret is
highly contagious.
 
In the opposite corner of the litter box, place a nest box and fix it
to the cage wall.  You can make a dandy nest box by cutting a 3 to 4 in.
circular hole in the side or end of an opaque Rubbermaid-type shoebox,
taking care not to cut the top edge (so the lid will still snap in
place), and sand the cut edges.  Plastic nest boxes are the best choice
because of the ease of cleaning compared to wood or fabrics.  Cardboard
boxes are an adequate second choice because they can be tossed out when
soiled.  If you can't find an opaque plastic box of a suitable size, use
a translucent one.  To make the interior dark, you can either rough up
the exterior with sandpaper and paint it with acrylic paints, you can sew
a tight fitting light-blocking bag that slips over the box, or you can
line the interior with cardboard.  Even easier, just cover the exterior
with strips of 2 in. metal-foil adhesive tape, available at most hardware
stores for a few bucks.  Gaffer's or duct tape would also work, but not
as easy to disinfect.
 
In the corner farthest from the litter box, wire or curtain ring two
small food dishes, one for food, and the other to catch the drips from
the water bottle.  To save space, I use small plastic condiment cups I
found at Walmart for about half a buck each; they are about 2.5 in.
wide.  They hold plenty of food for a sick ferret, AND they are much
smaller and cheaper than most pet food dishes.  Another solution I have
found that works well is to use small birdcage grit dishes; I cut down
the front edge with wire clippers so it is about an inch high, and hang
the dish about 2 or 3 in. off the floor of the cage.  Add the water
bottle so the end hangs over an empty dish to catch drips.
 
Bob C
[Posted in FML issue 4400]