Hi there,
 
I take my three on holidays all the time-we have been all over the
place-to the country, to the beach and to the mountains.  I usually
stay at holiday houses because hotels in Australia are not at all pet
friendly.  We do lots of very long drives-16 hours is the record so far.
The way I see it travelling with ferrets is not really any different to
travelling with small children-although they are significantly cuter and
furrier.  Here are my tips for holidaying with ferrets.
 
1. Other people may not agree but I think air conditioning is a must if
travelling long distances in summer.  Otherwise drape the cage in wet
towels and get a little car fan and watch them very, very carefully.
 
2. Cover the cage to stop direct sunlight getting in-even if it is cool
outside the sun beaming through the glass can rapidly over heat them.
It also makes them feel more secure.  And of course, never ever leave
the ferret locked in the car, not even for a minute.
 
3. Because my ferrets are free range at home I have a special travel
cage (mine is large enough for a medium sized dog and fits the three
comfortably) with a large hammock for them to sleep in.  I tape the
food and water bowls down and check them regularly because they are
prone to spills.
 
4. Stop-revive -survive every two hours this goes for you as well as your
little one.  I give mine a drink of half lactose free milk and half water
every time we stop-they love the taste and it ensures that they are
getting enough to drink.  One of my ferret's wont use the litter tray
when we are moving, in fact on our first trip he refused to go in the
cage at all and I had to take him into the ladies room with me so that
he could do his business-very stage looks from fellow travellers-I don't
know how common this is so again it pays to stop.
 
Miss Millipod suffers from cage rage and has regular temper tantrums
in which she trashes the cage-over turns water containers, flings food
around, and throws her friends out of the bed.  When you find yourself
yelling-"if you don't stop that I'm turning this car right around" or
"Don't make me stop the car and come back there"  Its time to take an
other break.
 
5. I travel the ferrets cage backwards or side ways-so there is always a
wall of the cage with the hammock close against it-that way if you need
to stop suddenly you don't have the little sleepy beasts falling out of
the bed.  Also make sure that you have clear and easy assess to the cage
door and that they cage is easy to remove-if there is an emergency you
need to be able either grab the cage or the ferret quickly.
 
6. As with children-quiet toys are a bonus- five hours of listening to Mr
chicken squeak is about four hours and 50 minutes too long.  I give mine
chicken wings to gnaw on, and have a ping pong ball threaded on a shoe
lace which I hang from the ceiling of their cage-they lie one their backs
and bat it around with their paws-quietly.
 
7. I always use super absorbent litter at the bottom of the cage-the
little silica beads mixed with a good quality clay based litter are good
because they absorb water spills very well (which happens often) and are
not too dusty.  Lighter paper of wood based litters can blow around heaps
if you travel with an open window.
 
8. When I arrive I do a check of the room that the ferrets are staying
in-under the beds, in the cupboards, check the drain covers in the bath
room-many ferrets can remove loose drain covers.  Even when I am sure
that it is safe I don't leave them unsupervised.  I always have a collar
with a bell and a tag with a little sticker giving the address of the
holiday house in case they escape.  Once they have explored and a had
good nap-it is off the beach/park/garden on the harness for a play.
 
9. My ferrets bag contains the following-Food (enough to last the whole
stay), 2 X 2 litre bottles of fresh water more if you don't have air
conditioning, lactose free milk and water mix (keep this is the cooler),
treats, harnesses, collars and leads, larger food and water bowls for
when we arrive, extra kitty litter (for whole stay).  I also carry 1
extra warm blanket in case it gets cold and a light blanket for warm
days.  I have a ferret first aid kit with antiseptic cream, skin wash,
Q-tips, sting goes (for insect bites when in the country), Mylanta for
upset stomach, etc.  Remember to bring quite toys to play with in the
car and loud toys to play with on the holiday and special toys that your
little one might miss while he is away.
 
10. Enjoy
 
Skye, Millipod, Gimlet and Quibble
[Posted in FML issue 4453]