Steve wrote:
>What do people use as a soft material for the inside of the cage?  Or
>do I not need a soft material covering the entire bottom of a plastic
>bottom cage?
 
Steve,
If I can tell you one thing, it is that ferrets will sleep in just about
ANYTHING they find comfortable...it might be an old t-shirt, or it might
be pots and pans underneath the cupboard...You can use t-shirts, pant
legs (make sure the ends arent fraying so your fuzzies dont get their
claws stuck!) or you can go on EBAY and look up "Ferret Hammock" or
"ferret" in general, and a lot of shelters list their items they sew on
there...typically ferrets like to sleep in dark warm areas (like their
wild cousins who sleep in "dens)...You might be able to find a good small
box, cut a few holes in it, put some t-shirts inside, and just keep an
eye out for wear and tear on the box.  It gets pretty expensive layering
the whole bottom of the cage with bedding...if you don't have a litter
box in the cage already, you may want to consider putting a litter box in
there with the "bedding" you use, if the ferrets are used to pottying on
the bedding that is already in there (makes for an easier clean up) Also,
don't always go for the same cage layout....switch the hammocks around a
little bit, or try different things...ferrets love a little stimulation
once in a while, and nothing's more fun then checking out a new cage :)
Buckie always dooked like crazy when I switched his cage around....he
usually spent a good hour exploring the new surroundings :)
 
also a good tip, is to put a lightly worn t-shirt in the cage....that
has your scent, so the ferret associates your smell with "comfort" and
you'll probably be surprised how much easier it is for them to come up
to you and want to "snuggle"
 
hope this helps!!
 
-valerie
 
=====
~*~*~ VALERIE ~*~*~
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~*`~*`FERRETS RULE~`*~`*
Missing Noodles + Rosie at the Rainbow Bridge
[Posted in FML issue 4555]