Hello everyone :)
 
First of all, thanks to everyone who responded to my last post about my
ferret Erp coming home (Yippee).  I can't wait until we come back from
vacation and can go pick him up.  Of course, now that the initial panic is
over, I am in need of some advice.
 
When I originally got Erp, he was 7 weeks old.  The entire time he lived
with me, he was a free-range ferret.  I ferret proofed the apartment and he
spent most of his time playing with our dog, Dingo (a 90lb.
austrailian/german shepard mix) and tormenting our 8 cats. Needless to say,
he was never bored :)
 
When my friends adopted Erp, they turned him into a mostly cage dwelling
ferret.  They let him out every night for playtime, but for the most part he
lived in his cage, first alone and then with his playmate, Socks.
 
Well, now he is coming home and, for the most part, all the animals are the
same except for the dog.  My evil roommate took our dog with when he finally
decided to move.  My husband and I have another dog but she is entirely
different from Dingo.  She is a small (23lb.) collie/terrier mix with a
tendency to snap.  Because of this and the fact our new apartment will be
much harder to ferret-proof, my husband and I think it would be more
sensible to keep Erp in a cage when we are not home to supervise him.
 
Now don't feel to bad for Erp, we are only not home between 8:00am and
5:30pm when we both work.  And we RARELY go out in the evening.  Erp will
have free run while we are home which is a good amount of time.
 
My questions are basically about his cage.  We were planning on using a
multilevel cage we used to keep one of our chinchillas in.  It is made by
Super Pet and has one main level with a ramp up to another level.  On the
second level there is also a shelf on one side.  Its approximately the same
size as the cage he is used to now.  I have a corner litter box and a
feeding dish and water bottle the cannot be tipped over.  What do I use for
floor covering/bedding at the bottom of the cage?  Should I cover the mesh
floors to protect his feet?  And what should I use for this?  Should I get
one of the ferret hammocks for him to sleep in?  And should I give him toys
to play with while we are not home?
 
As for feeding....I used to feed him Marshall Ferret food.  Is this still
acceptable?  At the time it was the only ferret food I could find.  I've
seen a brand called Totally Ferret, is this any good?
 
ANy suggestions anyone has will be greatly appreciated :)
 
Thanks in advance,
 
Alex & the Zoo
[Posted in FML issue 1542]