HOSPITAL CAGE TABLE:
 
Do not leave the hospital cage on the floor; homes have raised
thermostats so while the air is warm at human height, the air at the
floor is colder, making the ferret work harder to warm their environment.
It is better to place the cage on top of a table or dresser so the ferret
can use more energy for recovery.  Mine is perched on top of two bedroom
nightstands placed side-by-side, which I call my "hospital table".
 
I bought both used nightstands for $20 each, trimmed the top edges so
they would push together flush, and after removing the drawers, used wood
screws and glue to permanently fix the stands together.  I then cut a
piece of 1/4 in. plywood to cover the top, and screwed it in place, doing
the same to the back.  My nightstands used wooden skirts rather than legs
as supports, so I turned the table over and glued and screwed wood blocks
in each of the four outer corners.  The blocks were 3 in.  on each side,
and 1/4 in. short of the distance from the bottom of the table to the
end of the skirting.  I then covered the entire bottom with a sheet of
1/4 in. plywood, marking the locations of the wood blocks, and glued and
nailed it in place just inside and flush with the skirting.  I drilled
four 3/8 in. holes (1.5 in. deep) through the plywood into the support
blocks, and then installed casters in each corner, two casters having
brakes.
 
Turning the table back over, I covered the plywood top with vinyl
flooring, trimmed it to fit flush with the outer edges and glued it in
place with spray adhesive.  Then I placed the hospital cage on top,
played with its location until I was happy with it, and marked all
four edges with a crayon.  After removing the cage, I cut pieces of
quarter-round wood molding to frame the cage and nailed them to the top
with finishing nails using the marks as my guide.  I covered the raw edge
of the plywood with wood strip molding, glued and nailed, and filled all
holes with putty.
 
Along one side edge of the back of the hospital table, I screwed in
place three 2 in. hose clamps, aligned from top to bottom.  I mounted a
section of broom handle in the clamps and tightened them in place.  The
broom handle extends past the top of the hospital table about 14 in., and
is used to hold a roll of paper towels.  You could add another broom
handle to the opposite side of the table for use as an IV pole if your
vet has shown you how to give subcutaneous fluids; just cut the handle
about 2.5 ft above the table top and screw in one of those spring-loaded
self-latching coffee mug holders.  It is also handy for hanging bags of
liquid foods for tube feedings.
 
I then painted the hospital table with three coats of high quality gloss
white oil-based enamel paint, masking off the vinyl flooring to keep it
clean.  When the paint was dry, I screwed in place a large drawer pull on
each side of the table to facilitate moving the hospital table from place
to place.  I placed sick ferret supplies in the drawers (one drawer for
cleaning supplies, one for medical supplies, one for clean bedding, and
one for miscellaneous items), the cage on top, and it was ready for use.
 
You can use any table, but the advantage of using nightstands are that
they are a height so that when the cage is in place, I can easily open
the top and reach inside without leaning over (saves the back) or
snagging an armpit.  The height makes cleaning the cage a cinch, and I
can roll the hospital table into my reading room and from a sitting
height I can see directly into the cage to observe my sick ferret.  Also,
nightstands have drawers that are most useful for storage AND they can be
ferret proofed.  Regardless of what you use, it is better to have the
hospital cage on something, ANYTHING, rather than resting directly on
the floor.
 
Bob C
[Posted in FML issue 4401]