I have 3 ferrets that love the outdoors. One of mine, Normie, likes the
outdoors sooo much that he waits by the door to go outside every morning
and every night. So, I let Norm follow me out the door when I go start my
car in the morning and then take him for a long hike when I get home from
work. Gizmo accompanies us on our night walk since he is not a morning
ferret. Moser goes out every once in a while, but she's happy staying
inside as well. As for the perfect time to take the ferrets outside, I
would have to say at night time and early morning when there is still a bit
of darkness since they feel vulnerable in the open areas during the day. I
can, however, take them out during the day if I am in the woods. They feel
safe hiking in the woods, and they also feel safe playing underneath the
porch (off leash) during the day.
As for harnessing/leashing them, I definitely do on our night hikes, but
in the morning Norm follows me outside and plays in the flower bed. He's
a big guy (5 lbs) and has never tried to run away from me, so I feel fine
doing that. If something startles him, he runs to the front door and waits
for me. Same goes for Giz. Both boys are great listeners outdoors too
which is nice. It depends on the ferret and it also depends on where you
are taking them. For instance, Moser, my 1lb female runs where ever when
she hears unfamiliar sounds, and never listens to me when we are outside.
She is always on the leash when we go outside. If I were to take the
ferrets hiking in the woods and there were a lot of rocks in the area, I
would leash all of them since they love to find tiny holes between rocks.
We don't get too far on those hikes, because all of the good smells are
found in the holes near the rocks. You simply need to know your ferrets
and how they react to certain things (unfamiliar sounds, different
environments, etc.), and if you decide not to use a leash make sure you
have an eye on them at all times.
Good Luck.
Melanie and the gang (Gizmo, Norman, and Moser)
[Posted in FML issue 2626]
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