I know that everyone has very different and strong opinions and what's
constitutes proper bedding for ferrets and other animals.  I have heard
the opinions about wood shavings and dust being bad for the ferrets, but
something that popped in my head is that ferrets in the wilds are natural
diggers.  They love to play and dig in the dirt..and I'm sure they
breathe a lot more dust in from digging than they do from wood chips in
their bedding.  My ferret used to love to dig in the dirt outside.  That
is something very natural for ferrets.  And as we all know, when they dig
their little noses are the first things they start with. :)  How many
times have we seen ferrets with their noses covered in dirt?  The point
I'm making is that this is something very natural for them in their
natural environments.  That's also where the term "ferret out" came from,
because ferrets in the wilds are known for hunting and digging deep in
the ground to chase out rodents, such as rabbits or mice, etc...
 
I'm not saying that we shouldn't consider the possible effects or of
different products or weigh the good verses the bad and make an informed
decision based on facts.  But I also think we must be reasonable about
these things..and just because some people might have strong opinions
about what is proper and what is not doesn't mean that someone is wrong
or irresponsible simply because they choose to go a different route based
on what they know about ferrets.
 
Some people say "No, never use wood shavings of any kind and never use
any type of clumping litter, such as cat litter."  Well, if dust is bad
for ferrets then why would you use it for your cats?  Wouldn't that mean
it's also just as unhealthy for other types of animals?  All animals
naturally live outside, or did before domestication (many still do) and
they are designed to handle a lot of things in their natural habitats.
You'd be surprised about what they can handle.
 
When it comes to litter verses shavings...I feel like the decision is up
to the person caring for the ferrets, because they're the ones who have
had the experience caring for those specific animals.  One ferret may be
sensitive to something which another ferret is not sensitive to at all.
A lot of it by trial and error too.  When I brought home rats I wasn't
aware of them having allergies to cedar shavings, so that's what I
purchased to line the cages with.  After seeing the oldest rat scratching
constantly I put 2 and 2 together and figured out that it might have a
reaction to the shavings, so I got rid of the shavings and tried
something different.  In my case I found that plane old newspaper worked
the best for the rats.  After switching to paper the rat stopped
scratching and seemed to be fine.
 
Now when it came to Slinky, my ferret, I tried shavings but found that
they didn't work very well or keep as much of the odor out.  He didn't
have any reaction to them, but they just didn't work well.  So then I
switched to cat litter which worked great.  Not only was he able to bury
the droppings (which you can't do very well with any type of shavings, it
cut down on the smell a lot and was much easier to clean.  Slinky loved
to dig.  He had his own tunnel built outside where he could run and dig
in the dirt whenever he had his outside time.  It's actually good for
ferrets to be able to go outdoors occasionally to play and get fresh air.
And since they are natural diggers and would therefore be surrpunded in
dust, obviously they are designed to deal with that, or they wouldn't
do it.
 
Just my opinion here.  I realize many see things another way, but that
doesn't make my viewpoint wrong.  It's just different and that comes from
my own experience and what I know about ferrets in general.  You have to
do what you feel is right for your ferret.  But going in to a pet store
and demanding that they use a different type of litter or shavings is
going a bit far in my opinion, because everyone has a different take on
these issues.  Some people can also go too far and be almost fanatical
when it comes to these issues, as if THEIR OPINION is the only correct
one.  Well, that is wrong and no one really has the right to force their
views on other people.
 
Don't flame me or send me private emails trying to tell me off either
please, because I won't read it.  If you have something to say be
respectful and kind about it, but also accept the fact that everyone
sees things differently and sometimes there is more than one way to do
something.  It doesn't neccesarily mean the individual is wrong. :)
 
[Moderator's note: While I respect your opinion, I do suggest caution.
Real dirt is fine, but neither wooden shavings nor clumping litter are
typically components of dirt.  I'm sure others will answer but I wanted
to put this note in just to be on the safe side!  BIG]
[Posted in FML issue 4344]