There have been some great ideas and posts about traveling with
ferrets. Having read all of the FML posts on traveling tips, I would
also like to reiterate what others have said and share some of the
practical things I have learned. I also received several private posts
and know that I am not the only one to have had some of my experiences.
As I said yesterday, I have always had Ford Explorers with my ferrets.
I had the car before my first ferret, but I can tell you I learned a
LOT about cars. Some of the things to look for: is the firewall between
the cab and the engine solid or are there places your ferret can climb
through? Is there rear air? Window locks? Why do I care? Because I
allowed them to free roam -- something I no longer do.
Sammy, my first ferret who survived only by the grace of God, used to
go everywhere with me -- including my flights while I was working on
my pilot's license. And, the first time I carried him with me -- in
a carrier -- the flight instructor asked if I planned to keep him in
there. Of course! While doing spins I had had a door pop open and I
nearly lost my log book! I certainly didn't want to lose Sammy!
Well, his concern was that I would have a ferret under the pedals when
I needed to step on them. His comment, "If he is under the pedals and
you have to step on one, are you prepared for him to die?"
Unequivocally, NO! And, if your ferret gets under the pedals of your
car, what happens if you have to slam on the brakes?
1. Hammocks. I began using a hammy in the travel cage to keep Oscar, my
wobbly guy, from falling off the top level to the bottom. Most of the
time nobody slept in it. But, a hammock has no stability when a cage
is tumbling. And a ferret can fly out of it. Gandalf was thrown from a
hammock and the other two in the same cage were in a sleepsack on the
floor. Duncan was still in his sleepsack in another cage.
2. Travel cage. Again, remember the big picture. The goal is to get
yourself AND your ferrets there safely. While we do want our ferrets to
be comfortable, the truth is that we would rather have them SAFE. They
may not be able to have all the comfy setup they have at home, but they
will be just as comfy in a sleepsack as a hammy for the trip. And, they
will really look forward to a run in the hotel bathroom!
3. Forget the water bottle. Get the lock-crocks, or some type of
attachable water dish. Put just enough that they will be able to have
it accessible. You will be stopping and checking them often enough that
they are not going to dehydrate during the travel. And, since some
ferrets like to dig the water out or play with it and make a mess. And,
if the trip is only an hour, they will not starve or die of thirst if
they don't have food or water for that time.
4. Litterbox. I learned this trick from Lori Sies. It makes travel with
a litterbox SO much easier. Get two of the same size that can stack.
The smaller rectangular ones are great for this. In one, punch two
holes in one side and wire-tie, or otherwise secure, it to the cage.
In the other one, put your litter and sit it inside the box that is
attached. When you need to clean the box, just pick it up and take it
out of the cage/car/room and you are able to clean it and refill it
and put it back in the cage.
5. Splat mats aka pee-pads. Put these under the litter box and if a
ferret misses, or if an oldster doesn't like a litter box, the cleanup
is easier. And, the pee stays where it is and doesn't get all over
everything.
6. Hotels. First, don't lie. Stay only at pet-friendly hotels and
declare the pets! And, sometimes you can get the handicapped rooms
with the walk in showers -- my ferrets love those! And, get one where
you can back up to the door, of possible. Finally, before allowing
your ferrets to run loose in the room, check to see:
a. Can the ferret escape through the air conditioning unit?
b. Can the ferret get in the springs of the bed mattress?
c. Are there any holes in the wall?
d. Can they hurt themselves in anything in the room?
e. If the bed is up on a platform, what is under there? If your ferret
gets under there, will he eat something like candy, condom or bug
killer? (Trust me, if someone can bring it into the hotel room, it
is probably in that platform!)
Have a great trip! And, for those who wrote, thank you for sharing your
experiences with me. You just never know what can happen. You can't be
prepared for everything, but you can learn from others.
--
Renee Downs
"Eventually we will realize that if we destroy the ecosystem we
destroy ourselves." Jonas Salk
"The most effective way to do it, is to do it." Amelia Earhart
It's amazing how much can be accomplished if nobody cares who gets
the credit!
Ferret Emergency Response, Rescue & Evacuation Team (F.E.R.R.E.T.)
http://www.ferretemergency.org
[log in to unmask]
International Ferret Congress
http://www.ferretcongress.org
American Red Cross
http://www.redcross.org
[Posted in FML 6068]
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