B3@N!
Gnawing on bones
Ben & Cassiel
Posts: 91
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Post by B3@N! on Dec 22, 2010 21:05:37 GMT -5
How long did it take your ferret after switching it to raw for the smell to go away?
I'm asking this on behalf of the partner. I for one have been cleaning her cage daily since I haven't gotten a feeding den yet. I scoop her litter daily too.
How do you guys do it? I know you guys have feeding dens but you guys also say to offer the meat all day? Do you then disinfect the cage daily?
I guess I'm confused on the purpose of the feeding den since my little bugger doesn't eat all the meat in one sitting. Has yours started eating it all in one sitting? Lots of questions I know.
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Post by shilohismygirl on Dec 22, 2010 21:33:04 GMT -5
You'll start to notice a difference a few weeks after you switch them. it gets better and better as time goes on. Mine seriously have no smell except a light cornchippy scent sometimes. So, just wait it out-the smell gets better. I clean litter twice a day, but once for one ferret (I have four) seems fine. The purpose of the feeding den is not so they will eat it all in one go, it's so that they take it there to eat. It's there for them to keep all their food in one place. Mine do not eat all their food in one sitting. They eat at their leisure-in their very own super secret ninja box (feeding den). That can even be a cardboard box (soda container, or the like) in the corner of the level you keep food in. You can also make a remote feeding den, which is where you basically jimmy the cage so that you can affix a tunnel from the inside that goes into a separate box for eating outside of the cage, still secure so that nobody can get outside the cage or den. I don't disinfect daily-that's more of an every few days affair. The yuck mostly gets in the den, so all I do is throw away the old box and replace when it's too gross.
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Post by sherrylynne on Dec 22, 2010 23:50:10 GMT -5
They won't eat it all in one sitting. If she is, you should be giving more. Ferrets like to stash. You need to direct where she stashes food. I only feed in the cage, since only a few of mine took to a feeding den. I just leave the meat there, and when it's time for the next feeding, I remove the old meat, spray with 50/50 vinegar/water mix, wipe it up, and after it's dry, set the new food in.
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Post by katt on Dec 23, 2010 3:16:22 GMT -5
I don't remember Koda smelling too bad when we brought him home, so I can't say when he stopped "stinking." But Kenai on the other hand, is a totally different story! He smelled to high heavens and pooped his own body weight or more in less than a day! Gotta love kibble...not! Anyways, in a week he smelled TONE better, in 3 weeks he smelled almost - but not quite - as good as Koda. I free-range feed (mostly). I give food 1-3 times a day, and the food is available to them at all times. The only thing is that I do not like food stashed around my room, so when they are out playing or when we are at Shane's house (so every late afternoon-evening) they don't get their food. I do still let them back in the cage for short periods though to eat if they want. I top off food a few times a day after the initial feeding, and toss out bad food as I see it. Different foods go bad at different speeds. Like I might put in some ground meat and a turkey neck. I will take the ground meat leftovers out after 8-12 hours, and the turkey neck usually 24-48. When I take out the bad meat I leave in any "good" leftovers that are still ok for them to eat. I use a plastic rubbermaid type container as a den and I rinse it out with diluted bleach when it gets messy. Some days the meat (miraculously!) stays in the dish and it doesn't really need a rinse. Others, like when I feed ground meats especially, or particularly bloody meats, make a huge mess and need to be cleaned. The den has multiple purposes. For one, it helps keep most - not all but most is better than none - of the food contained. Instead of stashing in the litter box (what Koda did until I got him a den out of fear he would ear Too much litter and get a blockage...how ironic, haha ), or in bedding, under the couch, etc, it keeps most of the food "stashed" in the den. Also, it more closely simulates their natural environment.
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B3@N!
Gnawing on bones
Ben & Cassiel
Posts: 91
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Post by B3@N! on Dec 23, 2010 11:12:36 GMT -5
Could you guys post a picture of your feeding dens so I could get a good idea?
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Post by justahannah on Dec 23, 2010 13:02:50 GMT -5
My cats and ferts have access to the same raw diet and the ferts are loose 99.9999% of the time, so I put my feeding dens in corners the ferrets seem to gravitate to anyway. I generally use cardboard boxes with a ferret-sized hole cut in the side so I can toss them after they get grimy... Props to Mokkun for being my model this morning . Sometimes they don't even let me get around to setting them up properly before deciding they like a box: I also like the square plastic planters because they're a good size, easy to clean, and I can more easily see if something's been sitting in there too long. I just don't have enough of them to go around yet. It doesn't seem to matter that they're not as closed off as long as it looks dark when they stick their head in... Someone's saving turkey gizzards for later
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B3@N!
Gnawing on bones
Ben & Cassiel
Posts: 91
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Post by B3@N! on Dec 23, 2010 16:09:07 GMT -5
That gives a great idea. I guess my only problem is the fact that I have carpet in the room the ferret is in so I only feed her in her cage...should I put a dark area inside the cage that she could use as a den?
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Post by justahannah on Dec 23, 2010 16:24:13 GMT -5
Definitely! I find it's easier to keep track of what's getting eaten vs. what they're hiding so I get tricked into putting more down. They really like having a spot to stash it, it makes them feel sneaky and secure .
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Post by sherrylynne on Dec 23, 2010 18:39:26 GMT -5
I do have one set of ferrets who will use a den. I use a rubbermaid container with a hole cut into it. Mostly, they eat in there, Ignore the fact that the lid is off of it. Just hadn't put it back on yet.
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B3@N!
Gnawing on bones
Ben & Cassiel
Posts: 91
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Post by B3@N! on Dec 23, 2010 19:31:25 GMT -5
I love that cage set up! I'm jealous!
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Post by sherrylynne on Dec 23, 2010 21:38:23 GMT -5
The girls love it too As do the others if they get a chance to get in there!
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Post by shilohismygirl on Dec 24, 2010 8:22:11 GMT -5
Holy crap! I love it too!
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Post by sherrylynne on Dec 24, 2010 16:28:14 GMT -5
Thanks! The top one is a sleeping den(top), there's a crinkle tube, feeding den, litter box, side pocket hammock, and a cuddle cup. Not a lot of space, but they still seem to play! Although it is interesting getting them out of the sleeping den when it's time to come out and play
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Post by Heather on Dec 24, 2010 16:43:43 GMT -5
I was wondering about that I just finished moving the ferret room around and putting up new tubing. I have a sleepy box similar to that sitting on top of one of the cages (it's now on top of the condo) but I need a 3 level step stool to get them out of the sleepy box. I think I'm going to design some mega overhead tubes over the holidays, to keep the brats occupied when they're stuck in the room, waiting for their turn to play in the rest of the house. ciao
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Post by sherrylynne on Dec 25, 2010 14:06:51 GMT -5
Because that one hangs from hooks, at least I can tip it to the side to reach in. No guarantee which ferret I grab, though
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