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Post by yaya on Aug 4, 2008 22:54:13 GMT -5
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Post by weloveourweasels on Aug 4, 2008 23:39:01 GMT -5
Sweet little babies you got there. I love how the one is sleeping in the empty liter box. (They hate those corner boxes to poop in don't they?!) I notice you use cat litter. Me and everyone else on here would highly advise you NOT to use cat litter. It is very bad for their repsitory health. Not to mention it gets allover the place. There are many misconceptions about what kinds of litter should be used with ferrets . The biggest thing to consider when deciding on a litter is the health of your ferret(s). Any litter that has clay in it (e.g. traditional cat litter) is not recommended for ferrets because it can harm your ferret in two ways . First, clay litter is sticky! This can cause the clay to stick to your ferret's feet, coat or behind as it scoots after doing its business . The litter can then be ingested as the ferret cleans him or herself or may work its way into the anal opening and cause a block or prolapsed rectum . It can also get into the ferrets eyes, nose and ears if you ferret decides to go snorkeling in it. When you mix clay with any liquid – including urine, saliva, tears, etc – cement is formed. These chunks of cemented clay can cause a wide variety of health problems for your ferret including an intestinal blockage (see Blockages/Hairballs). Second, clay litter produces dust. Ferrets have very sensitive respiratory systems and this dust can cause damage to the throat and lungs over a period of years. Other types of litter that are dusty are “scoopable" kitty litters and some wood shavings. There are also other types of litter that can cause respiratory damage over time, not because they are dusty, but because they contain “essential oils”. Cedar, pine and other wood shavings have not been processed in a way to remove the oil that occurs naturally in all wood. These oils release vapors, which then can cause the respiratory damage mentioned above. There are many forms of litter on the market that are acceptable including corncob litter, newspaper, recycled paper litter ( in various forms either in a pellet form or a granulated form ), and wood pellets. One word to the wise, corncob litter and plain newspaper are not very absorbent and therefore will not absorb odor well either. Really, the goal of any litter should be absorbency, which recycled paper litters and wood pellets seem to do fairly well and in a manner that is safe for your fuzzbutt ! ! Although the most cost effective litter is wood pellets, hands down. www.mdferretpaws.org/care/litter_training.htmlSorry for the lecture but I would hate for one of your fuzzies to get sick. The girl I got my first ferret from used cat litter as well. She had her for a year and a half until I got her. Her fur was all icky and tacky feeling deffinently not soft and luxiorius like it is now. She sneezed ALL THE TIME. No more problems now. I use yesterday's news myself (availible at petsmart) Lots of other people on the forum use a mix of feline pine and yesterdays news or just plain wood stove pellets (very cheap)
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Post by quill on Aug 5, 2008 7:12:21 GMT -5
Your fuzzies are adorable!!!
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Post by josiesmom on Aug 5, 2008 12:22:57 GMT -5
Hello YaYa! welcome to the forum! Glad to see you interested in switching your ferrets to a natural diet! The corner pans ought to be labeled corner "bunks"! None of mine have ever used them!
I second the info supplied by Weloveourweasels, I use newspapers for my free roam ferrets and these are pretty easy to maintain, as well as cheap!
Must be nice to ba able to run around barefoot in your own home! I'm still hiding my toes behind socks!
Glad to have you and your fuzzies here! Cheers,kim
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Post by meli on Aug 5, 2008 18:10:02 GMT -5
I'd have to agree here as well. I used a mixture of yesterdays news and feline pine. I would be afraid to use clay litter since it clumps and if they eat it things wouldn't be so pretty for them.
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Post by yaya on Aug 6, 2008 21:15:25 GMT -5
I don't use corner pans. i just have on in there because tino likes to sleep in the litter box the coner ones are for sleeping not for pooping lol... and thanks for your advice on my litter. They will not use pellets and news paper smelt awful right after they went. so as soon as i find something i plan to switch
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