Cooling Ferrets in Garage?

[vkoslin]

Hey everyone. It's been a really tough time for us. Lost a very close family member. But, I guess, good news is we've inherited a home. Please, please help me brainstorm with how I can turn a garage into a ferret room and keep my ferrets there. I can't install air conditioning, as cooling a garage in alabama is SO expensive. Any pet fan ideas? Anything?

We're going to have to rent an apartment, ALONG with this 3 bedroom house just for the ferrets if I can't figure this out. Long story, the conditions of living there don't include ferrets the first year.

Any ideas at all? I know some of you folks keep ferrets in your yard even. Granted, Alabama is too hot for ferrets outdoors for about 6 months out of the year but I need any idea. Even if its just to cool the cage itself, not the whole garage.

[tiggyeaj]

I'm not sure how helpful these ideas will be, but here are a few I had:

Fans--every barn I've ever worked at has attached box fans to the front of stalls to provide a direct, coolling breeze. Maybe attach one or two at a safe (from curious ferts) distance from their cage(s).

Ice--several members have recommended that I travel with pop bottles filled with frozen water so that the babies can enjoy the cool.

Ice+fan-- place ice in front of the fan to make it even more cool.

[sherrylynne]

They're not cheap, but you can get stand alone air conditioners.

[vkoslin]

Good ideas. Are these stand alone air conditioners like tied with the power bill? I don't necessarily need to cool the whole space just an area on the cage where they can be cooled if they wanted

[1]

I once read that in Australia, they put a towel on top of the cadge and put 1 end in water, the water will soak into the towel, as it heats up, more soaking, and in result, the ferret now has a shield of steam to cool off with! air conditioning!

[lnsybean44]

We have a bunch of those large flat frozen ice packs (hard plastic shell) and we place those along the floor and at the bottom of card board boxes with fleece blankets over them. You can also freeze water bottles and tie them into tube socks and place those around.

The towel on top of the cage idea will work too, with one end of the towel in water. Then a fan would help thanks to the moisture in the air. Or so I have also been told.

[vkoslin]

Great ideas guys. I'm afraid the frozen ideas though won't be an easily do-able thing for long term in the garage?

I've been looking up swamp coolers. Anyone know ANYTHING about these?
www.air-n-water.com/product/AF-350.html

[sherrylynne]

Here's a couple of the stand alone a/c's:
www.walmart.com/search/search-ng.do?search_constraint=0&ic=48_0&search_query=portable+air+conditioner

[Chelsea]

How about a cooling bed? They make them for dogs, but I think it would work well for your ferrets too.

www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=1310&ParentCat=525

www.sitstay.com/dog/supplies/servlet/product_10001_10001_50553_-1_Canine+Cooler+Dog+Bed_13322_13959_

The good ones arent cheap, but its a one time cost. There is no electricity used, all you have to do is fill it with water (you can add ice too)

This uses batteries, so it also might be a good option if you buy some rechargable ones for it
www.sitstay.com/dog/supplies/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&productId=81903

Also, in the summer I give my boys frozen soupies and they LOVE them. I normally make soupies and then freeze it in ice cube trays, then just thaw a few whenever I want to use them. In the summer I just give them to my boys frozen, so they're like little raw meat popcicles

[shilohismygirl]

Apr 19, 2010 19:07:51 GMT -5 vkoslin said:

Great ideas guys. I'm afraid the frozen ideas though won't be an easily do-able thing for long term in the garage?

I've been looking up swamp coolers. Anyone know ANYTHING about these?
www.air-n-water.com/product/AF-350.html

Swamp coolers only work when the climate is dry and pretty non humid. I've not been in alabama for awhile, but my parents in AZ use a swamp cooler.

[Heather]

You could also freeze ceramic tiles. I've used those in the bottom of the cages too. Unfortunately, they're only good for 4 or 5 hrs.
ciao