New Cage Questions

[rmzsuzuki89]

I was wandering what a good size cage would be for a single ferret. I don't wanna use up more room than I need, but I also want him/her to have as much room as it needs/wants. Also when I am home, he/she will be able to free roam my room as she pleases.

Also, what materials would be a good choice for building a cage? I have heard, and would figure, that wood would soak up more odors, so a 2x4 frame may not be the best idea. I was almost thinking about using 1" to 1 1/2" square metal tubing and a rigid wire mesh type material. And I would be using old towels and shirts for bedding, and also having hammocks and tubes and such.

Thanks in advance for any advice or tips.

[sherrylynne]

Here is one post about making your own cage:
holisticferret.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=cage&action=display&thread=5892
If you want, I'm sure there are a number of other posts in the same section

[rmzsuzuki89]

Nov 25, 2010 21:18:12 GMT -5 sherrylynne said:

Here is one post about making your own cage:
holisticferret.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=cage&action=display&thread=5892
If you want, I'm sure there are a number of other posts in the same section

Thanks for the link, reading through it now.

[katt]

I would honestly suggest a Ferret Nation cage. It really makes the most of the space, is easy to clean, and gives you storage space. A FN 141 (single level) would be sufficient for a single ferret, esp if it gets to free roam 4+ hours a day. I would suggest a FN 142 though, as it uses height but not more floor space, and you will have more space if you get busy or travel or something and can't let the ferret out. [I also HIGHLY recommend getting at least 2 ferrets, rather than a single ferret. A single ferret is a LOT more work than 2 ferrets. Trust me! haha You have to provide aaaaaaallllllll of the entertainment - free roaming will only keep them occupied for the time it takes to become familiar with the space. Then they will get bored within a few minutes of being out and need to be stimulated. Constantly. It is a LOT of work, but if you don't keep the ferret entertained, he will entertain himself at your and your belonging's expense.
holisticferret.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=talking&action=display&thread=5903

That said, by the time you get all of the materials and build a cage, you will probably have spent about what it would cost for a ferret nation cage anyways. Or even more potentially if you look at the FN 141. The FN is a GREAT cage - the best on the market right now.

[rmzsuzuki89]

Nov 27, 2010 5:10:00 GMT -5 katt said:

I would honestly suggest a Ferret Nation cage. It really makes the most of the space, is easy to clean, and gives you storage space. A FN 141 (single level) would be sufficient for a single ferret, esp if it gets to free roam 4+ hours a day. I would suggest a FN 142 though, as it uses height but not more floor space, and you will have more space if you get busy or travel or something and can't let the ferret out. [I also HIGHLY recommend getting at least 2 ferrets, rather than a single ferret. A single ferret is a LOT more work than 2 ferrets. Trust me! haha You have to provide aaaaaaallllllll of the entertainment - free roaming will only keep them occupied for the time it takes to become familiar with the space. Then they will get bored within a few minutes of being out and need to be stimulated. Constantly. It is a LOT of work, but if you don't keep the ferret entertained, he will entertain himself at your and your belonging's expense.
holisticferret.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=talking&action=display&thread=5903

That said, by the time you get all of the materials and build a cage, you will probably have spent about what it would cost for a ferret nation cage anyways. Or even more potentially if you look at the FN 141. The FN is a GREAT cage - the best on the market right now.

I wish I had gotten the FN 142 that I was supposed to the other night. Too bad my parents decided that I didn't need a ferret yet lol. But when it comes time, if I can find another FN 142 for $50, I'll definitely go that route. That's only a few dollars more that it would cost me to build one like you said in your post, so it would definitely be worth it.

[odin]

I have a single ferret, and hurricanekatt is absolutely right about the work. You have to be mom, dad and all the playmates all at the same time. We have our little one in a FN142. It's really the best you're gonna find. And if you could find a FN142 for $50, you are probably the luckiest ferret owner on earth.

[rmzsuzuki89]

Nov 29, 2010 18:29:20 GMT -5 odin said:

I have a single ferret, and hurricanekatt is absolutely right about the work. You have to be mom, dad and all the playmates all at the same time. We have our little one in a FN142. It's really the best you're gonna find. And if you could find a FN142 for $50, you are probably the luckiest ferret owner on earth.

Ya, wish I could have jumped on it.

[mjohn143]

FN on sale for $180 at ferret.com

[katt]

A FN 142!

[bluemoose]

You can get them way cheaper used though. I mean $180 is a great price for a new FN 142 but you can get a used one off CL for like $100- maybe even with a ferret included

[tinytippytoes]

I wish I had gotten the FN 142 that I was supposed to the other night. Too bad my parents decided that I didn't need a ferret yet lol. But when it comes time, if I can find another FN 142 for $50, I'll definitely go that route. That's only a few dollars more that it would cost me to build one like you said in your post, so it would definitely be worth it.

I think I saw that ad. I probally did. If I had a car I would have zoomed right over there!!! Gosh. 50.00 for a double. I bet its gone already.

I see you are no where near me. Missed that!!!!! But here in NY theres a CL listing for a 50.00 double also.

[weloveourweasels]

I recommend the Ferret Nation 141 AND another ferret. I am a firm believer you should always have 2 or more no matter how happy they seem to be alone fact is they are group animals and do best with another ferret. I started with my first Loki, and only had her 2 months before I got my second ferret Rolo. Loki turned into a completely different ferret. It was sad though because she didn't know how to be a ferret at first because she had gotten so used to living alone and having no one to play with. She figured it out soon enough though but to this day she has always acted a lot different then my other babies who I have all raised from 8+ week old kits. I realized a lot of times when I had just the girls that one would be awake when the other was sleeping a lot and she would get bored. I got Mr. Bean so when one was sleeping the other had a playmate still. Then I ran into the problem when they were all awake and playing one would often feel left out and that made me sad. I would try to play with them but they wanted to play with a ferret instead. I got Edgar So when they were all away and playing all the ferrets always had a buddy to play with. Since switching to raw over a year ago everyone always has so much energy even my senior lady who acts like a crazy kit so their always playing lol.

[candiceboggs]

They're actually not colonial or pack animals so I'm not sure what you mean by they are "group" animals. It won't be damaging to them to be single fuzzies, and the longer they're singles the more likely it is they won't accept another ferret, every ferret is different (isn't that true for most animals)?

Some ferrets just don't like other ferrets, and for others, if they've always been alone they'll have a hard time living with other ferrets.

Those that have been together from the beginning and swapped from home to home like a lot of classified ad ferrets are usually very bonded and it's no wonder they can't be separated after being let down by people so much.

But anyway I love the Ferret Nation 142. I got my first off of CL for $50, it was missing the wheels, 2 ramps, and one shelf, but it served its purpose quite well anyway. They are so wonderfully easy to clean!

[weloveourweasels]

Jan 14, 2011 1:19:27 GMT -5 candiceboggs said:

They're actually not colonial or pack animals so I'm not sure what you mean by they are "group" animals. It won't be damaging to them to be single fuzzies, and the longer they're singles the more likely it is they won't accept another ferret, every ferret is different (isn't that true for most animals)?

I'm curious where you got this information from because it is far from correct.....

[bluemoose]

I have heard that if ferrets were wild animals, they would be solitary by nature (I think it was in Ferrets for Dummies) but the thing is, we keep these animals in our homes and there is a lot less mental stimulation than there would be in the wild. They live in a cage (or room) instead of having a large territory outdoors where their senses are constantly stimulated.

Single ferrets have nothing but their environment to entertain them when their human isn't there and when you're as intelligent as a ferret, the same small environment gets boring really fast. Katt's only ferret thread is a good way to understand how much attention single ferrets need.
holisticferret.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=talking&action=display&thread=5903
I know everyone says, Oh but I'll spend soooo much time with my single ferret so it'll be ok. But the thing is, this animal is probably going to live 7-10 years. No one has time every day to spend several hours with their ferret for the next decade.

By having at least two, they always have each other when you're not around. This is especially beneficial on days when you're just too busy (it happens to us all). And I feel that ferrets offer each other something that we as humans can't. Ferrets can obviously communicate with each other more effectively than we can communicate with them. They play together in ways we can't play with them, they sleep curled up together for warmth and companionship. And they offer each other constant companionship which we just can't do.