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Post by quill on Jul 6, 2008 7:39:20 GMT -5
I am very interested in hearing how others clean up after their ferrets eat raw. I only have two and it seems that's all I get done is sanitizing everything or washing cage bedding. Since they are kits I have to leave food out all the time, so I always have raw food everywhere. Looking for suggestions.
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Post by Jaycee on Jul 6, 2008 8:09:34 GMT -5
I used my first starter cage as the feeding cage, and cover it up with a towel. This makes it like a cave...or as my husband aptly named it, the "death cage". Most of the raw is now staying on the inside of the cage...which is a good thing, especially after discovering that they have been storing raw chicken and bone in the bathroom clean towel cabinet. bleh!!!
I spray vinegar and peroxide to clean the cage out twice a day. It isn't so bad anymore.
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Post by Forum Administrator on Jul 6, 2008 9:04:08 GMT -5
I feed my kids in several places:
1. In paper grocery bags outside the cage (I give them their meat in the kitchen and they are trained to take their meat in the bag, which is in the living room, and eat it) When the bags get grimy I throw them out.
2. Sometimes I feed them in their cage (ferret nation. I dont put bedding on the 1st half shelf of the 142, because they push the bedding into the litter box (which is on the bottom of the cage). So sometimes they eat on the hard plastic in the FN and at the end of the day, I spritz the area down with clorox anywhere hardsurface daily sanitizing spray.
3. Sometimes I'll just let them eat "free roam" I'll give them a "snack size" piece of meat (my guys dont stash their food at all) and I'll let them run off and find a nook or cranny in the house and gobble down their prize there.
4. In their feeding cage. It is a superpet "my first home" cage. I have a towel over it and a dr. pepper box in there. Sometimes they will eat in the cage. I replace the dr. pepper boxes when they get grimy and I wipe the cage down after they eat with the clorox anywhere spray.
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Post by Forum Administrator on Jul 6, 2008 9:06:05 GMT -5
Having a feeding cage really helps. Put it on the ground where the ferret's play. Keep their raw in there. When they are hungry they will learn to go to the cage. You dont even need a huge cage, a small cat carrier can work too. This way their raw stays "locked up" but they can show you if they want access to it. One way to keep raw foods cool in the summer is to line their feeding cage with tile samples (like from home depot) or a slab of granite, this helps to keep the meat cool.
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Post by meli on Jul 6, 2008 13:31:49 GMT -5
I've been putting their food inside the cage with them. I don't have a feeding cage but I plan on getting one for them when I don't have to leave food out for them 4-5 times a day(they eat A LOT). I wipe down their cage twice a day with clorox wipes and then spray it with clorox anywhere spray. I also clean their litter box out twice a day. I don't know if I'm just lucky, but they don't take their food to their bedding. They eat it by their bowl or on the bottom of the cage floor so its one easy wipe up, plus I have the marshall townhouse so the bottom is deep and shelves have small depth to them.
Once I get a feeding cage it will be easier since they'll be older and eat less.
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Post by pear2apple on Jul 7, 2008 11:45:20 GMT -5
Back when I was feeding raw chicken I gave it to him in a small tupperware cup that he used to carry around with him to a cardboard box and then start eating it there. This cardboard box is on its side, and I have since lined it with contact paper so its easy to wipe clean. He also used to take chunks and set them in other dark places. But now I feed raw NV and he takes those pieces to his dark cardboard box as well. He no longer spreads them out like before, if he does I pick them up, put them on the plate and stick in the box for him. He hides his kibble in there too. A feeding den is really the best idea for you with raw.
You could also try feeding freeze-dried meats, you can do this yourself with your raw meats you already have. That way when they are stashed, you don't really have to worry about them going rancid in their bedding or any of your stuff. Just an idea!
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Post by mustelidmusk on Jul 9, 2008 21:26:30 GMT -5
The biggest thing is preventing the mess....see the post on feeding dens...it really helps to provide a dark sfe den for feeding (a cage with a towel over it, a carboar box that can be tossed. I started out using a waste paper basket (small trash cans) on its side with a towel over the front of it (leaving a small gap for the ferret to enter/exit.) I got some RubberMaid storage bins (with lids) (the kind they have at Home Depot, etc.) I cut a ferret-sized hole in the smaller side of the bin. The small trash cans turned out to be easier to clean and cheaper too, so I put bedding in the storage bins and went back to using the trash cans with towels draped over the openings! -jennifer
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Post by jennifer5799 on Jul 11, 2008 19:20:56 GMT -5
I'll be the odd man out. I feed the ferrets in their cage, directly on the highest plastic shelf - and in turn wherever else in the cage it gets dragged. Raw or whole prey (usually wp). I clean out the cage once a week, washing all fabric and using simple green on the shelves and trays. Every couple months the whole cage gets wheeled outside and hosed down. No smells, no sickness, haven't had any issues. I think most people are more afraid of "germs" than necessary....
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Post by spiritualtramp on Jul 19, 2008 10:57:41 GMT -5
Mine get their raw in the cage --- I skewer it with a shower hook (except livers and other things that don't skewer well) and clip that to the the side of the top half of a large carrier, which I use as a den. The carrier is covered in with a blanket, too. After they are done, I wipe the cage/den down with vinegar/water and wash the shower clip thoroughly.
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Post by crazylady on Jul 19, 2008 18:44:09 GMT -5
Hi mine are simply fed in there cages ( I do not have wire cages mine live in eight foot wooden run cages with a wire front and a built in nest area ) I simply check beds every day ( mine sleep on soft white shreaded kitchen paper ) for any hidden goodies which are usually few and far between lol cages are given a big clean once per week ( new bedding ) but poop corners are cleaned daily in all my years of ownership and raw meat feeding I can honestly say I have never had any ferret go down with tummy bugs etc ( even on the odd occasion where in high summer I have found a missed piece of meat that was rancid! ) I believe we really need to think of how the ferret survives naturally after all there is no one to take away meat or wash dens out in the wild( not saying leave them in filth conditions or have stench in your house by any means ) and they have survived for god knows how many hundreads of years a lot of owners forget a lone polecat can kill a rabbit drag it to there den and feast on that rabbit for 6-7 days quiet happily untill it is all gone without any ill effects could we possibly be reducing the effectivness of the immune system by keeping our domesticated ferrets too clean and therefore reduce there ability to fight off minor bugs? just a thought take care bye for now crazy lady
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