by debferret

How to NOT step on your sleeping ferret

The MFA has a handout “Ferret Proofing” your home. I wish we could also ferret proof our ferrets! Years ago after a “near Squish” scatter rugs were banned from my house and added to the list under Ferret Proofing.

Carpet runners have crept back into my house now that I have vinyl flooring through out. When the ferrets are out playing I will never step on a bunched up carpet runner. I know that a silly ferret may be hiding under there.

I hang up wet towels after my bath and my clothes go into the hamper immediately. I do not give the ferrets the chance to curl up under these things. One moment of inattention and hurry could lead me to stepping on a sleeping ferret. I have a dozen safe sleeping nest boxes all over the house but we know that the ferret will choose the most dangerous place to sleep if they can. If only I could ferret proof the ferret!

One trick I have learnt over the years is to put a ferret blankie down were a ferret insist on pooping and I don’t want him to; such as behind the bedroom door or even in front of the bedroom door when the Plexiglas partition is in place.

I left Rosie and Finnigan out in the ferret room to play as an overnight treat. These two old ladies do tend to go potty where ever they want, not even in corners! I put a blankie across the front of the shelter room door hoping to discourage a mess at the door.

This morning it was time to put the old girls back in their cage and let another cage out to play. I lifted the Plexiglas divider and looked down at the flat blankie. I gently patted the blankie and sure enough even though it looked flat there was a small warm ripple (couldn’t even really call it a bump because it was so small).

“Flat” blankie in doorway

A tiny little face poked out of the folds!

Finnegan poking her head out from the blankie on the floor

Finnegan is half a pound soaking wet, maybe! She is so tiny. My miniature Eskimo Miki had wanted to dash past me into the ferret room to “clean” any crumbs up. Miki weighs 30 pounds; she would have caused a fatal squish had I let her bolt past me into the ferret room. The reason Miki is so overweight is because of all the ferret food she steals. She is very good at it!

Miki cleaning up ferret “crumbs”

I peeled back the blankie and my sweet Finni was not much interested in leaving her current sleeping spot. Finnegan is the same little girl that hid in my grandson’s boot and had me on a worried hunt for over 30 minutes!

Finni and Rosie were put back to bed in their cage. A kiss on the nose, now safe and snug as a bug in the rug! LOL

Finnegan uncovered and not wanting to move from her blankie in the doorway!

If you have anything on the floor and you know your ferrets are out; enforce the rule “Never step on anything a ferret can sleep under or in!

02.09.15

by debferret

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CHECKED THE TOYS?

A huge thank you to Dan and Melissa for allowing me to share their heartbreak loss of Sara.

Sara passed away at home from what we feel was an undiagnosed blockage. You see sometimes when a ferret eats something they shouldn’t it causes a partial blockage. The ferret is still eating “sort of” and pooping but not a normal poop, kind of stringy. When they have the start and stop eating and pooping you can be thrown off thinking it is a flu or tummy upset and not a blockage.

Could we have saved Sara? She was seven years old and getting frail. Would she have survived surgery? This blog is not about the blockage. It is about checking your ferret’s toys on a WEEKLY basis.

The chewed tennis ball was found the night Sara passed. Now this tennis ball had been part of her toys for the last six years and she had never chewed on it. What made her decide to chew on it this time? We will never know. It wasn’t chewed like the picture below, but enough of the fuzz was pulled away from the tennis ball that Dan & Melissa realized that she had been chewing on it.

even the fuzz off the tennis ball can cause a blockage

I know I am on my soap box but if my nagging can help just one family put this safety protocol in place, then Sara has not died in vain.

You see, I have seen this in the shelter over and over. A stuffy that everyone loves and is carried around but never chewed until it is. A blankie that is dragged into the nest box behind the TV suddenly has chew holes in it!

I have had the stomach churning panic of discovering a chewed stuffie, blanket, even a broken jingle ball without the ball!!! Years ago after having to hairball 20 ferrets because I did not know which ferret had chewed the stuffie. All the toys were checked and any toy that might cause a blockage was thrown out. Out went all the tennis balls. Out went all the stuffies with foam inside. My ferrets were not happy but I had peace of mind.

I have a dedicated play room now for the fuzzies and after each play time I check the toys and floor for any bits of material. I admit to being paranoid about blockages and yet I still get the occasional scare when I find that blanket with a chew hole in it! grrrrrr

Every Saturday, I throw all the washable toys in the washing machine. I check each item closely and if I see any signs of seams wearing or signs of chewing; the toy is discarded. The toys are washed with soap and vinegar so that they are clean and sterilized! The same goes for all those blankies in all those extra nest boxes all over the house.

The message here is don’t assume that the safe toys will always be safe. Check them weekly for any signs of chewing and of course the toys have to be washed at least every month or every second week.

01.09.15

by debferret

STILL HOPE FOR SCRAPPY, CAGE MODIFICATION

It has been an emotional roller coaster with Scrappy! At the beginning of the week I was sure that I would have to let her go. Which ever position I put her in her hospital cage is where she stayed. She didn’t even move away from her bowel movement. She wouldn’t lift her head to look at me. I made the vet appointment for Thursday.

Until then, I continued with water therapy, stretching exercises and lots of cuddles. Her right shoulder remains dislocated. On Thursday morning, Scrappy would lift her head and her eyes would follow me. She could support her head while eating her duck soup. During the stretching exercises it became very evident that the whole right side of the body was compromised. The dislocated shoulder and the nerve compression all the way down to her right back leg. She cannot weight bear, but if you stroke the back of the leg she will move it forward.

Scrappy, 3 weeks after the accident

My vet took the x-rays on Thursday. She didn’t have a broken back. Nerve compression does not show on an x-ray,however her toe curling indicated nerve damage. Dr. Singh is not one to give up and so we went to plan C. We would do 6 deep tissue laser treatments. The MFA just couldn’t afford this but he kindly offered the treatments at 50% off. This is still a $150.00 touch which is a big bite out of our limited finances. Dr. Singh also suggested that we try giving her 4 drops a day of the children’s B complex formula. The B complex is a nerve tonic and will help with the necessary healing of the nerves. The gentleman at Sangsters didn’t bat an eye when I told him the B complex was for a ferret. Apparently years ago, his son owned a ferret! What a small world!

B complex to help with the nerve damage

So 2 laser treatments a week, daily B complex drops, water therapy, stretching exercises, prayers galore and just maybe this sweetie will pull through.

Meanwhile, I have 4 or 5 Ferret Nation cages with the second version shelving just like what Scrappy hurt herself on. It’s not like I have empty cages to move the ferrets into until the new plastic pans for the Ferret Nation cages arrive. I have been fretting like crazy. These cages were in use for several years before the injury and yet I am holding my breath praying no one else gets hurt before the shelves get here.

Now anyone who knows me well, knows that I can fix just about anything with 2 items. I am never without these items. Don’t laugh once you find out because by god they have saved many a day! If DUCT TAPE won’t hold it together, then bring on the drill and ZIP TIES. I have zip ties in black, green and white!

I have zip tied a castor back onto the base of a cage turning a useless donated cage into one that I am still using. I have zip tied J food hoppers to the cage so that ferrets don’t knock them over. I have zip tied shelving to the cage bars to keep them in place. I even zip tied the catch trays for all the litter boxes.

So, duct tape won’t work on the shelf edges as too many of the ferrets will chew on the tape and give themselves a blockage. So…… on to zip ties. How can I make the shelf safer for now. Well I could see the gap where the plastic insert the the metal cross piece left enough room for a paw to get trapped under. Drill a few holes for the zip ties and voila, no more gap! At least any ferret wanting to jump off the shelf into a hammock won’t catch their paws. There is still a small gap from the edge of the plastic to the frame but I can’t close that gap and not sure a paw would fit in the space.

plastic insert zip tied to the metal cross piece and closing the gap

I am hoping the new shelving arrives at Pembina, North Dakota in the next 7 to 10 days. Then I just have to pray the weather cooperates so I can drive down and pick them up!

I hope by next Friday, the 16th, I will have even better news!

12.17.14

by debferret

BAD Toys for Ferrets!

I sometimes wish I could be in the head of my ferret to understand what the heck it is thinking as it runs down the hall with my shoe thumping along. Why does he want to play with my shoe when I have a whole box of great toys for him??? The rubber heels and insoles are sooo bad for him and I just know he’s going to start chewing as soon as he is hidden under my bed!

I am going to show you some of the bad toys that have come in to the shelter with a ferret just in the last couple of years. I have thrown out three times the amount at least but never thought to take pictures.

I’d like to give you all one very important piece of advice because for every bad toy I am displaying, there are 20 more not featured. How to make sure you are buying a safe toy irregardless if there is a cute ferret picture of the package? Simply ask yourself this question –

CAN MY FERRET CHEW OR INGEST ANY PART OF THIS TOY?

Watch for buttons or beads for eyes and noses. Check for beads used for stuffing. Never buy squeaky toys made of soft vinyl or soft rubber. Soft foam balls packaged for ferrets-NOT. Leave teething rings filled with liquid for your human babies. Make sure handles or cords can not wrap around your ferret’s neck. Don’t give a toy so small that the ferret can get stuck and suffocate such as used paper towel or toilet paper rolls?

assorted bad toys, soft vinyl, foam, rubber

packaged as a ferret toy. 10 seconds with a ferret. thank goodness no longer for sale

use extreme caution with tennis balls, the rubber banding can be chewed off as a ferret demonstrated.

ferret died after biting and swallowing one “point” and not noticed in time

took the ferret 2 months of chewing to break off a piece-check toys weekly!

soft vinyl squeaky toys, please leave for cats and dogs

12.17.14

by debferret

Safe Toys for Ferrets

Ferrets will play with just about anything you put in front of them. If you have ever owned a ferret, you know that you can put 20 great toys in front of them only to see them running off with something they have found that could be deadly if chewed.

As a shelter mom, I have had the hairs on the back of my neck stand up in fear as I am shown the newly surrendered ferret’s toys. A blockage just waiting to happen! They are quietly tossed away or donated to a dog shelter.

Have I scared the pants of you yet? Hope so, because a great homemade toy is your pants/sweats/jeans. Ferrets love to tunnel and they love crawling through the legs of your pants. You’re headed out right now to Value Village to buy up some old pairs of jeans, right?! Grab some old sweatshirts too. Not only do they love to sleep in old sweatshirts but the arms make great mini tunnels.

Other great homemade toys are:

plastic grocery bags with the handles removed to avoid strangulation. Paper bags any size, they love the crinkly noises they make any cardboard box with different shaped holes cut out – your ferrets will think of themselves as the new whack a mole as they pop out of the different holes. some of us even let our ferrets play in the plastics storage cupboard; allowing our furry to “sneak” in and spend the next 30 minutes pushing all the containers and lids out on to the floor you can play magic carpet ride by dragging an old towel across your floor with the ferret catching a ride!

There are some great safe toys that you can pick up at your local dollar store such as: jingle balls, rope toys, stuffies without beads or foam, MFA knotty knots etc etc

assortment of safe toys

maize created with plastic tubes, please note these tube are next to impossible to find now. I watch kijiji and will purchase an old unusable cage just to get the tubes!

round tunnel, elephant tunnel

hard plastic/hard rubber ring baby toys-NOT GOOD FOR FERRETS

I have taken pictures of a small display sample of bad toys for ferrets. Toys that the ferrets can chew pieces off and end up with a fatal blockage. check out my blog BAD Toys for Ferrets.

One last tip, before you give your ferret what you hope will be a fun toy ask yourself the following: can my ferret chew and swallow a piece, can my ferret strangle on cords or handles, can my ferret suffocate?