the perfect home

[rabbitch 0]

hi all!

 

im brand new to thehuntinglife.com and already finding it a very helpful place.

 

ive been shooting rabbits for some time now but im looking at getting my first ferrets very soon

 

ive done lots of research and been out plenty of times with friends and their ferrets but theres one thing i want to get right and havent really seen too much written about it anywhere.... my ferret 'hutch'

 

im a chippy so looking at building it myself and wanted to know if all you guys with your wealth of knowledge and experience could give me some tips and pointers and tell me the do's and dont's and the musts and must nots. i have ample space outdoors and looking to start with 3 ferrets.

 

any advice on bedding size, run size, height, sunlight/shade, concrete/grass/soil, bedding size, floor covering, bedding covering and anything else you think i need to know would be greatly appreciated

 

:)

[joe14 98]

bigger the better for ferrets! Id say run about 2ft high tall enough for em to stretch on their back legs.

They need to be kept in the shade, they can overheat quick as they dont pant or sweat like a dog. so put their setup in shadiest part of garden

You can cover floors in woodshavings, shredded paper, in my hutches i put lino in them makes it easier to clean out.

For bedding i use fleece blankets, old jumpers and sometimes shredded paper.

Make sure you put the run on the concrete, if you put them on the grass keep an eye on them or they will be out.

 

A hutch with a decent size run on paving slabs/concrete will be fine, preferably get em out to have a run round everyday.

[rabbitch 0]

joe14 - thanks, great bit of advice.

[billybaltic 308]

Being a chippy you should be able to make a cracking set up, have a look in the back post's for idea's of hutche's and run's, good luck.

[salukiman 28]

i keep three of mine in an avary style run with a house inside.

 

the run is 3 ft wide 6ft high and 7 ft long. made from 2by2 frame and fetheredge back wire is 16 guage inch squares.the roof has a six inch overhang.with drainage dug all around a slab bace.

 

the house is a frame work with shiplap on the outside and t and g oninside with polystyrine in the hollow as insulation .pitched roof all on stilts.

 

the hight will help with thier nails staying short as they slide down the wire.i use straw as bedding.they have branches on the floor and drainage tubing tied down linking different levels i also put gravel at the point furthest away from the house were they tend to shit also have a plastis washing up bowl in there as mine like a swim.

[rabbitch 0]

i keep three of mine in an avary style run with a house inside.

 

the run is 3 ft wide 6ft high and 7 ft long. made from 2by2 frame and fetheredge back wire is 16 guage inch squares.the roof has a six inch overhang.with drainage dug all around a slab bace.

 

the house is a frame work with shiplap on the outside and t and g oninside with polystyrine in the hollow as insulation .pitched roof all on stilts.

 

the hight will help with thier nails staying short as they slide down the wire.i use straw as bedding.they have branches on the floor and drainage tubing tied down linking different levels i also put gravel at the point furthest away from the house were they tend to shit also have a plastis washing up bowl in there as mine like a swim.

 

sounds like a great set up!!! thanks for sharing, bit of inspiration there thanks!

[Jamie m 668]

Do a search top of the page plenty of topics ,

[CWN-HELA 228]

Ive just done a new set up for my 2 jill's yesturday. Made a frame with 2x1 roofing battons 1200x700 and screwd 1x1 galvanised mesh to it, i made 3 sections like this and once put together i screwd it to a block wall..i left 3" of the mesh longer than the batton so it can go in the ground, because they do dig like made...in side i have a plastic rabbit hutch which is off the floor, it can easy pulled out and given a good clean with hose pipe, there is no hidding places for fleas in a plastic hutch.also have a pipe in there aswell.CWN-HELA

Edited April 25, 2012 by CWN-HELA

[Tug 168]

Make it easy to clean, everything else is secondary!

[max abell 196]

As said mate the bigger the better room permitting our court is 2 big sheds with a aviery in between with pipes toys etc in the sheds and aviery it houses 10 ferrets but could quite easily house 15

We are lucky that we have the room and the more room that is taken up with ferret court the less lawn i have to mow and i hate mowing so

[The one 8,479]

I always reckoned on 6x2x2 for two ferrets but as said the bigger the better ,Buy good quality wood, inch weld mesh and hasp's and padlocks but watch the weight in case you site it wrong and have to move it and if its large enough you can put stuff in it to amuse them in the summer

[Guest vin]

chicken coops make good un with a bit of modifacation

[Tug 168]

chicken coops make good un with a bit of modifacation

 

Make that a lot of modification, the mesh needs to be a lot stronger to prevent determined ferrets from getting - plus they are a pig to get in and clean properly.

[Tiny 7 1,694]

chicken coops make good un with a bit of modifacation

 

Make that a lot of modification, the mesh needs to be a lot stronger to prevent determined ferrets from getting - plus they are a pig to get in and clean properly.

Good point... My hob gets through chicken wire just pulls a few apart and out he gets. These cages have had loads of jill throw the yrs put him in there and within a wk he was out i found him in the kennel with my bitch and pup, I replaced the chicken wire with more chicken wire thinking it must of just be a weaknees as there a few yr old with new wire too find out the time it took me to go fill his water bottle up too put on the new wire iv just replaced he was half out already, So now iv used smaller and stronger grade wire and went for square mesh type and anit had a problem since.... And just too say he anit a big hob he's just a good size jill with a decent head,

 

 

Try for a 6x4 set up, With concret bottom (Or slabs), maybe a couple of course high brick for easy cleaning , And a decent box full of straw. Pipes are good but they get dirty and hard too clean i prefer big brances for climbing as there easy to replace ect..

[rob190364 2,594]

There have been a couple of threads of everyone putting up pics of their set ups, have a look at those....some people have got some quality hutches/pens!