Cleanleaness

[ryaldinhio 4,973]

When i bought the hutch i have about 2 months ago from an ex ferret keeper he told me "this time of year clean em out every couple weeks they be alrate, every week in summer though"

 

i do not work my ferrets yet and i am currently working myself about 70-80hours a week so struggle for time. However i go in n see the stinkers every night.

 

Generally one night i will just fill up food and water. And following night i shut myself in the shed with them let them out of the hutch fill food and water and change the sawdust in the hutch where they have done their business and have about half hour with them.

 

generally i change straw bedding once a week.

 

i take a lot of pride and satisfaction in how i keep my ferrets, maybe because i feel guilty because of lack of working time.

 

Just wondering what are all your cleaning schedules/routines?

[norseman 424]

fresh food every day and water when needed (you'll know yourself) if your hutch is big they will have fun with each other, with pipes hammock and wheels ect. (make sure they have plenty to do) I let mine out everyday when im cleaning their shite out. bedding gets changed every couple of weeks. mines fecking sleep all day this time of year though

[OldhamLad 66]

I have a two tier hutch but three ferrets, so I have to be pretty rigorous with the cleaning or else its just not fair on them

 

so every two three days I clean out the waste etc

 

feed fresh water everyday then miss feed once every two week on the advice off my vet.

 

Bedding likewise once a week

[ryaldinhio 4,973]

What does miss feed every two week mean?

[OldhamLad 66]

there's a theory that technically speaking as domesticated animals where once wild there dietary needs should replicate this,

 

Therefore it is suggested (dogs included) that once every two weeks some people starve them for the day, to allow the body to push through any crap that isn't flushing out of the intestinal system.

 

You have to imagine that ferrets in the wild wouldn't off eaten for a few days until they caught something.

 

Im not saying this is a must and its open to interpretation as im sure some will agree with starving for the day some wont.

[vanman1 411]

This will depend on your setup,but mine have 4ft x 2ft hutch built into a 10ft x 5ft run(this time of year i have 6 ferrets all in together),they have 24/7 access to the run.

I clean the hutch/poo corner every other day (takes 2 mins tops) the run i jet wash out once a week (ten mins tops) at the same time i change their bedding.

I could probrably leave them a little longer especially this time of year but its how i keep mine.Occasionaly i miss a day due to work or something but as they are cleaned so regular its never an issue.

Always remove any old food etc ferrets are notorious for hiding it and this can become an issue especialy in the summer.

I do miss the odd day here and there feeding not regular or any pattern but now and then,depends on what iam feeding at the time.For example i have 6 ferrets in together this time of year, they would get 1 x large rabbit every other day if i done this routine say mon/wed/Fri then saturday they would only get fluid ie water maybe a raw egg.IMO i make sure my ferrets have had food when iam going to work them next day.

The above has served me well for 30 years but everyone will have their own ideas etc.

Edited January 19, 2014 by vanman1

[The one 8,530]

I feed mine every day vary the amount with whats left in the hutches and take a shovelful out every other day and a total clean out twice a week and during the summer i will wash out the hutches with bleach and soak the slabs round them

[GreyRake 108]

1.7 meter long, 3 floor cage. They get let out for an hour a day. Water changed twice a day, food as they need it. Mine use litter boxes so pour out and refill at least once a day. Cage floors scrubbed and bedding changed once a week.

[Ibracadabra 5]

I clean the muck out twice a day and top up food and water once a day. I fully clean out their hutch either once or twice a week depending on the state of it. For bedding I use old blankets and towels and they get washed once a week.

[joe14 98]

I clean the trays everyday, put fresh wood shavings in. On a weekend i bleach all the slabs, and disinfect inside hutches.

I wash their bedding every week with a drop of disinfectant. (They have fleece bedding)

I top up their food everyday and make sure they have clean water. I sterilise the bottles about twice a week when I see algae starting to

appear, bloody stuff. Every weekend i disinfect the littertrays and bowls and soak them in hot water with bleach.

[Nick3439 83]

I clean out all the sh*t everyday; change all the sawdust everyweekend and change bedding everytime I frontline them (monthly)

[Joe67 239]

remove the shite each night

[Dan25 87]

Once a year lol no serious once a week is plenty I think and clean shiiiiitttt everyday

[Andrew Beirne 78]

mine are in a 4ft by 6ft court and have a Hutchison inside that they have 24 hour access to the court loads of pipes shit and piss cleaned out everyday and total new shavings every two weeks and the sleep in paper in the nest box fresh paper every two weeks water bottles cleaned every two/three and I spend about half an hour 45 minutes messing round wit them every night

[Andrew Beirne 78]

and half a rabbit between four of em every night