paper or wood shavings

[oldschool 4]

a couple weeks ago, whilst in the pet store buying hay & wood shavings for the ferret hutch. its was playing on the back of my mind how they were scratching a lot, 

So, i ditched the wood shavings & went home with  a paper shredder 20 pound from Argos. now i have a never ending supply of shredded paper that gets delivered threw my letter box lol.

the ferrets i haven't seen them itching since & its now free.

[Jerry71 269]

I was told years ago by a old fella who had kept ferrets all is life to put a bit of olive oil on there necks and iv found this to stop them itching. Atb 

[hideandshoot 13]

I've always used straw (on its own) as bedding, and never had a problem. Straw is fairly inert, therefore shouldn't harbour any pests/mites. I use barley straw as it's softer and more comfortable than wheat straw. Don't buy it from a pet shop, get it from an agricultural store or from a livestock feed supplier. A full bale is less than a fiver. Hay is too dusty and does harbour mites. Shredded paper is also quite dusty and it makes your cage look like a rubbish tip. Course sawdust (NOT the fine dusty stuff) is best for the toilet end of the cage as it's very absorbent. Sorry for harping on about bedding etc, I guess I've got a hygene fetish!

[Welsh_red 4,652]

Would the ink from letters be a problem ?

[The one 8,483]

Ive never used straw hay etc as the hollow stalks can contain flies etc unless its treated  and shavens should be fine if you get them from a livery yard there dust free  my son got our last two bales from a builders merchant and theres scraps of wood and dust in them  I got a bale of tea bag shreddings but i keep smelling mint  from them ?>

[max abell 196]

13 hours ago, The one said:

Ive never used straw hay etc as the hollow stalks can contain flies etc unless its treated  and shavens should be fine if you get them from a livery yard there dust free  my son got our last two bales from a builders merchant and theres scraps of wood and dust in them  I got a bale of tea bag shreddings but i keep smelling mint  from them ?>

So right there the one used straw once for the bedding and my ferret court and ferrets ended up riddled with ticks and with 2 large sheds and a aviary it was a nightmare to get rid of them. Never used straw again. Use dust free shavings for the floor and shredded paper for the bed in the winter. We keep between 12 & 15 ferrets all the time and never had a single problem since. Each to there own

[Rabid 1,936]

14 hours ago, hideandshoot said:

I've always used straw (on its own) as bedding, and never had a problem. Straw is fairly inert, therefore shouldn't harbour any pests/mites. I use barley straw as it's softer and more comfortable than wheat straw. Don't buy it from a pet shop, get it from an agricultural store or from a livestock feed supplier. A full bale is less than a fiver. Hay is too dusty and does harbour mites. Shredded paper is also quite dusty and it makes your cage look like a rubbish tip. Course sawdust (NOT the fine dusty stuff) is best for the toilet end of the cage as it's very absorbent. Sorry for harping on about bedding etc, I guess I've got a hygene fetish!

Really, I would have thought barley straw to be the worst of all of them, bloody stuff itches like hell, I used to hate combining the barley, even when we got combines with cabs you would still itch for days after.

same with baling the bloody stuff.

 

i would never let any of mine have barley straw, and I find it just doesn't absorb anything so pretty pointless.

 

shavings in the toilet, hay and/or shredded paper in the bed, and I give them plenty of pigeons, they line the bed with feathers.

another thing I have done, put a low down lid in the bed, the bed is maybe a foot from floor to roof, so I put a second lid in there halfway down,  open top of hutch, takelidout and they are proper snug and warm, it just helps keep them warmer when it's cold, it comes out in summer.

[hideandshoot 13]

I've harvested barley also, and shovelled tonnes of the stuff by hand, and you're right, barley grain does make you itch.  I guess it has something to do with the summer heat and perspiration as well.  However, barley straw doesn't make me itch, and it's relatively dust free.  I've even slept in straw-filled barns - when I was younger - without itching, and most people have sat on barley straw bales at some time or other without itching (country shows, pigeon hides etc.).  I've shaken-out 1000's of bales of barley straw when bedding down livestock pens and never had a problem with itching.  It's because it's such a good bedding material that livestock farmers use it.  If it was full of ticks or flies as someone suggested, or if it created an environment where they could thrive, then farmers, pet shops, horse owners etc. wouldn't entertain it for a moment.  I don't use it in the sleeping compartment to be absorbent either, as it's dry in there.  I used course softwood sawdust for absorbency - at the toilet end of the cage.

Anyway, enough of my rambling on.  Each to their own.  So long as the little stinkers are dry, clean and comfortable that's all the really matters.  I was just sharing what has worked well for my ferrets over 35 years.

Anyone want to buy some barley straw? 

[The one 8,483]

No thanks its all big round or square bales you need a handler  to lift and spread it there's very few little square bales any more