Caring for a pet ferret is a great experience, however it can turn into a nightmare if you don’t take the time to properly ferret proof your home. These ferret care safety tips will help you prepare your home for a new ferret, and may save your ferrets life, so please take them to heart..
1) Before bringing your ferret home aquaint yourself with all of the things around your house which might present a danger to your new pet ferret, and either cordon them off or eliminate them completely. These includel recliners, rocking chairs, folding sofa beds and clothes washers and dryers. Any large peice of machinery or furniture that has moving gears or that can fall or snap shut is potentially dangerous. Ferrets often get crushed when they crawl inside reclining chairs looking for a cozy place to snooze. Washers and dryers are also particularly dangerous because ferrets have a habit of going to sleep inside them. Often they curl up inside a pile of dirty laundry to take a nap, then get thrown in the washer by accident.
2) Block off any openings in the walls or around appliances that your ferret could squeeze threw and cover all heating vents and drains. Refrigerators and other appliances have moving fan blades and other parts that can mutilate a curious ferret. Other appliances like stoves have openings in the back that allow a ferret to sneak inside. Often they end up going in the broiler section as this is the lowest to the ground, so it is best to keep your ferret away from these appliances and just to be safe always check first before turning on your stove or dishwasher..Rooms like the bathroom, kitchen, laundry room, any room with excercise equipment, or a door leading directly to the outside, like a foyer or garage are particularly dangerous and should be 100% off limits to your ferret. Block them off with a baby gate or other barrier that you are sure your ferret can’t climb.
3) Remove all poisonous chemicals, cleaning products, foods, and toxic materials and put them somewhere safe. Ferrets have been known to eat all kinds of crazy things, including soap, vitamin pills, lipstick, glue, pantyhose, poylurethean foam etc. so be very careful. Digestive obstructions (as well as accidental poisonings) are very common in ferrets.
4) Next put child safe locks on all your floor level cabinets and cover wall outlets with baby safe covers. Cover trash cans so your ferret can’t get in, and if it’s possible make sure electrical wires are kept away from your ferret. (This isn’t always necessary. Not all ferrets chew on electrical wires. But some do and so keep an eye on your new ferret to see how he acts around wires before trusting him around them).
5) Plan in advance to allow your ferret free range of one or two “safe” rooms such as the dining room and living room, (block off access to all the other rooms in your house). If you want to let your ferret have access to a hallway that is ok, but staircases are another story. Most staircases have opening in the ballustrades that a ferret can easily fall threw. Some people block these openings in the ballustrades with plexiglass or other materials. If you plan on letting your ferret have access to the stairs this is very important because ferrets are not able to judge heights very well, and have been known to fall to their deaths.
Some more tips…
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2) Block off any openings in the walls or around appliances that your ferret could squeeze threw
Most staircases have opening in the ballustrades that a ferret can easily fall threw.
Through. Threw is past tense of throw. Otherwise, nice website…
Collers…. Collars.