how to keep ferrets warm living in a shed.

Hello i am looking for suggestions on the best way to keep my pet ferrets warm in a shed as they have been living in my kitchen and do not like the cold. I started of with 2 which was fine but i now have five and the smell is to much i have also neutered all my pets to help with smell and aggresion. Would a heat lamp be suitable?. Im not keen on the microwavable heat pads as they only keep them warm when lying on them. If i could afford it i would add an extension with a radiator but at the moment that isnt possible.

Hey,

I think people normally have beds with soft blankets in them and that's it. Maybe other people can chip in hear. My 8 are all housed inside.

Once they get acclimatised it will more of a problem keeping them cool than keeping the, warm. So long as they have a bed box with plenty of blankets in they will be fine.

I can advise you on this as I keep a large group of ferrets together through the worst of the winter in an 8x6 shed.

My floor and shed walls are lined with sterling board coated in thick waterproof paint. The kind you would see erected around a new shopping centre or housing scheme being constructed, aherm, cough cough!! lol

If not lining with board, use some lino, but you need to glue it down good and proper or they will tear it up. This will protect the floor from becoming water logged with cleaning, and toilet.

I line the floor with at least an inch of large shavings and bulk it up heavier against the sides where they toilet. This means I can scoop up the poop and wet shavings everyday as if you don't it quickly get's messy and smelly. I then only have to do a full clean out, sweep and mop once a week, which is really sensible in the depths of winter.

For keeping them warm? A generous ball of straw. I had 8 ferrets in the shed over the last couple of winters and I'd give them enough to cover almost a quarter corner of the shed. I chuck it in compacted off the bale, they love to tear it apart and make their own bed.

They'll make two tunnels from their bed, one direct to the front where they run out to greet you in the morning, and one down the other side where they use the toilet. That's if they're anything like mine that is.

And they'll acclimatise quickly as Wilbur says. Be prepared to feed them extra as winter comes in as they'll pack on the storage they need to keep them warm outside. And don't worry that they've been kept indoors, the shortening days and dark, and temps falling will set the natural changes in them, that some indoor ferrets don't fully experience.

I did go buy some powerful small outdoor garden heaters but only used them for drinking beer out the back when the lads were over.

Your ferrets will conserve energy by becoming more lethargic and lazy and will sleep more, unless you are out at them often, which will keep them active. Mines never fail to show up en masse whenever I'm in the garden, no matter the weather.

If you can get their bed up off the shed floor this will also make a small difference, but being a foot off the floor when it's minus 8 outside will make the difference of a couple of degrees to the ferrets. These are all things that will help that little bit more, but honestly, as long as your shed is wind proof and water proof with a dry floor then they'll thrive in it.

They didn't evolve with furry coats for nowt I'd say.

My 2 year old springer spaniel has had almost daily swims in the river Clyde over the last 2 winters. Never had a day's ill health yet touch wood.

And don't fall for the shivering. They all shiver, even on warm days the buggers still shiver looking like they're cold.

Thank you for your reply.I will probably put some insulation in the inside of the shed to see if that helps. Not so sure about the lino as i have lino in my kitchen that was glued down but they have ripped it in several places. . Will definately put there sleeping area up of the ground as it will be easier to clean out and give them more space to run around in. I am also going to use some old sleeping bags that i have. They will probably spend 3-4 hours a day indoors with us as i have them out twice a day when off work.

traceyohare1976 wrote:Thank you for your reply.I will probably put some insulation in the inside of the shed to see if that helps. Not so sure about the lino as i have lino in my kitchen that was glued down but they have ripped it in several places. . Will definately put there sleeping area up of the ground as it will be easier to clean out and give them more space to run around in. I am also going to use some old sleeping bags that i have. They will probably spend 3-4 hours a day indoors with us as i have them out twice a day when off work.

Regards the sleeping bags, those are filled with foamy material that they will rip to shreds. I wouldn't risk mines eating that stuff.

I would watch all bedding and toys closly. Mine really love rubber toys, but are not allowed to have them in the cage. Same thoughts as john, I would not wanna risk them eating anything.

Personally I have never bothered to line a shed s long as it is well constructed so there are no gaps they don't need it they are tough little buggers.They just need a nice warm bed box and they are fine

I managed to buy some hedgehog boxes cheaply at a local show last year. And I do mean cheap 5 quid LOL I had to varnish them and replace the hinges with piano hinges because the hinges they used just pulled out the plywood layers they'd been set into. But my gang love them (with just a small blanket/sleeping bag in them)