Ferret - Proofing Your Home

Ferret - Proofing Your Home

 In This Chapter

•  Taking care of trouble spots in your home to make it ferret-friendly
•  Altering your habits to prevent a tragedy
•  Finding a qualified vet

 At first, your home is a scary yet stimulating jungle to a tiny ferret, and she’ll be chomping at the bit to find or cause trouble. And believe me, if she’s able to find or cause trouble, she certainly will. Carpet sharks are notorious explorers and excavators. They like to push and pull and carry and toss every little household item they can. They can fit into the tiniest of tiny places and manage their way to the highest of spots. And they all put their leaping skills to the greatest challenge. Whoever came up with the phrase “Curiosity killed the cat” obviously hadn’t been exposed to ferrets. Curiosity, although one of the ferret’s most amusing qualities, can be her worst enemy.

Therefore, from the time your new fuzzy first walks into her new home, the environment should be ferret-proofed. In this chapter, you find out how to get your house ready for your new arrival. I also explain what habits you can change to keep your ferret safe and let you know how to cross off your next important priority: finding a good vet for your fuzzy.

Inspecting Your Home for Ferret Hazards

With the possible exception of a single closed-off room (a rubber-padded cell?) with no furniture, holes, or floor vents, most areas in a home can’t be completely ferret-proofed. You have to be satisfied with doing your absolute best to minimize the possibilities of ferret tragedies. Like the parent of a toddler, you must keep your pet out of harm’s way. However, unlike a human toddler, a ferret will rarely scream out for you when she hurts herself or gets wedged somewhere. Your fuzzbutt depends on you to remain vigilant at all times when she’s out of her cage.

The following list outlines some general guidelines for ferret-proofing your home:

• Put up security gates to keep ferrets from danger zones. Don’t settle for easily climbed children’s gates; those are just neat obstacles for a ferret to scale and master like a ladder. You may have to build something at least 3 feet high out of wood, Plexiglas, or another material that ferrets can’t easily climb.
• Be careful what you leave lying around your home. Any object is fair game to a ferret. Some dangerous items include pen caps, rubber bands, cotton balls and cotton swabs, coins, latex/vinyl/rubbery things, sponges, plastic bags, jewelry, foam rubber, latex rubber, polyester stuffing, dried vegetables, and bandages.
• Don’t store chemicals, such as cleaners or antifreeze, in accessible places. Ferrets can knock the containers over, causing spills, and ingest poisonous chemicals. At the very least, they’ll want to lick the containers just for a taste and may ingest chemical residue.
• Put your medications out of reach. You may be aware that prescription meds can be extremely dangerous and toxic to your ferret, but you may not know that many over-the-counter medications, such as Tylenol, can be as deadly as rat poison to your ferret.
• Don’t forget that ferrets can jump. You should ferret-proof anything less than 30 inches off the ground or that your ferret can reach by climbing.

Warning!

Some people leave their ferrets out of their cages to go unsupervised all day. I believe only an experienced ferret owner can pull this off without too many hitches. A person confident enough to leave a ferret unsupervised knows the ferret inside and out and knows the ways of ferret-proofing.

You get the idea. Think and prepare as though you have a toddler exploring your environment. Everything a toddler touches ends up in his mouth. A ferret isn’t that different. The following sections lead you through ferret-proofing the different areas of your home and point out dangers that you may not have thought about. The bits of wisdom in these sections are made possible by all the close calls, injuries, and fatalities experienced by thousands of ferret lovers all over the country, including myself. Learn from our mistakes!

Laundry room

Utility/laundry rooms often are loaded with dangerous items, and they’re practically impossible to ferret-proof, so you should keep these rooms offlimits altogether. Your ferret may decide to chew on the dryer vent hose and tunnel right out through to the scary outside. Even worse, your fuzzy could quickly crawl up into the clothes dryer to take a nap beneath all those soft clothes, especially when they’re warm. You may not see her go in, and it will be too late when you do find her.

Kitchen

Block off your kitchen from curious ferrets if you can. You want to keep your fuzzy away from all those dangerous appliances in the kitchen. Here are a few of the ways your fuzzy can get hurt in the kitchen:

• Refrigerators and other appliances have fans that can abruptly turn on and injure or kill your ferret.
• Ingested fiberglass insulation can cause blockages or severe illness.
• Stoves have pilot lights that can cause severe burns.
• All appliances have electrical cords that can cause electrocution when chewed on.
• Your ferret can get severely wedged inside a space in an appliance and suffocate before you get the chance to rescue her.
• If you’re like I am, you keep your bottom kitchen cabinets filled with cleaners that are poisonous if swallowed by your ferret.

I’ve known ferrets to climb into dishwashers, refrigerators, and freezers when no one’s looking. You can imagine the worst-case scenarios! Ferrets are adventure seekers, and they’ll try anything once. But sometimes once is all the chance they’ll ever get.

Moldings, baseboards, and under cabinets

Get on your belly and make sure that all the moldings and baseboards in your home are intact and complete all around the rooms. You don’t want any mystery spaces. Double-check with your hands beneath the cabinets to make sure that your ferret can’t get up into the cabinets from under the ledges. Home builders often seem to skimp in this area.

Also check for holes that lead into walls or to the great outdoors. Any hole wider than one inch is a potential hidey-hole or danger zone. Board all these holes up. If a hole is less than one inch wide, decide whether your ferret can widen it with her teeth or claws. After all, drywall and similar materials are no match for a fuzzy’s weapons.

Windows and doors

To prevent escapes and falls from high places, double-check the safety of your windows, doors, and screens. Make sure your screens are securely fastened and your doors are shut tight while your fuzzy is prowling. Also, you probably shouldn’t open any accessible window when your ferret is out and about. An exposed screen, likewise, isn’t very hard to tear open or pull out with teeth or claws.

How big are the gaps between the bottoms of your doors and the floor? More than one inch? Better lower them to prevent your ferret from scooting under or getting stuck. Don’t underestimate the average furball!

Tip

It won’t take long for your ferret to realize that she has the strength and smarts to open some doors and windows. You can use snap bolts to keep her safely inside your home (see Chapter Home Sweet Home: Preparing Your Ferret’s Quarters).

Floor vents and air returns

Your ferret may be able to pull off your floor vents and air returns if they aren’t secure. I know my floor vent grates just lay loosely on top of the holes they cover (for decoration, I guess). After a ferret gets into a vent, she can tunnel through the house and get stuck somewhere or fall to a place where she can’t get out.

Try to securely fasten any loose grates with small pieces of Velcro. It’s effective, and you can hide the strips from view.

Warning!

Floor fans can be dangerous to your fuzzy. A moving fan blade can remove a toe, paw, or tail tip (or worse). If the blade protector on your fan (the cage covering the fan) is broken, your ferret may decide to explore and end up in deep trouble. Don’t use fans near your free-roaming ferret.

Plants

Your ferret will try to taste all your plants, and some plants are poisonous when eaten. She’ll also promptly remove every trace of dirt from the pot, because ferrets are excellent diggers. The problem is, some dirt contains harmful bacteria or chemicals from fertilizers or pesticides.

Heights

Look around you. Everything in your home is a potential stepstool, ladder, or launching pad, including your fuzzy’s townhouse (see Chapter Home Sweet Home: Preparing Your Ferret’s Quarters for more on fuzzy cages). You may need to move or block certain items to prevent your ferret from getting too high up. Pay close attention to how accessible your stairwells, curtain rods, and countertops are. A significant fall almost always injures a ferret, and sometimes it can be fatal.

Electrical cords

Ooooh, electrical cords seem like yummy chew toys to the grazing ferret. In the eyes of pet owners, though, electrical cords are electrocutioners and fire starters. Try applying bitter- or sour-tasting spray (available at most pet stores) on the cords to deter the ferret’s gnawing urge. Another simple solution is to wrap electrical cords in aluminum foil. Most ferrets don’t enjoy chewing on foil. However, the best solution is to keep all electrical cords completely out of your ferret’s reach or to enclose them in special cable or cord moldings, available at home improvement stores.

Reclining chairs, rockers, and foldout couches

Many furniture items can be death traps. It’s easy to plop down into a rocker or recliner and forget the danger of crushing your romping ferret in between the moving parts. I suggest that you don’t use reclining chairs, rockers, or foldouts when your ferret is out playing or that you keep them out of your ferret’s play-designated space. I, for instance, make everyone sit on the floor when my fuzzies are out and about!

Fireplaces

Nothing can match a walk on the wild side for your fuzzy, and fireplaces have it all: wood, dirt, and sometimes even rocks. If you want to keep your ferret and house soot-free, make your fireplace off-limits to snorkeling ferrets. You can invest in a heavy-duty fireplace grill that ferrets can’t climb and that you can push flush against the fireplace. I went another route and installed glass doors on our fireplace.

Mattresses, couches, and chairs

Ferrets can easily crawl beneath most couches and chairs or the cushions on them, and they’ll be tempted to do so. Mattresses are just as alluring. Those places make good hidey-holes, and the fabric beneath the furniture is awfully enticing. The danger is that you can squish your ferret between the cushions or under the chair if you unknowingly sit on her.

Warning!

Many ferrets are tempted to dig and chew and tear at the underside fabric of furniture, often creating holes. Besides being detrimental to the furniture, chewing holes often allows furballs to find the stuffing that’s revealed behind the protective fabric cloth. The same goes for mattresses. Ferrets love to chew on soft, foamy, rubbery things. If your ferret ingests the foam or other stuffing, intestinal blockage can occur.

Some ferret people prefer to use futons rather than traditional couches and chairs. Or, when the time comes to replace their furniture, ferret people choose to buy couches and chairs that are flush against the floor so their ferrets can’t get under them. If these aren’t viable options for you, you can turn your chairs and couches over and try to staple some heavy-duty cloth to the bottoms to keep your ferret out. Remember to staple close together so she can’t get in between the staples.

Most ferret owners don’t need to go to such extremes if they keep a close eye on their fuzzies during play time and inspect their furniture routinely for signs of destruction. And look before you sit!

Toilets, bathtubs, and buckets

Supervised recreational swimming can be fun for some fuzzies, but even the most athletic ferret risks drowning after a while. To prevent accidents, keep the lids down on toilets and keep bathroom doors closed when you have bathtubs full of water. Buckets of water or other liquids can also pose a drowning threat. Even if your ferret doesn’t drown, she may become violently ill if she swims in a chemical of some sort.

Warning!

Many bathmats and area rugs have rubber backings to prevent slippage. Unfortunately, these backings are delicious and sometimes deadly to fuzzies. Even the little rubber tips on door stops can block your ferret’s intestinal tract when ingested. Watch for signs of interest in these items. You can easily pick up bathmats and rugs during playtime, and if necessary, you can remove the baseboard doorstops and replace them with stops that fasten to the tops of doors.

Cabinets

A ferret is quick to discover that she can easily pry open accessible cabinet doors. I don’t recommend using most child latches as a solution. Most child latches are designed so that you have to slip your hand in and release the latches to open the cabinets. And if you can slip your hand in, the cabinet opens just enough for your ferret to come on in or get her head caught.

However, certain child latches are designed to work just fine. For example, one uses a magnet to release the latch on the inside of the cabinet door.

Remember

Supervise your ferret when she’s playing around cabinets, and be sure that they don’t contain dangerous chemicals or small ingestible objects. Also, make sure that your low cabinets don’t have holes that can lead to other awaiting dangers. For example, I have one cabinet that has a poorly fitted pipe coming through the bottom of it. I can see right down to the basement!

Trash cans

Garbage cans are simply irresistible to roving ferrets. Think of all the disgusting and dangerous items you throw away on a daily basis. Would you want a fuzzy kiss from a ferret that just had her nose in all that?

Keep all your garbage cans out of your fuzzy’s reach when she’s out. If she has access, she’ll tip them over or find a way into them. Depending on what’s in the trash, your ferret’s curiosity could kill her or make her terribly ill. And who’s to say you won’t accidentally throw out your fuzzy with the trash if she climbs in and curls up for a snooze with a stinky banana peel? Fix your cans with sturdy lids and keep them completely out of your ferret’s reach.

Tip

So, you can’t put all your trash cans up high or fasten them tightly with sturdy lids. Tired of fishing trash out of hidey-holes? Exasperated at the thought of sweeping up half-dried coffee grounds for the third time this week? Try weighing down your garbage can. Place about five pounds of sand or smooth round pebbles in the bottom so your fuzzy can’t tip the can!

Changing Some of Your Home Habits

Those of you with children may remember those selfish days when you could do anything your own way without needing to take others into consideration. Those of you without children may be there now! For every potential ferret owner: You can kiss your selfish days goodbye. Well, maybe the adjustment isn’t as drastic as that, but you need to be prepared to adjust your habits and daily routine. Your furball is depending on you for survival.

The following list presents some actions you should make part of your daily fuzzy-owning routine:

• Watch where you step, and don’t carry stuff that blocks your vision. A ferret’s favorite place to be and snooze is under things: carpets and rugs (hence the nickname “carpet sharks”), clothing, pet beds, you name it. Shuffle your feet when walking if you have to. Ferrets are quick and quiet. They can be underfoot in a flash. Tread lightly, for a ferret is bound to be close at foot.
• Check the clothes dryer and washer thoroughly before operating them. Also check carefully before you toss a load of clothes into the washer. Ferrets aren’t bulky and heavy like bricks. You’ll hardly notice if your fuzzy has burrowed into your dirty underwear (assuming you’re not wearing them at the time).
• Don’t plop lazily onto the couch or chair. If your fuzzy isn’t under the furniture, she may be under the cushions. Also, the moving parts in a reclining chair or sofa can injure or kill your ferret.
• Don’t leave small objects lying around. Stealing is an endearing but sometimes deadly ferret trait. If your fuzzy doesn’t eat or chew a small object up, she may hide it — and hide it well. You may not find your stolen objects for a very long time. This is particularly annoying if the item your fuzzy steals is valuable.
• Don’t open or close doors quickly. You may startle or, worse, accidentally injure your ferret. The same goes for cabinets, drawers, refrigerators, freezers, washers, dryers, and dishwashers.

Getting a Vet

Every ferret has different medical needs, and not all veterinarians are trained equally when it comes to the health and well being of ferrets. Although ferrets are the third most popular carnivorous pet in America — topped only by dogs and cats — they’re far less popular in the vet’s office. Some vets just don’t like ferrets; others get hung up on the common misconceptions people have about fuzzies.

Remember

It’s important to seek out a veterinarian who’s comfortable and experienced with ferret medicine before you bring a new fuzzy into your home. You want to ensure that your ferret will have the best routine medical care available. More importantly, you won’t jeopardize your pet’s life while doing the panic shuffle if an emergency arises. You’ll have done your research, and you’ll know who to call.

To find out what to look for in a veterinarian and what questions to ask before you enlist his or her services, head to the chapters in Part IV.

by Kim Schilling