# Housing ferrets outdoors



## Moosmoo (Jul 21, 2008)

We have been considering buying a shed or some large hutches to house our ferrets outdoors, we were just wondering if they needed any special heating / insulation during winter, or any cooling methods during the summer?

Thanks


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## chickens4ever05 (Feb 5, 2008)

i keep my ferrets out side in small ferret courts and hutches, they are very hardy just give them plenlty of straw or other bedding and they will be fine. The only thing to be warned about is ferrets can suffer serverly with heat, they cant stand being warm.
on hot days (not like we get very many) give them bowls of water that they can cool off in, or small peice of marble as it alway a few degrees cooler than other surfaces and they can lie on it to keep cool.

Heres one of my, little ferrets courts



















hope this helped


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## Fuzzball (May 16, 2007)

I give mine plenty of fleece blankets/old jumpers in the Winter and they have lots of hanging baskets to sleep in in the Summer, the cattery also has a huge roof ontop and is very cool in the Summer.

Cat litter trays with ice cubes in seem to attract the ferrets in as they like bobbing for the ice cubes!


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## malthereplover (Aug 22, 2008)

*Size*

Hi, i am really wanting ferrets lol, preferablly 2 jills, i know im housing them outside, but what size housing minimum will i need, will a rabbit hutch do? I intend it to be bigger than minimum anyway so as to fill it woth toys, hangings baskets etc to keep them happy and occupied.


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## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

If in a rabbit hutch they should have an attached run as they are very active


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## fern (May 25, 2008)

ferrets need alot of time outside a hutch so they can stretch their legs, we recently took in 6 ferrets who had never been out of their hutch except to work and they had no muscle tone and could hardly walk properly..

im unsure on sizes because my dad built a huge cage and they are never shut in it so sorry i cant help that way 

x


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## claires (Sep 10, 2008)

My Frodo has a 7ft by 5ft shed, I have windows all along the front that i can open in the summer and its placed in the shade. I have put avary wire all over the windows so they let the air in but theres no way he can get out. I dont use straw, and instead he has lots of blankets and fleeces that i can wash easily, I put them in a hutch which he has to sleep in thats never shut unless Im cleaning out the shed. Lots of tunnels and things to play with are good too.

Oh and one last thing, when you open a shed door they are garunteed to try to get past you, Ive put a 1.5ft ledge in front of the door so i can step over it and lift him back in before he climbs it


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## Bobbie (Jun 25, 2008)

mine seem fine in winter, i just give them a lot of extra bedding ^_^

heres what mine were in... the two hutches on the left are attatched together..



and this is what they are in now ^_^ it took 2 weeks to lay the slabs, and 3 days to put it together.. excuse the bad photos, it was hacking it down!! its 10 ft by 6 ft.. its only tempory until i get the money to build their 14 ft by 8 ft home ^_^







they all seem to love it, hehe.


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## Bobbie (Jun 25, 2008)

oh and in summer, they get paddling pools and compost dig boxes to cool off in..


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## fenwoman (Apr 15, 2008)

Moosmoo said:


> We have been considering buying a shed or some large hutches to house our ferrets outdoors, we were just wondering if they needed any special heating / insulation during winter, or any cooling methods during the summer?
> 
> Thanks


 if you have multiple ferrets and provide them with a box filled with shredded paper inside thwe shed, they will be as warm as toast. Probably warmer than I will be this winter if I don't get my chimney stack rebuilt as I have no other heating.
As for cooling in summer, make sure part of the shed or outside run is in shade and mine used to like a big rub filled with damp cool soil.
My big court is 4X5 shed built up on legs with the run measuring 4 X7 underneath so they always have shade. It's on slabs too as they will dig out otherwise.
I find they enjoy even really cold frosty mornings and leap about like mad things. They don't much like the very hot weather though. I placed mine against a fence on the west side so it faces east. This means it gets the first morning sun, then by midday when it is hottest, they are in shade. You could also provide a large cat litter tray with a few inches of water in the hot summer weather. In winter they just grow thicker fur and snuggle up together in their sleeping box.


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## fenwoman (Apr 15, 2008)

chickens4ever05 said:


> i keep my ferrets out side in small ferret courts and hutches, they are very hardy just give them plenlty of straw or other bedding and they will be fine. The only thing to be warned about is ferrets can suffer serverly with heat, they cant stand being warm.
> on hot days (not like we get very many) give them bowls of water that they can cool off in, or small peice of marble as it alway a few degrees cooler than other surfaces and they can lie on it to keep cool.
> 
> Heres one of my, little ferrets courts
> ...


 WHat a lovely court. Where did you buy it? It's brilliant.


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## Pimperella (Sep 26, 2006)

My hubby built me this one for our Jills and is currently building another for the boys. They have pipes in and Hammocks now. This was when he'd finished the actually building it. 
They have fleece blankets in the bed area to keep nice and warm and litter trays are at both ends in the run.


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## Marine (Jun 6, 2008)

Mine are kept in a shed and its insulated with 1" thick polystyrene sheets and boarded on the inside.
This keeps it warm enough and free from freezing during the winter and being under some tree shade as well the layers between the roof and polystyrene seems to keep the shed adequately cool during summer.

They do have an opening window thats meshed for a bit of air circulation in the summer too.

Im really pleased with how effective its been actually because it means i dont have to worry whatever the weather and they can just have their normal hammocks and a couple of fleeces to cuddle up in during the winter and their water bottles dont freeze up or anything.


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## don't rush me (Apr 19, 2008)

can I ask a question regarding the Jills if they don't get stimulation when in season can they die I heard this but unsure the full inf. etc ?


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## don't rush me (Apr 19, 2008)

fenwoman said:


> WHat a lovely court. Where did you buy it? It's brilliant.


 good job 5star Ferret hotel:2thumb::no1:


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## chubz (Feb 11, 2008)

yes they can die when in season as they are open to infections


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## fenwoman (Apr 15, 2008)

chubz said:


> yes they can die when in season as they are open to infections


 They don't die from infections. They die because they don't stop being in season unless they are mated, mated with a vasectomised hob, jill jabbed or spayed. They die from Aplastic anaemia.


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## fern (May 25, 2008)

my ferrets have hutches to sleep in but then a 20ftX10ft enclosure to run around in  ill post some pictures in a bit  they love it but dont come out as much now its colder, prefer to cuddle up in bed

x


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