Ferrets for Life
Keeping your ferret warm in the cold months
Over the recent winter months, various areas within the United Kingdom were subject to isolated temperatures of sub -15 degrees centigrade and this raised a number of queries to FERT (Ferret Education and Research Trust) regarding the ability of ferrets to live outdoors in these temperatures.
Ferrets as a domesticated animal in the UK have been kept outdoors for over 2000 years through harsh winters and in all manner of environments. Thankfully through appropriate husbandry and welfare education people are now more knowledgeable about appropriate housing methods and exactly what is necessary to ensure the ferret(s) are comfortable in these circumstances.
Care in these situations comes down to a number of categories - shelter, warmth, food and water
Shelter - ensure your ferret enclosure is protected from wind and rain. It is preferred that robust materials such as commercial building tongue and groove timber such as that used in shed building is used to protect areas of the ferrets enclosure. Shelter not only protects against the likes of wind and rain but also the effects of the sun as ferrets are susceptible to heatstroke in hotter months.
When the above is not available, a good quality tarpaulin or similar covering can be used as a temporary measure. This needs to be anchored properly and make sure it doesn’t allow water to leak or run into the ferrets enclosure.
Warmth - do not use heating methods such as gas /electric fires, hot water bottles etc to heat animal enclosures. If they are used then the animals become dependent on that additional artificial heating, should it fail then it will plunge the ferret’s environment into a very precarious state and make the situation worse.
All ferrets require a dark and secure place to sleep which is weatherproof. Through use of natural fabrics which are good at holding heat then this is the best option to use for bedding. Old clothing such as fleeces and jumpers make ideal bedding as this gives the ferret something to burrow into and they also maintain warmth. The use of shredded paper, straw and materials like polyester do not offer sufficient properties for ferret bedding and can also contribute to other health problems. There is a new "microwave heat pad" on the market which can stay warm for many hours (see picture below), this is a very popular addition to warm any ferret housing.
Food - As ferrets tend to sleep longer hours through the winter, they mainly wake to eat, drink, use the 'toilet' and briefly socialise (but on a much lesser scale). It is necessary to ensure that your ferret has adequate quantities of food through the colder weather and that the food is appropriate. The use of a good quality ferret biscuit which can be supplemented by raw or cooked meat (chicken, beef, rabbit NOT pork), a lactose free milk alternative such as cat milk and this can be combined with a beaten egg as this offers high fat and protein. Whilst it may be attractive to offer cow's milk, this is not advisable. Do not give high sugar foods to ferrets or 'sweets' such as chocolate etc
Ferrets may at times move or drag food into their bedding area. Whilst this is not ideal as it means you have to check for uneaten food, it may simply be the case that the ferret prefers to eating in a warmer environment. If that is the case and you have an oversize / large outdoor enclosure then try temporarily moving the feeding area closer to the ferrets sleep area. This will minimise the amount of time your ferret needs to be outside in a cold environment
Water - This is the biggest challenge for ferrets and ferret owners in times of freezing temperatures. Water inevitably freezes meaning if this is allowed to occur then the ferret will have no reservoir of water to drink from. Some ferrets will put up with small amounts of surface ice as long as it is thin enough that they can break however all efforts should be made to ensure ice free water is available when the climate is cold.
Standard water bottles, due to their design, are likely to freeze quickly in sub-zero temperatures. Small water surface along with small volumes means that even the largest of bottles will freeze solid. Normally the first part of the bottle to freeze is the metal spout and even through insulating the body of the bottle this will not stop the mouthpiece / spout from freezing and stopping water flow.
The better alternative is an animal litter tray with a suitable weight (a house brick for instance) as this will give depth (caution - not too deep! about 2-3 inches (5-7cm is adequate)), larger surface area and also no bottlenecks that might lead to premature freezing. The volume of the tray is enough to sustain a number of ferrets and ice or polluted water is easily exchanged for fresh water quickly.
A tablespoon of Olive Oil can be put into water at a ratio of 100:1 and this will create a harmless film over the water which can help prevent freezing however should the temperature continue to drop then water will inevitably freeze.
Do not put additional substitutes such as salt or other additives into water as this is harmful to the ferret.
There will be instances where it is necessary to simply check the ferrets water more often over cold periods and replace with fresh water at various times of the day.
Ferrets can happily exist in the normal UK climate; they have done so for many centuries but it is always necessary to check on them more frequently. Try to resist bring the ferrets indoors however if you do have the space or are unable to support an outdoor enclosure then this should be considered a last resort as this can make reintroduction back outside more difficult and the change in temperature from cold (outdoors) to hot (indoors) and vice-versa can be detrimental to the care of the ferret - it should be done gradually.
Ferrets as a domesticated animal in the UK have been kept outdoors for over 2000 years through harsh winters and in all manner of environments. Thankfully through appropriate husbandry and welfare education people are now more knowledgeable about appropriate housing methods and exactly what is necessary to ensure the ferret(s) are comfortable in these circumstances.
Care in these situations comes down to a number of categories - shelter, warmth, food and water
Shelter - ensure your ferret enclosure is protected from wind and rain. It is preferred that robust materials such as commercial building tongue and groove timber such as that used in shed building is used to protect areas of the ferrets enclosure. Shelter not only protects against the likes of wind and rain but also the effects of the sun as ferrets are susceptible to heatstroke in hotter months.
When the above is not available, a good quality tarpaulin or similar covering can be used as a temporary measure. This needs to be anchored properly and make sure it doesn’t allow water to leak or run into the ferrets enclosure.
Warmth - do not use heating methods such as gas /electric fires, hot water bottles etc to heat animal enclosures. If they are used then the animals become dependent on that additional artificial heating, should it fail then it will plunge the ferret’s environment into a very precarious state and make the situation worse.
All ferrets require a dark and secure place to sleep which is weatherproof. Through use of natural fabrics which are good at holding heat then this is the best option to use for bedding. Old clothing such as fleeces and jumpers make ideal bedding as this gives the ferret something to burrow into and they also maintain warmth. The use of shredded paper, straw and materials like polyester do not offer sufficient properties for ferret bedding and can also contribute to other health problems. There is a new "microwave heat pad" on the market which can stay warm for many hours (see picture below), this is a very popular addition to warm any ferret housing.
Food - As ferrets tend to sleep longer hours through the winter, they mainly wake to eat, drink, use the 'toilet' and briefly socialise (but on a much lesser scale). It is necessary to ensure that your ferret has adequate quantities of food through the colder weather and that the food is appropriate. The use of a good quality ferret biscuit which can be supplemented by raw or cooked meat (chicken, beef, rabbit NOT pork), a lactose free milk alternative such as cat milk and this can be combined with a beaten egg as this offers high fat and protein. Whilst it may be attractive to offer cow's milk, this is not advisable. Do not give high sugar foods to ferrets or 'sweets' such as chocolate etc
Ferrets may at times move or drag food into their bedding area. Whilst this is not ideal as it means you have to check for uneaten food, it may simply be the case that the ferret prefers to eating in a warmer environment. If that is the case and you have an oversize / large outdoor enclosure then try temporarily moving the feeding area closer to the ferrets sleep area. This will minimise the amount of time your ferret needs to be outside in a cold environment
Water - This is the biggest challenge for ferrets and ferret owners in times of freezing temperatures. Water inevitably freezes meaning if this is allowed to occur then the ferret will have no reservoir of water to drink from. Some ferrets will put up with small amounts of surface ice as long as it is thin enough that they can break however all efforts should be made to ensure ice free water is available when the climate is cold.
Standard water bottles, due to their design, are likely to freeze quickly in sub-zero temperatures. Small water surface along with small volumes means that even the largest of bottles will freeze solid. Normally the first part of the bottle to freeze is the metal spout and even through insulating the body of the bottle this will not stop the mouthpiece / spout from freezing and stopping water flow.
The better alternative is an animal litter tray with a suitable weight (a house brick for instance) as this will give depth (caution - not too deep! about 2-3 inches (5-7cm is adequate)), larger surface area and also no bottlenecks that might lead to premature freezing. The volume of the tray is enough to sustain a number of ferrets and ice or polluted water is easily exchanged for fresh water quickly.
A tablespoon of Olive Oil can be put into water at a ratio of 100:1 and this will create a harmless film over the water which can help prevent freezing however should the temperature continue to drop then water will inevitably freeze.
Do not put additional substitutes such as salt or other additives into water as this is harmful to the ferret.
There will be instances where it is necessary to simply check the ferrets water more often over cold periods and replace with fresh water at various times of the day.
Ferrets can happily exist in the normal UK climate; they have done so for many centuries but it is always necessary to check on them more frequently. Try to resist bring the ferrets indoors however if you do have the space or are unable to support an outdoor enclosure then this should be considered a last resort as this can make reintroduction back outside more difficult and the change in temperature from cold (outdoors) to hot (indoors) and vice-versa can be detrimental to the care of the ferret - it should be done gradually.
Heat pad - Microwave
