Conference asd::ferrets

    Thanks to all. I do have a Petsmart in my area, but their ferret
    dept still needs some work. I decided to order the "J" shaped food
    despenser from the catolog i recieved in the mail, along with a hat,
    and a T-shirt for my little girl. She still needs to grow into the
    t-shirt, but she looks so cute. The despenser has worked out just fine.
    Think i'll stick to the catolog for the ferret accesories. I have dogs,
    a cat and a rabbit, so i go to pet smart for their food. And of course
    my ferret's food as well.

>    dept still needs some work. I decided to order the "J" shaped food
>    despenser from the catolog i recieved in the mail, along with a hat,


By J shaped do you mean one of those that dispenses the food?  If so, I tried
that and it didn't work that well.  My little monsters decided that it was
fun to dig until all the food was "dispensed".

I have better luck with a bowl that attaches to the side of the cage.

ac

Good timing! I purchased a "J" feeder last weekend. My two "kids" 
have adapted pretty well, but sometimes it does not do a good job 
if filling the "bowl" part - kind of jams up until I come along and 
give it a good shake. I use marshall farms food and it's a marshall
farms brand feeder.

If I can not get it to work consistently I'll have to go back to the 
bowl. I was hoping to get them a food supply [along with their large 
water bottle] that would last for 48 hours which is the longest I'm
away when visiting relatives. [I'd prefer to bring them along but one
relative is worried about her birds, and the other is worried, and 
probably rightly so, about her large dogs eating my babies...].

If anyone has some feedback or advise I'd appreciate it.

	Thanks,
		-Stephanie

    
    I have gone on long weekend trips many times, and I just fill
    their bowl (by experience, its enough to last 3 or more days)
    and I put 2 'medium-size' water bottles (though it usually
    takes them several days to empty one bottle).
    
    I tried one of the huge water bottles once, but I never had
    any luck getting it to keep from constantly dripping (once it
    appeared to be working, but the next day I found it empty
    and the metal tray in the bottom of their cage had become a
    wading pool.  I actually took one of those back and got a
    replacement, but it didn't work any better.
    
    Rich

Rich,

Thanks! I notice that my two generate a lot of "output"... even overnight
they pretty much fill most of their corner litter box. Now, they have two,
but tend to just use one most of the time. They seem to get very bothered
when their litter boxes fill and the bottom of the case starts to get overflow.

The last time I went away I was able to get a friend to come in and clean
the cage, but that is not an option that I can depend on having available.

I think ferrets must much prefer to be "clean" and hate walking on a soiled
floor...

Any ideas on that aspect? 

	Thanks,
		-Stephanie

    I will do an "overnight" trip (ie, get up at the crack of dawn
    Saturday, run the ferrets, set up cages with food and water,
    leave Saturday morning, return Sunday evening) without supervision.
    More than one night and I usually have someone come in and clean
    pans and let them run about for an hour or so.  Lixit makes pretty
    good water bottles.  I usually leave a bowl and a water bottle in
    the cage as backups for each other, as well as extra food cups.
    
    When I'm home I clean boxes twice a day.  Because I'm allergic
    to most litters, I use plain newspaper sheets in the boxes, and
    this works very well for us (I have two hospice ferrets who need
    to have their output monitored), and makes cleaning a snap (dump
    box, squirt with bacteriacide, wipe out, add clean paper).  I can
    do 3 cages in about 5 minutes.   
    
    Mary-Michael
    

    On the topic of the food despenser, mandy has used it with no problem.
    I do find that it works best if it is at least 1/2 way full. The weight
    of the food pushes down as the food parts are taken out, "gravity" i
    guess. My ferret has a water bottle, but she loves to move and push the
    2-bottle water despenser i have for the cat and dogs. She drinkis from
    it when ever she's out and about. I think she also likes the sound it
    makes as it's droping down - ya' know "gulp, gulp" 

I've noticed the same thing on my ferret's "J" food dispenser: it really
only works well when at least half full.

I left their older food bowl in their cage near the dispenser and sometimes
put special treats in there for them. Lately I've noticed that Sable [the
female] takes her food out of the dispenser and then places it in the bowl
before eating it. It seems very dainty of her.

Both my ferrets are in love with the flushing toilet. When I come home and 
let them out one of the first things they want is to see the toilet flush.
They hang on the seat with their front legs and their heads gyrate following
the decending water, then, when it's filling with fresh water they take a
drink.

	-Stephanie

    When I give Gumby treats (grapes, cherrios, etc) and she's doesn't feel
    like eating them, she places them in her food dish for consumption at a
    later time.
    
    Kel