Spring Cleaning
Spring Cleaning Redux
By Mary R. Shefferman
Safe Products
The most important part about cleaning areas where your ferrets roam is rinsing. No matter what you use to clean floors or other surfaces, if you
rinse the surfaces so that no traces of the cleaner remain, it should be safe for your ferrets. It's also important to make sure floors, carpets, and other
surfaces are completely dry before you allow your ferrets access to them.
A few years ago there was concern about the odor-eliminator Febreze. However, as long as you use the product according to its label and make
sure it is completely dry before letting your ferrets out, there is no danger (according to a news release from the ASPCA National Animal Poison
Control Center dated April 16, 1999 -- see www.napcc.aspca.org).
If spring brings ants into your home, be very careful with any product used to eliminate the ants. We have used ant spray in ferret areas when the
ferrets are not present AND allowed the ferrets access to the areas only after washing, rinsing, and drying the area completely. This was a last resort
in our previous rental house where the ferrets had access to a very small portion of the kitchen floor. We had a major ant invasion coming in under the
back door and had to spray the area nightly after the ferrets had been put into their cage a good distance from the back door. If you must use sprays,
use them outside your home around windows and doors.
We have also used ant baits (traps) and removed them before ferrets had access to the area. Daily vacuuming of all ferret food crumbs and removal
of food and water from areas when the ferrets are caged helps reduce the risk of ants. We found that putting ant baits in the rooms around the room
the ferrets played in took care of our ant problem without endangering the ferrets.
Safe Procedures
When opening windows to let in the fresh air, double check the screens to make sure no ferrets can escape. If possible, open the top half of the
window instead of the bottom half. Properly fix any holes in screens (that is, don't just put some tape on it, get a screen patch kit and do it right).
Make sure screen doors latch properly.
Several ferrets have died in washing machine or dryer accidents. Make sure everything you put into your washer and dryer has no ferrets in it. Double
check. The time it takes to make sure all your ferrets are safe is well worth it.
For their safety, cage your ferrets when you are vacuuming or doing any other type of cleaning -- even if you do not normally cage your ferrets. Do a
nose count to make sure every ferret is accounted for.
If you are painting in your home, consider having your ferrets stay at a friend or neighbor's house until the paint is dry. Make sure there is plenty of
ventilation (for your sake as much as your ferret's!)
If you are getting new carpeting, consider cleaning it (or having it cleaned) right away. New carpeting has chemical smells that may be dangerous or
irritate your ferret's respiratory tract (I know they can trigger my asthma). It helps to ventilate the room with the new carpeting, as well.
It's Spring Cleaning Time!
By: Eric Shefferman
It's Spring Cleaning Time! Some of the things you can do to keep your ferrets happier and healthier and keep your home smelling better.
Now that it's starting to get warm out, it's time to
start thinking about "Spring Cleaning," not just for
yourself and your home, but for your ferrets too.
This is a great opportunity to take all your litter
boxes and give them a good scrubbing! We like to take
ours outside and clean them with antibacterial
dishwashing liquid and a scrubbing brush.
You can even take your whole cage outside on a warm
day and give it a good scrubbing as well. If you use
linoleum or vinyl flooring you should clean it or
replace it as needed.
You should also give all your water bottles a good
scrubbing. We like to use plenty of hot water,
dishwashing liquid, and a good bottle brush. Be sure
to rinse the bottles thoroughly.
Washing all the hammocks and blankets will help your
whole house smell better. The fabric in these items
absorbs the ferrety smell and can often smell stronger
than the ferrets themselves! If your hammocks and
blankets are seeming a bit worn and frayed, you should
replace them.
Watch for signs that a ferret has been
chewing on the fabric and watch for holes or loose
threads that a ferret might get themselves caught on.
Continued on the Spring Cleaning part 2
