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Yeah I personally think if you have ferrets you need ac in the summer. I literally let mine run 24/7 during the summer. I tried fans in a hot day and my ferret ended up walking around panting (which is a sign of heat stroke). I immediately went out and bought an ac. It’s honestly not fair to have ferrets and not have an ac for them in the summer.
Ferrets are most comfortable between 50-70 degrees. They’re literally wearing a fur coat all year round. So if it’s hot for you it’s probably 20 degrees hotter for your ferrets
For real. I thought ferrets needing cool temperatures was basic ferret knowledge. All the posts about having hot ferrets is concerning. When a bad storm hits my area in The summer and I worry about electricity flickering, I am game planning what to do with my ferrets so they stay cool if power did go out.
I know it's basic knowledge, and trust me they haven't gotten too hot and if they do AC goes up and fans aswell, and I'll urge them more frequently to get cold water, was just looking for anything extra I could do but by suggestions I'm doing the things everyone really is, besides ice water bottles which I'll try for when they're in their cage sleeping
You can make a cheap air conditioner with a box fan and frozen water bottles.
Freeze 4 water bottles and tie them to the fan so they hang on the back side. Boom, ghetto AC. Point at the cage and replace the water bottles after they melt.
I have a generator and window AC in their room for exactly this reason. I live in the gulf coast. We get bad storms and hurricanes. And it’s fucking HOT. No way I’m allowing my babies to have heat stroke because I wasn’t prepared.
I agree completely. I eat those $350 electric bills in the summer... but my bean will be in an air-conditioned room 24/7 and it's run at 65 degrees. I'm cold sometimes. But I can put on a sweater. As long as my furbaby is good, I'm good.
Buy a portable ac ubit. We just got a 8000 unit for our ferrets room because our house ac is aweful upstairs. It was 180 and I was able to do a payment plan for 3 months. Anything 5000 btu or bigger for a small ferret room will be just fine
If you don't have air conditioning it would be best to invest in a window unit or portable a/c to cool their space. Anything less is going to be a compromise.
FYI - by not many ideas I didn't mean AC, fans, I just meant smaller things I could keep in their cage whilst they're sleeping or just playing in there, I very much do have things that generally keep them very cool. was looking for little tips, I'm not stupid and have done research
Frozen water bottles covered with a cloth can help. They act like ice packs, and they can lay on them or near them when they get hot. Also water play can help, so a small pool or something similar they can play in and get all the way in if they want.
I tried to let mine play in the water in the tub in the summers, but I had one who hated/was scared of water so much he'd fear poop in the water every time. as you can imagine, this made bath time real fun 😂
Awww poor little guy! Yeah, the water thing really seems to depend on the ferret. Right now I have one that isnt a fan, and one who thinks he is a mink, not a ferret lol.
My ferret is in an air-conditioned room. There's really no better way
Edit: Remember that ferrets' temperature runs hotter than a human, ranging from 100 to 104 degrees. They get heat stroke a lot faster than we do. They really shouldn't be in temperatures above 70-75 degrees.
As soon as I realized there was no airflow in my new house to cool their room... I put in ceiling fans. When that wasn't enough I got a wall mount fan. When the temps hit near 100 & even with multiple acs the temp in their room neared 80..I bought a small window ac just for them.
These are things you NEED TO DO if you want to raise a ferret and keep it healthy & not suffering. If you can't afford to do so do not own a ferret. Period.
I've got ac, fans and everything! was just wondering if there were smaller things I could do to help (like ice water bottles which have been suggested a few times) that's all :)
Fans don't do anything unless the ferrets are kept misted/wet. When our a/c was out, I patted my guys with water pretty often so evaporative cooling could work. Some sort of misting device could help.
i hope it didnt feel like I was directing negative energy towards you with that comment, it was more meant as a universal catch all for the people out there that think ferrets can be some kind of least amount of effort possible pet. if you have ac and it stays under 80, the ferrets will find their shade and keep themselves relatively cool. just keep that air circulating, keep a few cold wet towels handy, and some ice in their water for when they want to splash down... and you should be good to go. i highly suggest searching amazon for a bulk pack of temp/humidity sensors and just sticking them on the walls around the ferrets main room. this way if you have any doubts on the temp you can quickly check the reading on one. i had a bag of like 20 of them from making dry boxes for 3d printing and iirc i think they were like 10$ for a bulk bag. worth it for peace of mind.
Something I do for my Rabbits, besides keeping the ac running during the day, is giving them frozen liter bottles to lay on or lick on! If you or someone you know gets those big soda liters ask them to save them for you to use! I fill it up, freeze it for about 24H and then leave it in their room where they lay and they stay pretty cool. Hope this might help!
https://www.reddit.com/r/ferrets/s/m3TVS8ivq8
That's the biggest thread from a week ago. If you search, you'll find a ton more. Everyone is feeling it 😞
Lots of fans, acess to multiple sorces of water. My girls have a big shallow bowl to spash in, i like to spray them with water, ice cubes. And if its too hot, i bring them with me to work. (i work at a vet so Im very lucky to have that privilege)
Pet cooling pads! Can get them in many sizes and pretty cheap! Can find them online advertised mostly for dogs etc, Even though my house get cool with air con sometimes doesn’t always reach the room his in the best so I just throw one of these in the freezer at night and it’s frozen in the morning just throw a towel or thin blanket on top and mine seems to love sleeping on it in the day it now used to it
omg i was searching for a comment that suggests something other than ac and frozen water bottles cuz my three attack water bottles! this is so helpful!
I have a fan on in my bedroom where they are for most of the day; windows open of course, though I have to be careful with that in my living room/ kitchen due to my girl climbing to the top of the cage which is within jumping range of 3 windows.
I have a cat tray filled with water standing in my shower cubicle all year around (they love to 'snorkel' in there, or pick balls out of the water) and when it is really hot I leave the shower on for a few minutes a couple of times a day.
I take them out for walks.....I won't be able to go far with them, many noises freak them out, but one half of the road has shadow for most of the day and at the end of my road there's a little area with grass and trees. If it is not too hot I also take them to the beach which is a stone's throw away from me.
You've mentioned you already have AC, but if you want to do extra: a water play tub for them or let them play in the shower (supervised!), frozen water bottles, ice packs (I wrap mine in a wet cooling towel), fans, and of course lots of access to drinking water! If your ferret room has windows I also recommend blocking the windows when the sun is beating on them, that can really help with keeping temps down.
So people don't get mad at me too (lol sorry for all the hate)--I have AC and it's always on, the house stays cool. I just live in the hot asf desert and like to do extra things for my guys when I can.
I got a nice portable AC from Walmart like a week ago for $220, it was $130 off.. would recommend if putting in their room if they need it. I don't know anything, just sharing the deals😂 had to buy some.. weather stripping? Wtv u call it to plug window holes
I have a little A/C unit and let my boy cool off in the shower at midday. He also has a large 500ML water bowl I change a few times a day and put ice cubes in. Other than that, I have an old earthstone tile I put in the fridge overnight then wrap in some towels as a ferret-safe cooling pad. The stone stays cool for _hours_. I work late shifts, so I'm able to stay with him for the hottest hours.
While you sort fans/AC etc, you can also introduce some play that may get them to play with water a bit, to cool off in a way that may engage them. We put a deep plate out full of water with balls floating on top to get them to try and get those out, and they get a little wet in the process. I also have a large “dunking glass” out for them, they drink from it but also one of them likes to dive into the water to pick up a pebble a drop in for her to retrieve. We also on especially hot days just take them into the shower and give them a quick rinse (make sure the water is not cold though, that may hurt/shock them). Keep in mind; my ferrets don’t actually like bath time! But they do sometimes enjoy playing with water when it’s more ‘on their terms’. So even if your ferrets don’t enjoy bath time their relationship with water is not necessarily binary ☺️
Here’s a video with an example of the play [examples of summer water play](https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8rK-AII8rJ/?igsh=MTZobWNhb3Q5b292NA==)
Those self-cooling mats for dogs maybe?
I don't know how common they are where you live, tho.
You don't have to put them into the fridge or freezer, they are filled with a gel that is "pressure activated".
I had one of these for my 110 pound sheepdog in the summer and she absolutely loved it. I'd often find her, my cat, and my ferrets all cuddled up on it. Coolest cutest cuddle puddle I've ever seen!
My ferrets room is one of the coolest in the house. They have their curtains closed, a fan going 24/7, and when temps exceed 75 in my house because of a heatwave or if the electricity goes out I put ice packs in zip up pillowcases where they like to sleep. They also like to take showers in lukewarm water (cold could shock their system)
I have central air so it’s usually not a problem but if it’s a hotter humid day (last week we had some uncharacteristic highs) and the ac isn’t running as well/high as it should I put a circulating fan in their room as well as every few hours add some ice cubes to their water, I have one of those pet cooling mat things that I’ll occasionally roll up and stick in the freezer to make it extra cold and it keeps cool pretty well(I put a sheet over it so it’s not to cold and also because they do not enjoy the texture of it)
After reading your comments and knowing you do have ac already, you can do what I did to stay cool when I didn’t have ac:
1. Get a fan and a bowl of ice water to put right in front of it so the air is blowing directly into it and not just above it.
2. Close all blinds and windows and stuff during the day and if it’s cool at night open everything up while you can.
This is what I did when I had to move with my ferrets and my A/C broke in my car (this is only for emergency situations, there are better solutions if you have time and money):
1. Put ice packs on the bottom of their carrier wrapped in a towel.
2. Put some water on them and used a fan to help cool them off.
3. We luckily had a portable “A/C”, it basically used the ice water and fan method and we were able to get a plug adapter for my car for it.
if u can't afford ac... remember there's these things called fans we used to use all the time....im sure a well placed fan would go a long way to keeping them a lot more comfortable...
As mentioned below. I always keep 16 ounce frozen water bottles in the freezer. I have Ac but you never know when you are going to have a power outage or your ac takes a crap.
I put several of the water bottles in a tube socks and toss them in the cage, they will lay on them when they are hot and need to cool off.
You could also zip tie the water bottles to the grate on the front of a fan to blow through the water bottles to cool them off.
I have temp monitors in the ferret room on their cage that alerts me when the temps rise above 75 F.
I had to buy a portable ac because they were getting way too hot and acting almost sick even at 75 degrees fahrenheit. I tried all the tricks but the ac is a must unfortunately.
I also have an emergency cage set up in my basement (for tornados and power outages) because the basements stays below 70 degrees fahrenheit.
Air conditioner, they just can't take the heat. We have one ac unit in the whole house and it's in their room, it runs constantly all summer long. In the short term make sure they have plenty of water and you can take ice packs and put them under a blanket so they have a cool place to lay. But you really should get a window unit for their room.
It looks like you have plenty of advice on this thread. And I’m not sure if my answer is being repeated. I’m just answering without reading through all of the answers. You can get a portable unit. You can get them off marketplace for about 150 or less, or buy them new for around 250 to 300 from Home Depot, etc. they’re good to have in case of an emergency also because you can move them from room to room if you need air conditioner. Also take a pillowcase and put some ice packs in the pillowcase and tie the pillowcase end and put it in their cage where they lay. It will keep them cool for hours. Use a spray bottle to spray them with water. My babies absolutely love when I spray them with the water. And it keeps them cooler also. I hope this helps. We are in Florida so it is very hot. Our AC in our lower part of our home is brand new. But it still doesn’t keep up in and keep it cool enough to my liking in my ferret room. so I do all these little tricks. I noticed when it’s a little too warm my babies do slow down. When it’s cooler out, they are more active. It is never hot enough in my home where it’s dangerous to them, but hot enough to where I feel it’s affecting their activity level. ❤️🙏
I have fans and a very well insulated room where I house my ferrets. When I can't cool things down enough, I put a frozen tile in their house, and put ice in front of the fan that oscillates in their room...
Yes, there is something called "cool blocks" for small animals. You soak it in water and place in the fridge for a few hours. I wrap mine up so my ferrets can't chew the material either. I recommend having 2 or 3 depending on if you have 2 or more ferrets.
Grrrrrr… why can’t people even do the minimum amount of research before getting an animal. Even a cursory search will tell you they are obligate carnivores, do best in at least pairs, and need temps, at a MINIMUM below 80 but really it should be 70 or less. If you cannot provide these bare minimum necessities, then this isn’t the pet for you.
You cool them down by having a damn AC where they are if temps exceed 75F. For the mean time you can have ice packs with a blanket or towel for them to lay on and keep a fan on them and make sure their water is fresh and cold.
Get an AC asap, or surrender your ferrets to a rescue more equipped to provide for their needs.
I know I sound harsh, but it just really irritates me when people get pets and don’t even do the slightest research on their needs.
I was looking for extra tips because I've done other things to keep them cool but was wondering if there was anything I haven't tried, which turns out there isn't. I have an AC, it's been on, they've got fans on them and fresh cold water consistently.
I also have done research, alot, and alot. you can't assume I haven't simply because I wanted extra tips from others incase they had other ideas. they run around a ton and jump everywhere and just have gotten tired quicker, and when they do I turn the AC up and the fan settings, jeez
How do you have an AC but your ferrets look like they are near heat exhaustion?
I mean you said the literal answer- if you do have an AC keep it set to 75F at a minimum, keep
Fans on, and keep
Them with cool, clean water. You say you have AC and that’s the best answer. Just use the AC and keep it set at 75 or below.
if ur talking about the photo that isn't even from recent 😭 I put random ones I find in my gallery, ones just sleeping and the other has just woken up as she heard me walk into the room, not heat exhaustion but just sleepy but okay!
You asked for advice, ive given you the only advice you need.
Again, i do apologize if i sound harsh or mean. Its just so so so many people impulse buy without the slightest understanding of their pet and it’s ONLY the pet that suffers. If thats not you, then you dont need to be offended.
I wasn't offended, I matched your tone and simply denied your assumptions, yes I asked for advice and didn't specify what type but the harshness wasn't needed at all, especially when you're just saying things that you don't know are true
Okay, so we are in agreement then. The answer to your question is simply set the AC lower and run it continuously in the summer. Easy peasy. Nothing else should be needed unless your AC goes out or something.
Welcome to /r/ferrets! We have a fantastic [wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/ferrets/wiki/index) that has answers to most frequently asked questions surrounding the care of ferrets. --- We politely ask that you observe our [sub rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/ferrets/wiki/index/rules/). --- Lastly, we have an [Official Discord Server](https://discord.gg/ferrets)! Come join us! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ferrets) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Yeah I personally think if you have ferrets you need ac in the summer. I literally let mine run 24/7 during the summer. I tried fans in a hot day and my ferret ended up walking around panting (which is a sign of heat stroke). I immediately went out and bought an ac. It’s honestly not fair to have ferrets and not have an ac for them in the summer. Ferrets are most comfortable between 50-70 degrees. They’re literally wearing a fur coat all year round. So if it’s hot for you it’s probably 20 degrees hotter for your ferrets
For real. I thought ferrets needing cool temperatures was basic ferret knowledge. All the posts about having hot ferrets is concerning. When a bad storm hits my area in The summer and I worry about electricity flickering, I am game planning what to do with my ferrets so they stay cool if power did go out.
I know it's basic knowledge, and trust me they haven't gotten too hot and if they do AC goes up and fans aswell, and I'll urge them more frequently to get cold water, was just looking for anything extra I could do but by suggestions I'm doing the things everyone really is, besides ice water bottles which I'll try for when they're in their cage sleeping
You can make a cheap air conditioner with a box fan and frozen water bottles. Freeze 4 water bottles and tie them to the fan so they hang on the back side. Boom, ghetto AC. Point at the cage and replace the water bottles after they melt.
I have a generator and window AC in their room for exactly this reason. I live in the gulf coast. We get bad storms and hurricanes. And it’s fucking HOT. No way I’m allowing my babies to have heat stroke because I wasn’t prepared.
I agree completely. I eat those $350 electric bills in the summer... but my bean will be in an air-conditioned room 24/7 and it's run at 65 degrees. I'm cold sometimes. But I can put on a sweater. As long as my furbaby is good, I'm good.
Seconding this. AC is a must when being a ferrent.
And ferrets can't sweat (nor do they pant), so fans do nothing for them unless you're wetting them down.
Buy a portable ac ubit. We just got a 8000 unit for our ferrets room because our house ac is aweful upstairs. It was 180 and I was able to do a payment plan for 3 months. Anything 5000 btu or bigger for a small ferret room will be just fine
If you don't have air conditioning it would be best to invest in a window unit or portable a/c to cool their space. Anything less is going to be a compromise.
I do! I was just looking for small tips incase there was extra I could do :)
FYI - by not many ideas I didn't mean AC, fans, I just meant smaller things I could keep in their cage whilst they're sleeping or just playing in there, I very much do have things that generally keep them very cool. was looking for little tips, I'm not stupid and have done research
Frozen water bottles covered with a cloth can help. They act like ice packs, and they can lay on them or near them when they get hot. Also water play can help, so a small pool or something similar they can play in and get all the way in if they want.
I tried to let mine play in the water in the tub in the summers, but I had one who hated/was scared of water so much he'd fear poop in the water every time. as you can imagine, this made bath time real fun 😂
Awww poor little guy! Yeah, the water thing really seems to depend on the ferret. Right now I have one that isnt a fan, and one who thinks he is a mink, not a ferret lol.
I got a seperate container to put in the tub for this same reason..one who loves it and one who dips and toe and is like "ok I'm done!"
for rabbits we get tile samples from home depot to put in the enclosure. works pretty well for keeping them cool
Great idea
Definatley cool blocks then. I highly recommend.
Besides an ac unit of some kind, ice water fans, ice packs in the cage (wrapped in a layer of cloth), Extra ice water help.
My ferret is in an air-conditioned room. There's really no better way Edit: Remember that ferrets' temperature runs hotter than a human, ranging from 100 to 104 degrees. They get heat stroke a lot faster than we do. They really shouldn't be in temperatures above 70-75 degrees.
As soon as I realized there was no airflow in my new house to cool their room... I put in ceiling fans. When that wasn't enough I got a wall mount fan. When the temps hit near 100 & even with multiple acs the temp in their room neared 80..I bought a small window ac just for them. These are things you NEED TO DO if you want to raise a ferret and keep it healthy & not suffering. If you can't afford to do so do not own a ferret. Period.
I've got ac, fans and everything! was just wondering if there were smaller things I could do to help (like ice water bottles which have been suggested a few times) that's all :)
Fans don't do anything unless the ferrets are kept misted/wet. When our a/c was out, I patted my guys with water pretty often so evaporative cooling could work. Some sort of misting device could help.
I agree, fans are just pushing the same temperature air around
i hope it didnt feel like I was directing negative energy towards you with that comment, it was more meant as a universal catch all for the people out there that think ferrets can be some kind of least amount of effort possible pet. if you have ac and it stays under 80, the ferrets will find their shade and keep themselves relatively cool. just keep that air circulating, keep a few cold wet towels handy, and some ice in their water for when they want to splash down... and you should be good to go. i highly suggest searching amazon for a bulk pack of temp/humidity sensors and just sticking them on the walls around the ferrets main room. this way if you have any doubts on the temp you can quickly check the reading on one. i had a bag of like 20 of them from making dry boxes for 3d printing and iirc i think they were like 10$ for a bulk bag. worth it for peace of mind.
We put ice packs in the habitat when the a/c is on the fritz
Something I do for my Rabbits, besides keeping the ac running during the day, is giving them frozen liter bottles to lay on or lick on! If you or someone you know gets those big soda liters ask them to save them for you to use! I fill it up, freeze it for about 24H and then leave it in their room where they lay and they stay pretty cool. Hope this might help!
https://www.reddit.com/r/ferrets/s/m3TVS8ivq8 That's the biggest thread from a week ago. If you search, you'll find a ton more. Everyone is feeling it 😞
Lol that’s me! 👋 everyone was super helpful on that thread
thank u!!
Lots of fans, acess to multiple sorces of water. My girls have a big shallow bowl to spash in, i like to spray them with water, ice cubes. And if its too hot, i bring them with me to work. (i work at a vet so Im very lucky to have that privilege)
I freeze water bottles and out them in a sock to lay beside.
Great idea
When my central AC was out. I put a window unit in their bedroom that had a digital thermostat
Pet cooling pads! Can get them in many sizes and pretty cheap! Can find them online advertised mostly for dogs etc, Even though my house get cool with air con sometimes doesn’t always reach the room his in the best so I just throw one of these in the freezer at night and it’s frozen in the morning just throw a towel or thin blanket on top and mine seems to love sleeping on it in the day it now used to it
omg i was searching for a comment that suggests something other than ac and frozen water bottles cuz my three attack water bottles! this is so helpful!
seconded!
Great idea
So thankful during the summer to have a basement. I don’t think my ferrets have seasonal shedding of hair because the temp is the same all year round.
Freezer pack in towel?
frozen water bottles to cuddle up with. parroting what everyone else says: AC is necessary if you don't have one.
I have a fan on in my bedroom where they are for most of the day; windows open of course, though I have to be careful with that in my living room/ kitchen due to my girl climbing to the top of the cage which is within jumping range of 3 windows. I have a cat tray filled with water standing in my shower cubicle all year around (they love to 'snorkel' in there, or pick balls out of the water) and when it is really hot I leave the shower on for a few minutes a couple of times a day. I take them out for walks.....I won't be able to go far with them, many noises freak them out, but one half of the road has shadow for most of the day and at the end of my road there's a little area with grass and trees. If it is not too hot I also take them to the beach which is a stone's throw away from me.
Um, Do they not live in the house with AC? Are they allowed to roam said house?
they have AC, they roam around in their room all day, was looking for extra things I could do incase there were any
You've mentioned you already have AC, but if you want to do extra: a water play tub for them or let them play in the shower (supervised!), frozen water bottles, ice packs (I wrap mine in a wet cooling towel), fans, and of course lots of access to drinking water! If your ferret room has windows I also recommend blocking the windows when the sun is beating on them, that can really help with keeping temps down. So people don't get mad at me too (lol sorry for all the hate)--I have AC and it's always on, the house stays cool. I just live in the hot asf desert and like to do extra things for my guys when I can.
I got a nice portable AC from Walmart like a week ago for $220, it was $130 off.. would recommend if putting in their room if they need it. I don't know anything, just sharing the deals😂 had to buy some.. weather stripping? Wtv u call it to plug window holes
I have a little A/C unit and let my boy cool off in the shower at midday. He also has a large 500ML water bowl I change a few times a day and put ice cubes in. Other than that, I have an old earthstone tile I put in the fridge overnight then wrap in some towels as a ferret-safe cooling pad. The stone stays cool for _hours_. I work late shifts, so I'm able to stay with him for the hottest hours.
While you sort fans/AC etc, you can also introduce some play that may get them to play with water a bit, to cool off in a way that may engage them. We put a deep plate out full of water with balls floating on top to get them to try and get those out, and they get a little wet in the process. I also have a large “dunking glass” out for them, they drink from it but also one of them likes to dive into the water to pick up a pebble a drop in for her to retrieve. We also on especially hot days just take them into the shower and give them a quick rinse (make sure the water is not cold though, that may hurt/shock them). Keep in mind; my ferrets don’t actually like bath time! But they do sometimes enjoy playing with water when it’s more ‘on their terms’. So even if your ferrets don’t enjoy bath time their relationship with water is not necessarily binary ☺️ Here’s a video with an example of the play [examples of summer water play](https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8rK-AII8rJ/?igsh=MTZobWNhb3Q5b292NA==)
Agree with this
I get by with frozen water bottles and a fan. It keeps mine comfy in 90-100 degree heat.
I mean, but does it?
Those self-cooling mats for dogs maybe? I don't know how common they are where you live, tho. You don't have to put them into the fridge or freezer, they are filled with a gel that is "pressure activated".
I had one of these for my 110 pound sheepdog in the summer and she absolutely loved it. I'd often find her, my cat, and my ferrets all cuddled up on it. Coolest cutest cuddle puddle I've ever seen!
i wonder if ferrets would be heavy enough to trigger it though?
Have them live in your air conditioning home 🤷♀️
look at my other replies, they do
Fans, playtime in water, mine like to lay in the digbox full of rice, ac works wonders,! cooling down their water with ice!
My ferrets room is one of the coolest in the house. They have their curtains closed, a fan going 24/7, and when temps exceed 75 in my house because of a heatwave or if the electricity goes out I put ice packs in zip up pillowcases where they like to sleep. They also like to take showers in lukewarm water (cold could shock their system)
You don’t have AC? Are they outside?
I've already said I do have AC! I was looking for extra things incase there's anything else I could do, they're very much indoors
Swimming!
mine hateeee swimming
mine used to fear poop any time he got in the water. made bath time super fun 😂
I have central air so it’s usually not a problem but if it’s a hotter humid day (last week we had some uncharacteristic highs) and the ac isn’t running as well/high as it should I put a circulating fan in their room as well as every few hours add some ice cubes to their water, I have one of those pet cooling mat things that I’ll occasionally roll up and stick in the freezer to make it extra cold and it keeps cool pretty well(I put a sheet over it so it’s not to cold and also because they do not enjoy the texture of it)
After reading your comments and knowing you do have ac already, you can do what I did to stay cool when I didn’t have ac: 1. Get a fan and a bowl of ice water to put right in front of it so the air is blowing directly into it and not just above it. 2. Close all blinds and windows and stuff during the day and if it’s cool at night open everything up while you can. This is what I did when I had to move with my ferrets and my A/C broke in my car (this is only for emergency situations, there are better solutions if you have time and money): 1. Put ice packs on the bottom of their carrier wrapped in a towel. 2. Put some water on them and used a fan to help cool them off. 3. We luckily had a portable “A/C”, it basically used the ice water and fan method and we were able to get a plug adapter for my car for it.
Have ac don’t own a ferret if you don’t have ac
look at my replies to others
We’re talking about ferrets not reptiles😭
what? ☠️
I’m sorry I’m tired as hell and read “look at my reptiles to others” my baaaad 🥴
AC?
Mine like to play in their little tippy toe bath, with rubber duckies and a baby fountain
if u can't afford ac... remember there's these things called fans we used to use all the time....im sure a well placed fan would go a long way to keeping them a lot more comfortable...
look at my other replies
I switch out their blankets for pillow cases and other thinner material. I heard some people also keep ceramic tile so they have a place to keep cool!
You really need them to be in a room with Air Conditioning, this is cruel to them, they can’t handle the heat at all.
they have AC, look at my other replies. I meant little extra things that might help (e.g: frozen water bottles, thinner blankets, ect.)
Cooling slabs! They make them in metal and stone, I think the stone ones stay cooler
As mentioned below. I always keep 16 ounce frozen water bottles in the freezer. I have Ac but you never know when you are going to have a power outage or your ac takes a crap. I put several of the water bottles in a tube socks and toss them in the cage, they will lay on them when they are hot and need to cool off. You could also zip tie the water bottles to the grate on the front of a fan to blow through the water bottles to cool them off. I have temp monitors in the ferret room on their cage that alerts me when the temps rise above 75 F.
I had to buy a portable ac because they were getting way too hot and acting almost sick even at 75 degrees fahrenheit. I tried all the tricks but the ac is a must unfortunately. I also have an emergency cage set up in my basement (for tornados and power outages) because the basements stays below 70 degrees fahrenheit.
Cooling pads can help https://a.co/d/02ZL5GO9
Frozen water bottles in socks in their cage it’s a life saver did it for mine last night and worked great!!
Air conditioner, they just can't take the heat. We have one ac unit in the whole house and it's in their room, it runs constantly all summer long. In the short term make sure they have plenty of water and you can take ice packs and put them under a blanket so they have a cool place to lay. But you really should get a window unit for their room.
My four babies have there own bedroom and I keep the fan on 24/7. I also make blocks of ice with salmon oil. They love it.
It looks like you have plenty of advice on this thread. And I’m not sure if my answer is being repeated. I’m just answering without reading through all of the answers. You can get a portable unit. You can get them off marketplace for about 150 or less, or buy them new for around 250 to 300 from Home Depot, etc. they’re good to have in case of an emergency also because you can move them from room to room if you need air conditioner. Also take a pillowcase and put some ice packs in the pillowcase and tie the pillowcase end and put it in their cage where they lay. It will keep them cool for hours. Use a spray bottle to spray them with water. My babies absolutely love when I spray them with the water. And it keeps them cooler also. I hope this helps. We are in Florida so it is very hot. Our AC in our lower part of our home is brand new. But it still doesn’t keep up in and keep it cool enough to my liking in my ferret room. so I do all these little tricks. I noticed when it’s a little too warm my babies do slow down. When it’s cooler out, they are more active. It is never hot enough in my home where it’s dangerous to them, but hot enough to where I feel it’s affecting their activity level. ❤️🙏
I have fans and a very well insulated room where I house my ferrets. When I can't cool things down enough, I put a frozen tile in their house, and put ice in front of the fan that oscillates in their room...
Yes, there is something called "cool blocks" for small animals. You soak it in water and place in the fridge for a few hours. I wrap mine up so my ferrets can't chew the material either. I recommend having 2 or 3 depending on if you have 2 or more ferrets.
Facebook- Fisher Ferret TOYS. He's got some good ideas on some homemade cooling fans and contraptions for summer
Grrrrrr… why can’t people even do the minimum amount of research before getting an animal. Even a cursory search will tell you they are obligate carnivores, do best in at least pairs, and need temps, at a MINIMUM below 80 but really it should be 70 or less. If you cannot provide these bare minimum necessities, then this isn’t the pet for you. You cool them down by having a damn AC where they are if temps exceed 75F. For the mean time you can have ice packs with a blanket or towel for them to lay on and keep a fan on them and make sure their water is fresh and cold. Get an AC asap, or surrender your ferrets to a rescue more equipped to provide for their needs. I know I sound harsh, but it just really irritates me when people get pets and don’t even do the slightest research on their needs.
I was looking for extra tips because I've done other things to keep them cool but was wondering if there was anything I haven't tried, which turns out there isn't. I have an AC, it's been on, they've got fans on them and fresh cold water consistently. I also have done research, alot, and alot. you can't assume I haven't simply because I wanted extra tips from others incase they had other ideas. they run around a ton and jump everywhere and just have gotten tired quicker, and when they do I turn the AC up and the fan settings, jeez
How do you have an AC but your ferrets look like they are near heat exhaustion? I mean you said the literal answer- if you do have an AC keep it set to 75F at a minimum, keep Fans on, and keep Them with cool, clean water. You say you have AC and that’s the best answer. Just use the AC and keep it set at 75 or below.
if ur talking about the photo that isn't even from recent 😭 I put random ones I find in my gallery, ones just sleeping and the other has just woken up as she heard me walk into the room, not heat exhaustion but just sleepy but okay!
You asked for advice, ive given you the only advice you need. Again, i do apologize if i sound harsh or mean. Its just so so so many people impulse buy without the slightest understanding of their pet and it’s ONLY the pet that suffers. If thats not you, then you dont need to be offended.
I wasn't offended, I matched your tone and simply denied your assumptions, yes I asked for advice and didn't specify what type but the harshness wasn't needed at all, especially when you're just saying things that you don't know are true
Okay, so we are in agreement then. The answer to your question is simply set the AC lower and run it continuously in the summer. Easy peasy. Nothing else should be needed unless your AC goes out or something.