Whew it's been a while!

So we've been pretty much busy nonstop since we got the ferrets, getting their habitat set up in our condo and whatnot. There is light at the end of the tunnel, we're nearly done everything we needed/wanted to do. I have not forgotten about the blog, I simply have not had time to post! Heck, I barely get to check my email some days.

Since I last posted we adopted 4 more ferrets, and we intend to get more probably by the end of the year. Our total ferret count is 7 for those of you keeping score. We range in age from 10 weeks to 13 months.

We have 4 Ferret Nation cages in 4 different rooms now, finally all connected by hard tunnels. We're finally getting to see what it's like to have ferrets that are able to tunnel all day freely, though only on one floor. We have one weak spot on the stairs we need to figure out how to address before we let them go up and downstairs unmonitored. We have put in a rice dig box and a pit full of ping pong balls (10 gross, to be exact) as well as put up the PVC slide.

I'm hoping next week while the boyfriend is on vacation (aka the task master, lol) to get some more updating done. I'd like to get some pictures up of the latest and greatest with the set up as well as start working on some of the 'how to' section. Because I know you've always burned with curiosity to know the answer to how to ferret proof a floor  heating vent, for instance. ;)

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Some people on some forums have had some questions about our set up, so I thought I'd answer some of it here for you in a Q&A session.

Q: How often do you clean the tunnels?
A: Not at all, as of yet as they have only been up a few months and no one poops in them or caches food in them. Eventually we may have to take them down to wash out the ferret oily residue they leave behind, but I imagine that would be an annual endeavor at best.

Q: Do the ferrets poop in your tunnels?
A: None as of yet.

Q: Do your ferrets eat/bring food into the tunnels?
A: None as of yet.

Q: Do your ferrets bring toys into the tunnels?
A: Yes, all the time! I am forever doing double takes when I see a particular, favored toy move from one floor of the house to another without human interaction.

Q: Do your ferrets sleep in the tunnels?
A: One of them, baby Stormageddon slept in a section of tunnel his first week here but he doesn't do it anymore.

Q: How do you get away with doing all this stuff without getting the landlord mad at you?
A: We live in a condo, so it's mortgaged. We can do whatever changes we want so long as we do not change the structure.

Q: Do the ferrets fight in the tunnels?
A: Yes, there is a lot of play fighting between two and four ferrets at a time in the tunnels. Size apparently is irrelevant in a tunnel in a fight, it involves who can open their mouth the widest, look the scariest and forcibly back the other ferret. I have seen tiny little Stormy back our 4 lb alpha out of the tunnels.

Q: Can the ferrets pass each other in the tunnels or is it too tight? Are any of your ferrets too big for the tunnels?
A: All of our ferrets fit in the tunnel, even our largest boy Murder. The tubing is 4" and allows even the two largest ferrets to squeeze past one another.

Q: How do the ferrets behave in the tunnels when they meet up head to head?
A: Some ferrets are more diplomatic than others. I have seen ferrets do on the spot problem solving to back up when they come head to head with another ferret to the nearest turn around spot to let the other pass,then go on their merry way. Some others squeeze past each others, and still others will just fight it out to determine who has to back up to the nearest exit. Yes, this does create multi ferret traffic jams.

Q: How much did it cost to build all of this? Was it expensive?
A: Very. We did not keep track of all of our expenses, but we'll say about $5,000 is probably a good estimate.

Q: Are there any benefits to having so much tunneling?
A: Yes. The scrabbling about keeps their rear nails worn down to an appropriate level, so we only have to clip the front ones every few weeks. It also provides a great amount of enrichment and exercise. I come home to more cuddly, less hyper ferrets when they've had lots of tunnels to roam in.

Q: Are there any ill effects to having so much tunneling?
A: Aside from nominal upkeep to make sure the supports are all holding up, we have not noticed any ill effects of having this much freedom aside from ferrets becoming spoiled and angry when we have to temporarily close off sections to them. As for health problems from long term tunnel running, we have only had them for a few months so I could not say if this causes or will cause any long term problems. They are burrowing creatures by nature, but they are not meant to burrow in plastic. We will be watching them like hawks to make sure they don't develop any kind of back or paw problems, etc.

Q: Do the ferrets have any favorite sections they like the most?
A: They seem to enjoy coming upstairs to the ball pit cage and snorkeling in the balls. They also like to sit in there because that room is our office and they like to visit us when we are in there. The rice bin is also popular.

Q: Is there a learning curve for a new ferret using the tunnels?
A: A little bit. It takes a couple of days usually for them to realize there is more than one level to the cage and work their way up to the top. Once they make it to the top level of the cage, it takes less than a day for them to start exploring the tunnels. Then they seem to fall in love with them.

Q: How fast do your ferrets move through the tunnels?
A: Some of our ferrets can move through them at a dead sprint, including Mayhem, Chell, Artemis, Stormageddon and Glad0s. Some trot through at a more leisurely pace.

Q: Are you guys crazy?
A: Well, we're crazy for ferrets. Does that count?

New Addition!

We have a new addition to the business this week! On Tuesday we adopted a handsome young ferret named Artemis. You can read  more about him on the 'Meet the Fuzzles' page.

About Extreme Ferrets

My boyfriend and I recently adopted a pair of ferrets. Unlike most people we are not content to keep it simply at that. We plan on adding several more ferrets to our lives eventually, but more importantly we intend to spoil our ferrets absolutely rotten.

We both work long hours away from home at the office usually and thus are not able to be home with them as much as we would like. Rather than keeping them cooped up in a cage or small room all day, we are building our Extreme Ferret Habitat. Essentially, we are letting them have free run of our condo... yet while still being safely contained. We are in the process now of purchasing several cages and placing them in several rooms in the condo. Then we are running tunnel tubing throughout the house connecting to each cage.

The end result is a ferret paradise that will keep our little fuzzles busy, happy, safe and exercised until we can come home and play with them ourselves. Stay tuned for pictures and updates as we expand our Extreme Ferret Habitat.