From:
"Debbie"
Date: 2007-11-18 16:19:13 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] water enrichment
To: "FG-ferrethealth" <ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com>
In one of the recent Ferret magazines, there was an article on bathing ferrets and getting them used to water. It explained that ferrets generally like / love water, but that they fight it because the only way they've ever been introduced to it is with a bath, which entails a human holding them under water, feet slipping out from under them, getting smelly soapy stuff on them, etc. Who would like water under those circumstances? They had a couple of suggestions and I tried one this morning.
Turn on the shower to a very light spray and let it run in the shower. Let the ferrets have access on their own (Put a bathroom mat over the tub so they can use that to climb in the tub. Make sure it has a non-skid back or it will slide down as they cling to it.) The ferrets can climb in the tub and go into the water if they want or stay in the area where water can't hit them. Be sure the access to the tub is on the dry end. My ferrets had a heyday with it this morning. They went from end to end and, of course, afterward they all had a good romp around the house drying themselves off.
I always keep access to the tub for the ferrets and keep a small tub of about 3-4" of water in there. In the tub I keep plastic tops to containers like shaving cream, half plastic eggs, etc. I make sure each container has a little water in it and is not too submerged. They love to get in there and drink out of the containers, then they pick them up by the edge and toss them out of the container to drink from them again. Mine don't care to dive for the plastic containers. However, one of them loves to dive for ice cubes! So, I take out the plastic containers every now and then and put some ice cubes in there for him. I usually lower the water level to an inch or two, so he can chase the ice cubes more easily.
Debbie
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