From:
"MC"
Date: 2010-02-20 15:43:21 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: Lighting in the ferret room
To: <ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com>
Hi there....
I have always been a believer in trying to create as natural an environment
as possible for my charges.
I too have no lighting on in the ferret room at night..in fact, the window
allows the natural day/night transitions.
Keep in mind, that in the wild, night is not darkness. In fact, on a clear,
moonless night, you can almost read by the starlight. So, with that in
mind, having a room devoid of any light is unnatural, if a 'natural' setting
is what you are trying to provide.
Have old clothing on the floor and, depending on the number of ferrets you
have, several sleep boxes/sacks/caves, etc., with bedding inside. The
ferrets will select a dark place if they want it.
MC
Reno, Nevada
----- Original Message -----
From: <lisaatty@aol.com>
> Does anyone know if covering up the lights themselves works?
[The ancestral condition is dark burrows during the
day, followed by crepuscular (dawn and dusk) activity,
and perhaps more rest in deep night. Like any other crepuscular
activity animal type if the weather has been bad or food
hard to find then there may also be deep night or daytime
activity outside the burrows.
So, since pet ferrets have been mostly switched over to
be diurnal (daytime activity) even under the best conditions
they get more light than their ancestors, but that does allow
for a great deal of physically and mentally healthy interaction
bonding, and exercise with people.
The ancestral light conditions probably can't be simulated and
still have that great level of interaction, but they can be
approached more than they are in some homes when situations
permit with bedding, sleep boxes, covered furniture the ferrets
can go under, etc. One of ours even likes to sleep in a knot
tied in opaque black tubing.
These days there is a lot of more light pollution than there had
been in most of the industrialized world (though Australia
has less than many other industrial nations). See:
http://www.lightpollution.it/worldatlas/pages/fig1.htm
and scotobiology resources. In some places it can be moonlight,
auroras, starlight, etc. but in many it is simply light pollution
making the night bright.
--Moderator (SDC)]
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