Cleaning: What a Chore!
by Margaret Merchant
Every ferret owner faces an ongoing task, cleaning up after the little monsters. It can be a challenge at times, but hopefully these tricks and tips I have picked up over the years will help you out.
One of the biggest clean up problems is that of stray poops. Very few ferrets have 100% hit rate on the box at all times.
Prevent carpet messes by putting clear vinyl carpet runner in the most popular places your ferret poops. It is cheap and you can cut it with a pair of scissors, so you can shape it for just about any situation. It is also excellent for putting under a closed door to protect the carpet from protest pooping and digging.
Another protective measure some use is putting bedding around a box or in a corner. The theory is that they won't defecate in their sleeping place.
I keep a steam cleaner for the carpets. My favorite is the Hoover, because it is easy to use, works well, lasts and it very easy on my back. For spots Hoover makes a small hand held machine as does Bissell. If you can find it Odo-Ban is a great thing to add with the detergent for cleaning the carpets. Some hospitals use it for disinfecting, as it is all natural. I use the Wal-Mart version of the Hoover cleaning solution. It is about half the price and seems to be the same thing. I have trouble with fragrances and using these products does not bother me. You can go back over the cleaned area with clean water only to help rinse out the carpet more. Getting rid of as much solution as you can will also help keep them cleaner (for some reason, detergent residue will also attract soil).
For hard floors- I use baby wipes to clean up fresh messes. They are also good for grabbing up messes on carpets. For dried messes on carpet a small shop vac is great for getting those hard to reach places. For dried messes on hard floors a Scum Buster is a great tool to have. It has different replaceable scouring pads to use. I start with a plastic paint scraper to get most of the mess up Then I use a small container of soapy water along with the Scum Buster to clean the residual off the floor. Then I wipe with a clean wet rag.
Cage cleaning can be the biggest challenge to any ferret owner. You worry about what to use to clean, and some cage designs just flat out prevent you from reaching all the corners.
If the cage will fit into your tub or shower, this is a great way to get dried poop out of places you can't reach. I fold a couple of towels to rest the cage on. These I put just under the corners, so the middle can drain well. This is especially important in a shower, to be sure the drain is free of fabric. Let the cage sit under running water for a bit. The point is to re-hydrate any dried matter, allowing it to be rinsed off by the shower stream. This also makes it easier to scrub with a scrub brush or the Scum Buster, with soapy water since the area is waterproof.
Another way to clean a cage that is too large for your tub or shower is to take it to a car wash and use the power spray. Or buy a power washer for your home.
To disinfect cages, bowls, and water bottles one of the best solutions is 8 parts water to 1 part bleach. For example, 8 ounces water with 1 ounce of bleach added. This will clean just about anything you could worry about.
Bleach is also pretty volatile. It will evaporate quickly so if the surface is dry, it will be safe for the ferrets. I have always cleaned out litter boxes with this solution, just letting them soak and rinsing then allowing them to air-dry. Air-drying is better that wiping, if you can allow for it.
If you worry about using bleach or other products to disinfect hard surfaces, you can purchase a steam machine like the Euro-Pro Shark Portable Steam Cleaner. Appliances like this use only water to clean with and do work well. Especially if you cannot get your cage into the tub or shower. They will get at corners you can't reach from inside the cage.
As for bedding, I always wash mine in hot water, with bleach added. The bleach hasn't done anything to the colors and I know their items are really clean. I also add borax to the wash, this gets rid of odors. You can usually find this in the detergent isle of your grocery store.
No I have no affiliation with any of the products I mentioned here. These are just things I have found over the years on my own and was satisfied with.