Your Revision Needed

[yellnpsych]

Hi everyone! Just wanted to share and make sure I made wise choices, so please correct any of my mistakes. Today was a wonderful shopping spree for the arrival of Monk.

It feels nice to check some essentials off the list. I bought five yards of fleece for the liners and hopefully there will be enough to make bumpers as well. Also a chiller pad, a dust bath house, Blue Cloud dust, Oxbow Essential pellets, and Oxbow Western Timothy Hay. I want to be specific since I'm not sure if everything Oxbow is considered "good."

The time to become a show and tell member of the Ferret Nation Club is so close. I am having difficulty deciding on what container I'd like for his hay. The hay holder can wait since the water filter and replacement filters are my next essential purchase though, so I have plenty of time for suggestions

 

[Sandi]

I bought five yards of fleece for the liners and hopefully there will be enough to make bumpers as well. Also a chiller pad, a dust bath house, Blue Cloud dust, Oxbow Essential pellets, and Oxbow Western Timothy Hay.

Oxbow western timothy is one of the hays I feed my chins and I also feed them their pellets. The only thing I wouldn't buy from Oxbow is their treats for chins. I think they sold one that looked like cheerios called timothy treats I believe, anyways my chins totally ignored them, not one even tried to nibble on them. Everything else you list is right on the money.

 

[BooBoo*TheKiddo*]

As Sandy said, everything you listed is correct.

As far as a hay holder, have you thought about using a mesh laundry hamper? That is what I use, it works very well.
Also, someone was selling a bag of some sort that was good to use for hay. Seemed like a popular buy.

Assuming you meant something to store the hay in and not something to put it in while in your chinnies cage. =) And congrats on the little one

 

[yellnpsych]

Whoops, my lack of detail, I did mean something to hold the hay in the cage. I planned on buying several plastic organizational containers for food, hay, and the other supplies. I'm even considering making a fleece case for the small vacuum cleaner, I simply don't like looking at it lol.

Right now he is eating a different pellet, something made local I think. Should I purchase what he is eating and slowly wean him off? Or should I explain to him that he is domesticated which means he will eat what is provided?

 

[ChinnyMom]

you could make a little fleece hay bag to hang in his cage, since you have lots of fleece to work with.

for Rhino's hay i use a large-ish metal coop cup hung off the cage bars, and a thick glass kitchen canister (small size) laid on its side on the cage floor.

as for the pellet that your future chin is currently eating, could you get the ingredients and nutritional analysis for us? we could tell you if it's a good pellet or not from that info. if it's a good pellet, then i'd buy a couple pounds of it and do a slow switch over the course of a few weeks onto the Oxbow (1/4 oxbow and 3/4 old food the first week, half and half the second week, and 3/4 oxbow and 1/4 old food the third week, fourth week would be all oxbow). if it's a really bad pellet then cold switch to the Oxbow right when you get your chin.

 

[yellnpsych]

I believe this 'Shoots' is where she gets the pellet, but I can't find nutritional information because they don't sell their pellet to the public, or so it seems. The breeder will be giving me a starter pack of pellets and also offered $25 for 50lbs of feed.

 

[addictedtochins]

In the meantime you can use a soup can for the hay holder. Use sandpaper to remove all sharp edges and since you seem to be a decorator you can use elmers glue to glue a fleece cover around the outside of the can. I use a zip tie to fasten it to the cage wall.

 

[ChinnyMom]

the Shoots pellet is Dr Koch's formula. i've heard good things about it. I have also read that the Shoots ranch will sell feed to people. just send them an email. if you can get this pellet easily and on a regular basis, i'd keep the chin on it.

 

[fbodgrl]

Whoops, my lack of detail, I did mean something to hold the hay in the cage. I planned on buying several plastic organizational containers for food, hay, and the other supplies. I'm even considering making a fleece case for the small vacuum cleaner, I simply don't like looking at it lol.

Right now he is eating a different pellet, something made local I think. Should I purchase what he is eating and slowly wean him off? Or should I explain to him that he is domesticated which means he will eat what is provided?

I had a thread a while back asking what people used to organize and store stuff in. It may be helpful for you if you want to search and find it.

I use coconuts for hay holders. I have 2 different "styles" and I use 2 different types of hay.

 

[VolunteerChin22]

I dont use hay holders in most of my cages - they just end up throwing it everywhere anyway.