Comfy couch bed from Crusher's comforts

The comfy couch bed is a novel design unique to Crusher's comforts. It comes in a sofa shape and a range of colours so that your ferrets can relax in style!
There are four colours currently available; Midnight blue with tiger print, Sunshine gold, Flame burst red and beige with leopard print fleece.
I picked the beige with leopard print as it fits in with our own décor better than any of the others. They are all made from pet friendly machine washable materials. Ours has fleece on the inner parts and a corduroy like material on the out-most sections.
The website specifies it as being 14" in length, however when I took measurements ours is 13" in length. The bottom cushion that the ferret sleeps on is 10" long and 9" wide at the widest point. The beds have four stretchy black straps that measure 3 1/2 inches in length. The ring that connects them to the 3" metal clip is 1" in size. So you're looking at an un-stretched length of about 7 1/2" for these straps in total. The bed has a front support strap that is 1" wide.
The metal rings are handy as they mean you can remove them and the clips before putting the bed in the wash.
Lets have a look at this bed then shall we?

Shiro waking up from a nap.

As you can see from my pictures the bed is large enough for my biggest boy Shiro to lay in quite comfortably. It is also large enough for both Alfie and Shiro to snuggle in. I would say that if you have very large males or quite a few ferrets in your group then you may need to request to have a slightly larger one made.

The comfy couches are currently £15 plus shipping. Shipping will be calculated depending on how much you are ordering and where in the world you are. 

To have a look at these beds, and the other great ferret products that they sell please follow this link http://www.crusherscomforts.co.uk/ferret_toys_store#ecwid:category=765007&mode=product&product=3173370 which will take you to the comfy couch page. From there you can navigate away to the other goodies that they have to offer.

Kit watch: 4-5 weeks old

The ferret kits that I have been following from birth are now almost 5 weeks old and as you can see are growing rapidly. Their colours are really coming through, some confirmed colours are Albino, sable blaze, polecat, and silver pinto panda.
They are now starting to experiment with solid foods, though they still rely on milk from mum. One or two of the babies are starting to open their eyes, so this is a really exciting time!
I love receiving my regular pictures of the kits' progress, it's always a big shock to me when I see how much they've changed in a relatively short amount of time! I hope you enjoy seeing these pictures as much as I do.

Dig boxes.

We all know that ferrets love to dig, dig, dig! But what can we provide our beloved furballs with that will enable them to use their digging skills and stimulate them while being safe at the same time? The answer: Dig boxes.
There are numerous materials that you can use for a dig box. To start with you will need a suitable container for the filling being used. You can use things such as strong cardboard boxes, deep trays (like the sort used as children's sand pits) and storage boxes, which come on a wide range of shapes and sizes. The disadvantage of using a very deep box is that your ferret will likely not be able to climb out once it is inside. In this situation you would have to look out for signs that your ferret has had enough of the dig box, such as scrabbling at the sides and a lack of interest. Depending on the material used a shallow box will allow your ferret to kick the filling everywhere, so if you hate the thought of cleaning up after them then I would have the dig box outside in a secure area such as a run.

I personally use sand at the moment for my ferrets, they have theirs in a shallow tray outside (see pics below). If you want to use sand then please make sure that it is children's play sand, the type used in play pits that you can find at garden centres and similar home living stores. This sand is safe for your ferrets to use, it's clean and very fine.
You can use peat, which like sand is a more natural digging material. Please buy just peat that has no chemicals or any other nasties added, which would obviously not be safe for your ferrets.
Some people use rice and pasta in dig boxes. We did try this with our boys but they tried to eat the pasta which of course was worrying! I have heard that some ferrets get along brilliantly with rice and pasta and some just try to eat it. Obviously do not let your ferrets eat this, if you see them trying it is probably best to remove the pasta/rice and try something else. Only use raw uncooked pasta and rice, don't try and use any sort of pre cooked stuff! Dried beans are another alternative that most ferrets don't try to eat.
Some ferret owners have a lot of luck with the large plastic balls that are used for children's play pits, ping pong balls and scrunched up balls of paper. The balls of paper idea is great at Christmas when there is an abundance of paper around the house! These probably work best if used with a deep box so that they can really get a sense of burrowing. You can also use packing peanuts, just make sure that they are starch and not the styrofoam ones, as these can cause choking and/or blockages if ingested.
Shredded paper is another idea, and is a great way to make use of that nasty junk mail!
You can use the seasons to your advantage too, during autumn you can collect the dry fallen leaves and let your ferrets go wild in them!
With the 'clean' materials, such as the play balls and shredded paper you can hide toys and treats inside which will give your ferrets an added dose of excitement as they scurry to stash them!
It would be an idea to change the material that you are using from time to time, to give them a bit of variety, though some ferrets will have a favourite material. Even if you don't change between materials it is still important to replace the contents of the dig box regularly along with frequent checks to prevent a build up of germs and foreign bodies.
I hope you now have some fun ideas that you can put into practice and provide your guys with hours of fun! I hope you like the pictures of my boys in their sand pit.

An example of a rice dig box

Kit watch: 3 weeks old

The babies are now three and a half weeks old, these pictures were taken when they were about 3 weeks of age. The patterns and colours are now being identified with more certainty. The female pinto panda from the last update is in fact a blaze jill. The kits are all still thriving under mum's care. Reservations are being made for the babies already, though there won't be any visits allowed for a while yet as they are still too young.

Cuddle cup bed by Rhett and Co bedding.

As you may know, Rhett and Co make a large range of ferret bedding, in a wide range of colours and patterns. If you don't, then check out my earlier feature that I did for their website http://ferretdook.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/rhett-co-bedding-for-ferrets-of-all.html

I was tempted to buy a cuddle cup from them, which I did! The cuddle cups are cup or bowl shaped beds, made from a really soft high quality anti-pill polar fleece. The bed is around 10" wide, perfect for a couple of fuzzies like mine to snuggle up in! You can of course have one made to a specific size to suit your needs, just contact them with any queries. It has sturdy sides that support your ferret inside the bed, and helps it to hold it's shape, but they are not so sturdy that they are uncomfortable to rest a chin on! The sides are around 4 1/2" high.
As you can see from the photo above, the cuddle cup comes with its own matching cushion and and jingle toy. Unfortunately my boys prefer to throw the cushion out of the bed before they sleep in it! But I keep putting it back in there anyway! So not only do my ferrets get a work out pulling the cushion from the bed, but they have somewhere warm and cosy to cuddle up in afterwards!
The cuddle cup is padded throughout for extra luxurious comfort. As with all Rhett and Co bedding the cuddle cup is made from pet safe materials and fire retardant stuffing.
You can choose to have the bed as a free standing model or a hanging one. You just need to indicate which you would prefer when you place your order. I chose to have mine free standing, so that I could use it inside or outside the cage easily. The free standing bed comes with a spring clip attached to a durable fabric tab. This enables you to fix the bed to the side of the cage to keep it in one place. The fixings that are used with the free standing cuddle cup are a 2mm split ring with a 5mm clip. The hanging cup will have the larger size fixings that are used with most of the other beds such as hammocks. These are 3mm split rings with 5mm clips.
There are lots of colours to choose from including: Rainbow bears, Camo, pigs n bunnies and Tiger print. I chose the Jungle pattern, which has a red background and animals such as Crocodiles, Zebra, Toucan and lions in the foreground.
It is a really cute little bed and is such a bargain. It is priced at £12.50, which includes the bed itself, the cushion, the jingle toy and all straps/clips that are needed to secure it to the cage. Postage in the UK is free no matter how much (or how little) you order. Shipping to the United States is £8, again no matter how much is purchased. Other international customers should contact Rhett and Co for a shipping quote. International customers can now easily work out how much products will cost them using the on-site currency converter tool, which can be found on the homepage.
You can have a look at the cuddle cups and the colours available here  http://www.rhett-and-co-bedding.co.uk/cuddle-cups/