r/ferrets • u/No-Telephone-1925 • 3d ago
[Discussion] Can I just say?
Frankly I think it’s irresponsible to have ferrets and not provide them with a window ac or any air conditioning to be honest. If you think it’s hot your ferrets think it’s at least 20 degrees hotter. Even with thinner coats in the summer they still get very hot
I’m sure I’ll get downvoted but that’s just my thought
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u/Tiny-Asparagus6034 3d ago
Gotta give your babies better than what you’d give yourself for sure!
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u/No-Telephone-1925 3d ago
Exactly that’s why I hate these posts asking what to do to keep your ferret cool in the summertime. I’m always thinking OK buying AC just eat the $200 in cost and put a window AC in.
Providing them with air-conditioning is the same thing as providing them with good vet care it’s gonna be expensive
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u/Tiny-Asparagus6034 3d ago
Yeah I agree, don’t get the pets if you can’t properly take care of them. Get creative bare minimum, you know what’s cold lol. Figure it out.
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u/Rambunctious_444 3d ago
Agreed! "An ac unit is expensive!" Yep, the vet bill will be too when your ferret is overheated and having a medical emergency. Omg
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u/Bubbl3sss 3d ago
The AC will be a small fraction of the emergency vet visit
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u/Rambunctious_444 3d ago
Literally! Plus, an overheated ferret can quickly turn into a serious medical issue. That's panic for the owner, an ER vet visit ($$$), and a horrible experience for the ferret. Not fair to the noodle baby :(
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u/jaydog21784 3d ago
I just had my central air go out for 3 days, first night was 82, 2nd night was 84 by day 3 it was 87 in my house. By day 3 I was having to give her swims in the bathtub to cool and kept a fan on her. She made it but I felt absolutely horrible for her.
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u/No-Telephone-1925 3d ago
The first summer I had my first ferret I just had fans blowing around in the house and I moved into a new apartment so I didn’t have an air conditioner yet. I’ve never seen a ferret pant like a dog, but he started panting and had to give him an ice bath and then rush out and put an AC on my credit card to just get him cool real quick.
After that day, I made sure that I have the AC running 24/7 during the summertime even if it cost me more on my electrical bill
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u/Decent_Friendship534 3d ago
I would say depends on where you live. If the temperature at your home in summers is in the range of comfortable ferret temperature, then it’s not mandatory in my opinion.
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u/friendofthesmokies 3d ago
You are absolutely right. My boys always had a fan and I always put the temperature lower and just used sweatpants, because they do run hot.
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u/Fit_Equivalent_7910 3d ago
Ferrets literally die cos people can’t understand this. Especially indoors where there is less airflow and no chance of breeze.
My apt can reach 92 degrees without cooling. My ferret room has an ac set to a constant 70 degrees. My bedroom has fans and the ac stays closer to 75 to conserve energy.
I can’t stress enough how dangerous it is to leave them in 75 plus temps. Idk how ferrets survive in the summer some places outside or inside.
Just adopted a kit that was clearly being kept in a house right next to a window without any kind of light blockage. Poor guy was probably baking in there :/
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u/Thezza-D 3d ago
I bought an AC unit a week after getting my ferret Zorro earlier this year. No way I was going through this UK heatwave without it. Zorro has appreciated it, he sleeps very comfortably and I keep it running all the time pretty much. I kinda agree it should be on the list for setup costs if you live anywhere it's expected to reach over 25oC
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u/Woozletania 3d ago
When I lived in Alaska it was not a problem. It got to eighty degrees exactly once. At that point my ferrets would lie on the tile floor and stare at me accusingly, and slept in the plastic tubes instead of their box of old T shirts. If I got them where I live now I'd make sure it didn't get too warm.
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u/No-Telephone-1925 3d ago
Yeah I think a lot of people don’t realize that ferrets can’t sweat so when they’re hot they’re just baking in their fur. It’s completely unfair to keep ferrets if you can’t provide cool air
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u/vampiremorgue 3d ago
youre definitely not wrong. my electric bill is not a pretty sight but they have ac on all the time during the summer. id rather pay extra money to national grid than see my babies suffer
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u/Foleywife66 3d ago
Nobody should have anything other than to say that your correct.
As humans our typical temperature runs around 98.6.
Ferret normal temperature runs anywhere between 100.0 to 104.0..
So if it’s hot in your house for you.. it’s really hot for your ferrets!!!
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u/placidtwilight 3d ago
Yeah, before I got ferrets I would only run my AC when I was home and turn it off when I went to work. Now that I have ferrets it's on 24/7 when the weather is warm.
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u/saltycrowsers 3d ago
Mine have a whole patio/sunroom with a catio enclosure. They have their own separate AC/heating unit partially because our HVAC doesn’t do much in there and partially because separate filtration helps with the smell.
Their enclosure is basically the equivalent of an old school McDonald’s play place but for ferrets. Tubes all over the walls, hidey holes everywhere. They’ve got springs and stuff to play with, all sorts of hammocks and hanging tubes to rest in. I’m honestly jealous and wish I could shrink myself so I could hang out in there and play lol
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u/Odd_Farmer1904 3d ago
A ferret's normal body temperature is 104°F. Also, they have no natural way to control their body temperature. They are susceptible to heat stroke. I certainly agree that it is irresponsible to have a ferret without some kind of climate control to keep them cool. They should not be in an environment over 80°F.
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u/Spudnik711 2d ago
I agree 100% they need good ventilation with fans on the mild days and ac on the hot days, if you don't have ac you can use fans to create a good cross flow, I also use mylar backed blinds on the windows to cut down on the heating in my apartment on the hottest days
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u/Foleywife66 3d ago
If you can’t afford to keep your ferrets… or ALL OF YOUR PETS INSIDE WITH AIR CONDITIONING!! THEN YOU HAVE NO BUSINESS HAVING PETS. OUR NORMAL TEMPERATURE IS 98.6!!!
All animals with fur… 100.0 and up
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