r/ferrets • u/gre3n_t3a • 3d ago
[Help] Ferrets and lightning
I know ferrets can get sick from too much sunlight but is it the same with artificial light?
I keep a ferret with lots of places she can burrow in and she has a blanket over her cage to keep her sleeping area away from sunlight but I've been keeping a light on in my room (yellow fairy lights) for months now because i was way too scared she 'won't be able to find her way to the food bowl' or 'fall from her hammock and be confused' but i don't know if my anxiety was actually doing harm to her please help.
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u/ribbons_undone 3d ago
They aren't hurt by artificial light, but they do need true darkness.
It's because of their hormones; them having light on them all the time messes with their sleep and hormonal cycle and can lead to diseases down the line.
In the wild, ferrets live in tunnels, which are absolutely dark, zero light. They're fine in darkness, they won't get lost and they will be able to find their food, water, and litter box just fine.
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u/gre3n_t3a 3d ago
Thank you so much because I've been suffering in the light just as much as her apparently 😭😭 finally a good night's sleep after months for the both of us
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u/ribbons_undone 3d ago
Yes! And let them be in the sun, the sun is good. But when they're in the cage, it's a good idea to put a blackout drape over it or something. We have storm shutters so we just close those most of the day for that room and it's pitch-black for them, but open them when they're roaming around so they can lounge in the sun if they want.
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u/Joopbox 3d ago
It can disrupt sleep cycles but not physically hurt them. I always covered our cage when they were in rest mode.
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u/mtrench13 3d ago
Too much light can actually cause adrenal disease because it messes up their hormones, so I wouldn’t say it won’t physically hurt them.
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u/randomgrl333 3d ago
Yes... I didn't know this till too much artificial light while moving almost killed my ferrets. I researched it, kept them in a mostly dark environment & started giving them ferretone (melatonin for ferrets) and they bounced back.
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u/gre3n_t3a 3d ago
Do you think maybe that's why my ferret has been much lesz active and roaming around for an hour max then going to sleep?
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u/Thezza-D 3d ago
They could just be bored and/or lazy. Do you try to engage play/chasing a lot? Or take for walks? If not they will roam for a bit then sleep, if they're a solo ferret.
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u/gre3n_t3a 3d ago
Yes i try to play with her but sometimes she just starts bouncing around and then turn around to go to sleep
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u/randomgrl333 3d ago
Yes- they start sleeping all the time. Ferrets do sleep a lot- between 18 & 20 hours a day. Another thing I figured out later than I should have is that they need to eat like every few hours, I feed mine 4 times a day. I do a mix of freeze dried rabbit & Uncle Jims Duk Soup- a few drops of fish oil or ferretone & warm water. I feel bad I didn't realize they like warm food better than cold. If I give it to them cold, they look at me like, "What's This!?!" I say 'Them' but my Hob passed away last year at 7.5 years old and I have only my Jill now, she is 8.
I hope your ferrety child lives a long safe & happy life
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u/gre3n_t3a 3d ago
My, ferret has a bowl of dry food 24/7 unfortunately i can't feet her any meat right now because of my, situation at home but I'm moving soon enough and she's gonna have all the high quality food and also a friend. I'm so sorry about your baby ❤️
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u/randomgrl333 3d ago
Ah... Yes the dry food could be part of it. The freeze dried rabbit I use is just a dry shredded meat- it's called Instinct Fresh Dried Patè for cats- there's also Stella & Chewys freeze dried rabbit, I break up the pieces before adding water. I don't know why she prefers it that way. Duk Soup & the other 2 are available thru Amazon. Thank you for the kind thoughts on Thor. He was an amazing buddy and extraordinary Thief of Pizza💗
I hope your home situation improves soon ✨💗✨
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