20/06/2026
PLEASE KEEP AN EYE ON THE WEATHER NEXT WEEK - Areas in South of England and Wales may experience temperatures in the MID 30S FOR AT LEAST 48 HOURS... Its extremely important to ensure your ferrets are kept cool in that heat - even if it means indoors in cooler rooms in the house rather than hot outdoor hutches and sheds where the hot air can stiffle.
Unfortunately ferrets dont deal with heat well, and can suffer quickly from HEAT STROKE when temperatures reach 28-30+deg.
Symptoms: The ferret will start panting heavily and may become limp and listless. Eventually the animal will pass out and die.
Treatment: You must bring the ferret’s body temperature down, but not too low. Do not chill the ferret or it may go into shock. Soak towels in cool water and lay them over the ferret (stomach and feet are good places to help with cooling) or partially submerge the ferret in a basin of tepid (not cold!) water. If the animal is conscious, encourage it to drink water, Pedialyte, Diorolyte (both available from chemists in neutral flavours) or Lectade, if available.
Seek veterinary assistance immediately even if it looks like the ferret is recovering as it may be dehydrated or be suffering from other complications.
TRYING TO KEEP COOL
Frozen bottles of water with a teatowel to wrap around the bottles inside nesting boxes can help cool the air down in there; a cold slate/marble tile for the ferrets to lie on; a water bowl to go in the cage (yes, it may make a mess, but it will allow the ferrets to splash water on themselves when hot and is easier to drink from in the heat than water bottles). Travel fans can help to blow air through the cage BUT dont actually cool the ferrets as they dont sweat so a small water spray (such as those you use for spraying indoor plants) can help by frequently spraying cool water onto the ferrets or a hose very lightly sprayed into an area of their run. Also encouraging the ferrets to drink during the heat, so a weak treat of very liquid cool RCC or by simply drizzling ferret oil on the water will also help keep your ferrets hydrated and cool during the hottest part of the day.
Some people use large white sheets supported on poles above hutches to offer extra shade from the sun, and spraying a light mist of water during the day to keep the sheet damp can also help cool the air.
If in sheds make sure is you can that doors and windows are open to let air through (wire mesh secured to the inside of the window frame will stop your ferrets escaping through the window.
If it gets too hot outside for your ferrets then please do consider bringing them into your house if its cooler indoors until the temperature outside drops to below 26deg C again.
To keep ferrets cool in the house hanging white sheets infront of windows will help reflect sun away from the window but let some air in. If you have electric fans placing a large frozen bottle of water infront of the fan will blow the air over the frozen water and help cool the air down as it blows around the room. Many of the the above tips also apply. Placing frozen water bottles in cages wrapped in teatowels or pillow cases gives them something cool to lie against, a marble/slate/granit slab also provides coolness. A shallow tray of cool water to wade and splash in can help the ferrets cool themselves down. DO KEEP CHECKING ON YOUR FERRETS even in the house, heat can build up in rooms :(
