In response to the bunny questions, I thought I should add my warning.  We
had bunnies and ferrets living in the same house for two and a half years.
They had separate times out, but their cages were in the same room, so they
were used to the smell of each other.  Then one day, I left the bunnies out
when I went on a bike ride.  When I came back I found one of the ferrets
had escaped from her cage.  She'd attacked one of the bunnies and punctured
both of his eyes.  We had to have him put to sleep.  I was paranoid for
months - never letting the remaining bunny out when I was gone and so on.
Then in the summer I forgot and took the dogs out for a walk - and when I
came home, the same ferret had escaped (although she hadn't at all in the
intervening 3 months) and had killed the bunny outright.
 
As much as I love bunnies, I won't have another as long as I have ferrets.
We still have a rat, but he never is let out of his cage unless I am
sitting with him in the same room.  When he is gone, there will be only
predators while we have ferrets.  I wish we could have had them peacefully
coexist, as some people have, but I think this is the exception rather
than the sad, sad rule.
 
On a lighter note - I was reading a book the other day with an article
about California F&G and how they banned piranhas because (and I quote),
"The bottom line is, piranhas eat people."  Perhaps that's the real reason
they're so worried about ferrets.
 
My husband just got a new job, and now we're gone all day, so we've changed
to letting the ferrets have free roam all day - am I the only one who
worries about them so much?  The main problem is that I see less of them -
they play while I'm gone (I think) and sleep while I'm there!
 
Best wishes -
 
Wendy
with Sonnet, Haiku, Jazz, Ballad, Paddington and Lug
The dogs: Ember and Bear (who got stuck on the wrong side of a river
yesterday and I had to wade across to get her.)
The cat Buttons and Snidely the rat.
[Posted in FML issue 3000]