Hello All!
 
I wanted to send this message to Jodie and Kim and everyone who has lost a
beautiful loved cutie to an accidental death.  It is always true that we
blame ourselves for carelessness or call ourselves "bad ferret moms", etc.
The truth is, after 20 years of ferret experience, ferts get into
everything - even the most ferret-proofed house isn't completely safe, and
it's NOT YOUR FAULT!  After 15 years of being a full-time road musician, my
partner (Bruce) and I got off the road in 1992.  We had always had anywhere
from 1-6 "kids" with us on the road living in hotels full-time.  We were
always aware of our surroundings and ferret-proofing.  We even blocked heat
registers after we had heard of a group that was there before us that had
a ferret that got into the next room through the heating vent and crawled
into bed with a woman who thought (of course) it was a rat or something!
It was funny because nothing bad happened and the little traveler was ok.
 
We thought we lost a kid here or there, but always managed to find out
he/she was in a drawer or something, safe and sound.  When we moved into a
house, we decided we would confine our furry family to one or two large
rooms.  So, we built a large enclosed area in the bedroom with plexiglass
and plywood - kind of a high solid fence, where we keep the food and water
and lots of blankets, sleeping bags, etc.  and one litter box.  Bruce made
a square hole in the base of the wall (like a mouse hole in cartoons)that
leads into the next room - our music studio, which is a very large room
with wood flooring - the entryway and living room are on the other side.
All their toys, tubing, more blankets and 4 more litter boxes are in there.
We added a swinging door with a locking hook (in case of cleaning or other
reasons to keep the furballs out from under foot and safe in one area) to
the mouse-hole entrance.  Well, after totally ferret-proofing, I found out
the little crazies could get up on the low window sills (old house) by
reaching and grabbing the end of the window blinds, and climb on high
levels - and we all know that once they get up there, about the only way
down for the clumsy climbers is falling - because jumping isn't catlike for
a ferret.  Anyway, fixing that was pretty easy and all the other little
things you don't expect...there is a solution.
 
My main purpose for rambling on and on is...confining the 7 we have now
(we have had up to 12+, we are a shelter for the Eastern Iowa Ferret
Association) to 2 rooms has been pretty much a worry free and cage-free
situation, and I always know they are in there somewhere, in a blanket,
sleeping bag, sack, box or other obvious hiding place.  I can spend quality
time with them, clean the 5 litter boxes 3 times a day, keep food and water
bowl full, find everybody for toenail trims, etc., and they always come
right over to the high fence in either room (plywood and plexiglass - not
closed doors!)when they hear us coming, and stand up to be picked up and
hugged.  We are ALL very lucky to have ferrets fill our lives with joy and
love, and it's too bad for humans who are not ferret families, for they
will never experience what we all know!
 
May all your sweeties dance the Dance of Joy for years to come!
 
Thanks, Shannon
[Posted in FML issue 2986]