The though of loosing a loved pet to a fire has me scared.  That is why as
soon as I could afford it, I had a smoke alarm installed that was directly
connected to the local (1/2 mile) fire department.  Insurance will replace
our home, but not our ferrets or cat.
 
>Keeping your cages on floor level and just a few feet high, could save
>your ferrets life in a fire.
 
A low cage is not necessarily the best choice for protecting pets though.
Two common household killers smoke and carbon monoxide are both LIGHTER
than air and will rise.  In those cases, confining your pets to a low
area can protect them.  Unfortunately there are numerous killers that are
HEAVIER than air.  A few examples: Propane will settle to the floor and
run in invisible streams to the lowest place in a home.  Propane posses
two problems for animals - suffocation and explosion.  Carbon Dioxide is
another odorless gas that can easily kill in large doses.  Entire towns
have been wiped out when a CO2 surge has flowed through a vally,
suffocating every person and animal within 20 feet of the ground.  In
some areas of the country, flood waters can rise several feet in just a
few minutes.
 
Some basic criteria for a good place to locate a cage might be:
 
   1) Well ventilated (but not cold/windy/hot)
   2) Well drained (i.e. not a low corner in a basement)
   3) I like to have light and dark areas available
   4) A location where the ferrets are a part of your life, not secluded
 
I'm sure there are plenty of more great ideas about cage placement out
there.
--
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             Bryan P. Coffey - Sudbury, MA
                  [log in to unmask]
       http://www.gis.net/~bpcoffey/furball.html
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[Posted in FML issue 3112]