A number of people have suggested keeping ferrets out of the box springs by
fixing a fitted sheet underneath the boxspring.  I tried this a few weeks
ago, and the little destructo-monsters actually managed to dig a hole right
through the sheet!  I didn't know they could do that!  So I went to the
fabric store and bought seven yards of the sturdiest, glossiest material
I could think of (glossy, so they can't get a claw-hold into it).  The
fabric I chose just happened to be a very pretty forest green color, and
the saleslady asked me if it was for a wedding.  HA!  Anyway, I spent an
evening with a staplegun, and now have a boxspring completely encased in
glossy green fabric.  So far it seems to be keeping them out.
 
The fitted sheet was only one in a series of failed efforts to keep the
little monsters out of the bed.  Over the summer my husband and I had to
remove the frame from underneath the boxspring to prevent them from going
in from underneath.  We then went away on vacation for a week, and when
we came home we found one of our doggie slippers with its head sticking
out of the side of the bed.  Apparently while we were gone, the little
mischiefs dug a hole in the side of the boxspring, and our ferret sitter,
not knowing what to do, plugged up the hole with the most appropriate toy
he could find.
 
By the way, if you do decide to staple your bed closed with a sheet, make
sure there are no toys in there.  I found their favorite "mouse puppet"
stashed away in the springs as I was sewing up the bed.  I should mention,
too, that staple guns and thread are also useful for couches.  My husband
and I spent a weekend last year sewing a new lining into the interior of
our couch, and they haven't gotten in there since then.
 
Ferrets are so silly!  All I can suggest to those who have ferrets and
furniture are: thick fabric, staple gun, needle, thread, and a sense of
humor.
 
Take care,
Julie
[Posted in FML issue 3534]