I just read the post about insecticides.  I'm pretty sure that boric acid
is not harmful to ferrets.  As far as I know, it really doesn't have any
fumes.  Actually, most insecticides don't have fumes, the fumes come from
the solvent used in the spraying, not the insecticides themselves.  The
solvent fumes can give me a nasty sinus headache, so that can be rough on
those with allergies.  Gasoline fumes also give me a headache for pretty
much the same reason.
 
If you understand how boric acid works, it helps to alleviate fears.
Boric acid is very effective in killing roaches, the most effective thing
there is for roaches, because they do not develop an immunity to it.
However, it is pretty harmless to other creatures.  Some eye products use
boric acid.  If it's save enough to use in a human's eye, that's pretty
safe.  The way it kills roaches is that it gives them gas.  Roaches have
no way to expel gas, so their insides sort of rupture.  Disgusting I
know, but that's how it works.  Since pretty much all animals are able to
pass gas, it will not kill them.  Now, I'm not saying it's a good idea to
feed it to them, as I'm sure it would cause considerable intestinal
upset, but it's not going to do permanent harm to an otherwise healthy
animal.  For that reason, it's also useful in households with very young
children.
 
The one thing I despise in my house is a roach, so I have boric acid all
over the place, and regularly apply it.  If it would kill ferrets, mine
would have died long ago.  My oldest ferret is around 6 years old.  I
can't answer for other insecticides.  I also don't know if boric acid
is useful against other insects besides roaches.  I suspect not.  It
obviously doesn't harm ants, because I do get ant problems from time to
time.  I hope this information is helpful.
 
Holly,
Tigger, Pooh & Sprite
[Posted in FML issue 3944]