First the cage question- My ferrets are free roam and the main reason
(other the guilt I have the rare times they do have to be confined to
their "condo/apartment") is that they don't play when they are in their
cage.  The might wake up and walk up or down the stairs to see what's
going on, but they mainly just sleep.  That concerns me enough to limit
their cage time to necessary times only.  Has anyone else noticed this
with their ferrets.  They have plenty to do in their cages- they usually
just fill the hammies with stuffed animals and go to sleep though.
 
My adoption story~ Kiki grew up with two cagemates for several years.
Both of the cagemates passed away within a year of eachother and my uncle
(her owner) knew I missed my old ferret that had passed away several
years before so he sent her to me.  She was teribly lonely at first
though.  She liked the two cats, but I could tell it just wasn't the same
for her.  Then I heard about a ferret that no one wanted through a nurse
I work with.  Her brother had bought it on a whim and then left it with
his elderly parents when he moved out and they didn't know anything about
ferrets and no one they knew wanted her.  Of course I took her in no
questiones asked!  Minky Boodle entered out lives at two years old, flea
and mite infested in a tiny rabbit cage full of pine bedding.  They had
put a cat flea collar in the cage in the hopes that it would keep the
fleas away and she hadn't been picked up or played with since the son
left several months before.  She had a really torn up hammie and the cage
reeked of urine/stool.  He nails were so long they were curled under and
I can't imagine how hard it must have been to walk on them like that.
She immediately came out of the cage- (cage and contents were triple
bagged and trashed immediatly!) got a nail trim and ear cleaning and a
nice bath to get all the pine crap and fleas off her.She's our little
bundle of energy and adores her housemate.  (another reason I can't bear
to cage them- I'm sure she spent enough of her life confined!)  She is
such a wonderful member of our family and is constantly amusing us with
her antics.  I can't imagine our home without the two of them and I know
Kiki is so much happier since the addition of her partner in crime!
[Posted in FML issue 4033]