There is no way I can stress the importance of this enough.  If you want
to know more about how the cleaning products you use may be killing (yes,
really) your ferrets, you could start at
http://www.drrapp.com
Dr. Doris Rapp is a pediatric allergist who is devoting her retirement
(ha!) to educating people about what we are doing to our children.
Everything she says about children goes at least double for the ferrets.
 
Be especially conscious of floor and carpet cleaning products.  Your
ferret is down there inhaling those chemicals.  Remember, if you can
smell it, you are inhaling it.  Thankfully, it is easy to find natural
cleaning products these days.  Sun and Earth, Seventh Generation, and
similar products are made from natural ingredients and will not harm
you or your fuzzies.
 
Chemicals cause cancers.  Many tumors are actually formed around toxins
(see Dr. Rapp's books, Your Toxic World and Is This Your Child's World?)
Plastics and related chemicals are responsible for hormonal changes
(hmmmm.... adrenal disease?) in children (early puberty in girls, low
sperm count and deformed penises in boys).
 
Don't be attracted by perfumes, either.  Bird people don't burn scented
candles or use air sprays at all.  They also don't use non-stick
cookware.  If it's bad for the canaries, can it be good for the people
in the coal mine?
 
Laundry products are very important.  In your case, your skin is your
largest organ and it absorbs everything you put on it.  Ferrets groom
themselves and bury their faces in their bedding.  Dr. Rapp says Tide and
Downey are incredibly toxic, causing more allergic reactions than all the
other products.  All fabric softeners are a bad idea.  They coat fabric
with chemicals that rub off on you and your fuzzies.  If you want to add
a nice smell to the laundry, put a little vanilla extract in a little
water and soak a clean rag or cloth in it.  Throw that in the dryer with
the clothes.
 
Don't blow this off by saying, "Everything is bad for me.  There's
nothing I can do." Try this: "Many, many things are bad for me.  At least
there are some easy and important things I can do." You have the power
to make a few good decisions that will mean a lot to you, your family,
and your ferrets.
 
Blessings,
Judith
[Posted in FML issue 5203]