TO: [log in to unmask]
 FROM: Colleen Wei
 RE:  Plastic gate
 
I'd said: attached wooden strips against (my ferrets
bedroom) door jamb making a vertical gulley through
which I slide a  24"wide by 24"high (although one could
make the dimensions whatever you want) clear (so they
can see through it) sheet of  hard plastic (with decals
so they don't run into it)
You said: NEAT!! I'll be doing that too! Where did you
get the plastic? Hardware store?
 
There's a place called "READ PLASTICS" near my
neighborhood.  If you don't have one near you, actually
I don't even know if Read is a chain store or not, in
the yellow pages, they're listed under the headings :
"Plastics-rods, tubes, sheets, etc.-supply centers"
And they're also listed as the local distributor for
ATOHAAS NORTH AMERICA (whatever that stands for) "If it
doesn't say Plexiglas ask again" (I guess that's their
motto...?)
I really like the fact that my guys and gals can be
restricted to  their room and yet not have the air flow
stopped up by having to close their door.  (Somehow
heat doesn't reach closed up rooms, even when there's a
vent in there...??)
The only drawback is the plastic is not all that light.
and have to be careful to keep a firm grip on it as I
slide it and they're nearby - - if they trip me or make
me drop it, it could be guillotine-ish if they happen
to be in the wrong place. I'm working on the idea of
attaching a handle to it.  Maybe drill some holes in
the plastic and attach a couple of cabinet pull handles
to give a sure grip.  Or maybe could get the plastic
place to cut oval handle hole near the top  so I could
put my hand all the way through and around it rather
than having to just grip it like a sheet of paper
between my fingers.
 
[I take it you're referring to a sheet of plexiglass
plastic.  If it's heavy enough that you worry about hurting
the ferrets with it, I suspect that you have too thick
a piece.  The stuff is also _quite_ expensive relative to
how much you get.  Let me suggest 3/16" or 1/8" plexiglass.
Since particularly the latter is likely to be rather floppy,
I'd suggest a frame.  Eg: buy lengths of 1x1 or so wooden
trim, cut it to "frame" (on one or both sides of the edge)
the sheet of plastic, then screw it (heads on the plastic
side) onto the plastic.  This gives you hand holds, reduces
the guilotine effect, as well as something to put holes for
retaining pins (or something) to keep the sheet in the door
without falling.
 
Sorry... Couldn't help it.  I post too much to misc.consumers.house
and rec.woodworking.... ;-) CRL]
 
 ----------------------------
U sd: they go about their business til I'm cooking
dinner or in bed with a migraine..when they decide to
jump on the headboard and find and DUMP my 7-Up right
over my head...
 
Yeah! Isn't it amazing how they seem to just KNOW when
you're about to take a nap or open a box of stuff you
don't want them getting into or just settling down to
concentrate on something.. and lo & behold they appear,
eyes wide, legs stretched high, nose butting at
you...Personally I think they simply must have ESP.
You know several times I've actually had this
experience: One day I suddenly realize they haven't
done something naughty in a while that they used to do
on a daily basis (climb a certain chair to topple
what's on the table, or dig at a certain plant, or
well, you know). I simply have the thought.  And the
very next time they're up, they go do that very thing!
The first time that happened I laughed at the
coincidence. The second time, I must have looked like
how a dog looks when he's baffled - stock still, head
tilted to one side...  The next time, I just shrugged
and made up my mind not to think anymore!...
 
 -----------------------------------
 
RE: Food
 
U said you'd tried Max Cat and they turned up their
noses . I found the MaxCat to be too big, too hard for
their little mouths to crunch -  (difficult to imagine
considering what we find when they decide to be
"crunching " other things - the non-edible kinds of
things) I had to give the barely opened bag of Maxcat
to a friend with cats (cats wrote back thank you and
added there were very few things too big for Their
mouths...)
I have fed mine all of the following  - Pro Plan
growth, Iams Kitten (more protein in the kitten
formulas), Dad's regular, Max KITTEN, and Sci Diet
growth. Also tried Ferret Chow.
They seem to most like the Pro Plan. Then the Iams.
Recently taken an affection towards  Dad's (maybe its
the doughnut shape...) Max Kitten isn't all that popular
but they don't really shun it.  They came to always
choose the others over Sci Diet, altho at first it
wasn't like that.  AND THEY HATE FERRET CHOW...(can't
say I blame them..that pellet shape in and of itself
looks terribly unappetizing...)
 
Currently their mixture is Proplan, Iams, Dad's and
Maxkitten. (Although I found that the smaller girl
ferret kept getting the food with the holes in the
shape (Dad's and Max Kitten) caught in the roof of her
mouth) So she gets a bowl of just Proplan and Iams
Kitten.)
 
I like to feed them a mixture. Just the idea of the
monotony of shape or simgle nutrition of using only
one. This way, maybe if one food lacks somehting the
other will make up for it...?
 -----------------------------
 
Colleen Wei
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[Posted in FML issue 0631]