I hear so many stories of ferrets getting lost, but though I have had
a number of scares, I have never lost a ferret. Have any of you had
this good fortune? I wonder if it has something to do with living some
distance away from other houses -- they can find their way back pretty
easily?

My new house in Ethiopia has a much smaller yard -- this one is 1.5
acres, and that one is 1000 sq meters. Of course that is a good-sized
lot, but I am sad to be losing a life in lots of space On the other
hand, the advantage is that it is small enough to fence. We are putting
up a 2-meter-high corrugated metal fence, sinking it 6" into the gound
so the dogs wont dig out. The smooth metal should keeo the cats in.
There are wonderful trees in the front, with a large space in the
middle, and that is where I will put an outdoor ferret enclosure.

The cats have never been enclosed and they will not like it, I am sure.
But I dn't want some hyena to get them!

Addis is 8,000+ feet up in altitude, so though Ethiopoia is in Africa,
the weather is temperate -- very much like the SF Bay Area. Our house
wil be in "the highlands" outside the city, another 1K or more up in
altitude. Lots of trees and fresh air. It's a solid old house, made in
Haile Selassie's time, and is made of brick and stone. I doubt I'll be
able to make a hole/tunnel through any exterior wall for the ferrets,
and the windows all have wooden shutters, but you can bet that I'll
find a way.

[Posted in FML 5641]