Taking a more mustelidaemorphic view of things, a ferret as an animal
has certain needs. Bob Church's regular postings on enrichment have
illustrated this very clearly. It is the responsibility of a pet owner
to provide for those needs. Every day isn't perfect, that's a given.
But those needs shouldn't be dismissed lightly or regularly. If a
ferret is an animal that needs a certain amount of physical and mental
exercise every day and an owner cannot routinely provide the time and
opportunity for that exercise, then I think the owner should really
consider whether ferrets are really the best pet for them. When you get
a dog, you do so knowing that the dog needs to go outdoors at regular
intervals every single day, rain or shine, whether you feel good or
not. It's no different for a ferret, except that the consequences of
not letting a ferret out of its cage are less messy than the
consequences of not getting the dog out of the house regularly and
hence easier to ignore.

I don't usually step into these kinds of discussions, but I feel
strongly about this. I don't cage at all and feel that I have had
happier, healthier ferrets for it, but I can understand that for
some people, circumstances do require cages. However, a cage is a
convenience for the owner, not a preferred lifestyle choice for the
ferret. A responsible ferret owner has to meet the ferret partway and
understand that as a specific type of animal it has specific needs.
That is the responsibility of taking any kind of animal at all into
your home. They are what they are, and our needs and wishes and
convenience won't change that.

Regards,
Regina

Badriya al-Badi'a, Raqs Sharqi and Gothic Belly Dance:
http://users.rcn.com/badriya/

"Beauty will be convulsive, or it will not be at all."  --Andre Breton

[Posted in FML 5749]