Dear Michael,

While I agree that ferrets need to have time out of the cage every day
and it is the owner's responsibility to provide play time for their
ferrets, there are some times when it may be NECESSARY to keep the
ferrets under lock and key 24/7. I will give you a couple of examples
below, but want to stress that if it is safer for the ferrets to remain
caged for a limited amount of time, the ferret is NOT going to die from
having to remain caged - even if it may think and act like it will.
Sometimes the cage is the best choice.

Example 1. Owner suddenly becomes incapacitated and unable to care for
ferrets. (What if I had been critically injured in my car wreck and
had 5 ferrets that none of the rescuers looked for?) LESSON: Make
arrangements now for someone to be contacted in case you are not able
to care for the ferrets.

Example 2. Natural disasters. Displacement from your home by a disaster
means unfamiliar territory. Would you rather have the ferrets safe in
a cage 24/7 or take a chance they would disappear? When we get a storm
warning of any kind, the ferrets are caged so I know where to find
them. LESSON: Have an emergency plan in place for a disaster that could
occur in your area. Also, if your house burns down, you want to have a
safe place to go for you and your pets.

Example 3. Power loss. In the event you lose power, you may have
someone step on a ferret or open a door and let the ferret out. During
a hurricane, we lost power. I came home one night to my dark condo only
to find a ferret on the stairs. Seems my landlord dropped by to check
on things and did not close the door to the ferret room firmly. What if
one of those ferrets had escaped the house as I was entering? Unseen -
into the dark neighborhood? LESSON: When the power is out, the ferrets
are not.

Okay, there are three examples. Now, for those of you who want to rant
about what horrible people don't let their ferrets our to play at least
2 hours a day every day regardless of the circumstances, go ahead. I
have a scroll key on my computer.

-- 
Renee Downs
"Eventually we will realize that if we destroy the ecosystem we
 destroy ourselves." Jonas Salk
"The most effective way to do it, is to do it." Amelia Earhart
It's amazing how much can be accomplished if nobody cares who gets
the credit!
Ferret Emergency Response, Rescue & Evacuation Team (F.E.R.R.E.T.)
http://www.ferretemergency.org
[log in to unmask]
International Ferret Congress
http://www.ferretcongress.org
American Red Cross
http://www.redcross.org

[Posted in FML 6137]