Hi Cecilia-

>From:    Cecilia M Cretarolo <[log in to unmask]>
>
>It's going to be a simple wood and wire pen. Each corner is going to
>be a wood post that will have rebar attached to the bottom so it will
>be secure in the ground. The sides and possibly the top are going to
>be covered with 1" chicken wire that will be covered with metal tape
>on the ends to avoid any injuries. I'm thinking about trying to get
>my dad's girlfriend to make a nylon top for it like the ones for the
>little playpens. As for the bottom, we may or may not have it covered.
>it really depends on how the ferrets react to being able to play on
>real dirt. If the bottom must be covered, I'm going to try and keep
>it simple with a tarp for extra stimulation and for ease of cleaning.

You should not use chicken wire for a pen. The strands are very fine,
and can actually cut into the ferret's feet when they climb - and they
will indeed climb. A better choice would be the heavier stuff with
rectangular holes, usually called "hardware cloth". However, you must
also deal with the fact that ferrets call this stuff "Ladders". One
trick is put a strip of quarter inch plywood, at least 6 inches wide
over the wire at the top inside of the pen. In other words, simply add
a layer of plywood directly on top of the wire. That way, when they
scale the side of the pen they will get to a six inch wide zone with no
steps in their "ladder". The plywood needs to be at the top, so they
can't simply reach up and grab the top edge to pull themselves up.

You also said you were trying to figure out a gate. I suggest you use
what I use in my house to separate my rooms into play areas. I fasten
two strips of quarter round vertically to the door frames a little over
a quarter inch apart. Then I simply slide a piece of quarter inch
plywood into that slot, which creates an easily removable barrier/door.
The door needs to be fairly high, so the kids can't jump up and reach
the top of it, then pull themselves over it. I solved this issue by
buying some 2 inch PVC pipe (the white stuff from Home Depot), cutting
it to the right length, then sawing through the pipe lengthwise. Don't
cut all the way through the pipe, just through one "side" - you still
want to end up with a single piece of pipe, with a split running down
the edge of it. Now - pull the split open and put the pipe across the
top of the plywood. You end up with a nicely rounded, very slippery top
to your slide in gate. The pipe also makes it a lot more comfortable if
you just step over the gate. Instead of a rough, unfinished edge of
plywood, you have a nice smooth piece of pipe.

[Posted in FML 6404]