Hi, I was wondering if anyone could help me with a couple of
problems. First, a neighbor of mine has been trying to locate
a breeder who could supply a white kit with dark eyes. They
are very rare in this area. About 80 - 90% of the ferrets I
know about (which number around 200) are sables, the remainder
are cinnamon or albinos (red eye). I have however seen a
few of the types of ferrets I mentioned, but I have no
breeder contacts to see about the possible purchase of one.
 
The second problem I have has to do with my own ferrets.
I'm moving into a new home. And since my wife and my ferrets
don't get along (allergies) she won't let them into the home.
I have decided to build or buy a temporary shelter in my garage
for them until I can get the moola to build an enclosure off of
my deck which will be heated and cooled. Since my kiddos have
never lived outside of my apartment (the haven't even been outside
for more that a few minutes in over 6 years), what I worried about
is trying to find a design (for purchase or as a building aid) that
they will be confortable with. I live in Williamsburg, VA. I'm
realtively confident that if I place the temporary shelter near
our 75 gallon water heater and place old towells and clothing
in the shelter they can withstand the cold (especially since we
are already past the severest cold for this year) What I'm not
sure about is how they will hold up during the summer (I don't
expect to build their permanent home until fall) I know that
ferrets are not particularly resistant to heat and high humidity.
But I can't think of what to do to keep them cool. About the
only idea I've had so far is to build a box inside their shelter
where I could dump ice, hoping that the ice would cool the air
around them.
 
If anyone has any good ideas, please let me know. If anyone
has any particulary good ideas (like previous experiences)
or knows any info on breeders, please mail me at my address
 
[log in to unmask]
 
Thanks,
 
Marston
 
[I'm not really excited with the idea of relying on the hot water heater
for heat.  Don't even think of doing this if your heater is gas.  And,
you're not likely to be able to get enough heat to make much difference
unless you "bag" both the heater and cage.  I'd be more inclined
to use a cage with a solid bottom and place a small thermostatically
controlled heating pad under the solid bottom.  Plus lots of towels, and
a box with holes for a sleeping area.  Drawback being that you'll have
to clean the bottom frequently to avoid "baking on" the detritus.  In
emergencies, you can use a low wattage light bulb.  With a little ingenuity,
you could use a remote sensing thermostat (eg: "Johnson Controls") to
provide more accurate control of the heater, no matter what type it is.
I have such a unit which I'll be using to control car heaters and such.
 
As for cooling, ice is reasonable for emergencies, but doubtful for
long-term.  Until you have a long term solution, I think a compromise
with your wife is in order.  CRL]
 
[Posted in FML issue 0722]