Denise,
 
i understand your situation.  pittsburgh is not a FFZ, but the apartment
i am renting is.  i have found it necessary to use a few precautions in
hiding my two year olds, little and big, and my 12 week old ferret,
bartok.  even though not the best methods of hiding a ferret, i will
tell you the things i do.
 
i have two cages, both big, one a little more than the other.  the first
thing i do, is make sure there is always ample supply of food and water,
shirts and other socks and such for comfy bedding, and a mostly clean,
if not totally clean litter pan.  (when hiding ferrets, it help to make
sure they are completly happy in their cages ... this ensures less
scratching and noise in general.)  even though the landlord does not
barge in the apt. every day, i am sure to take precautions untill
~5:00pm, or what i think the business hours are.  when they come
knocking and yelling "we would like to show the apartment!" jamieson and
i go into action.
 
i cut a large cardboard box up to conceal a cage in one corner, (it only
has to look like a box from the front and top, right...heeh heeh) both
covering the cage in the front, and providing ventilation in the back
(just do not keep the cage smack up against the wall in the corner.
with the other cage, the bigger one, i decided to let a little
un-tidyness do the job.  i have a huge pillow that i place on top of the
cage, then i throw a few blankets, some socks (ahem ferret toys) and
dirty clothes (also ferret-toys) over the pillow.  the pillow not only
keeps the blankets away from the cage in the front, but stops socks and
such from fallin down in back of the cage (it gives them air
circulation).  we then of course run around the apt. hiding ferret
shampoo, linatone, and other various incriminating artifacts.  this
takes about 1min. if you are lucky.  toss on a shirt in-side-out and a
pair of boxers and you are off to do the "you guys always wake us up"
routine.  i also conceal them this way when i go out before five.  it is
not the best thing to do, but they seem not to mind it too much.  they
get lots of love and play-action when we let them out.  oh, if you do do
this, beware, when you let them out, you have amazingly hyper ferrets,
and extremly cute.
 
good luck!  (oh, to the other FMLers, i just want to say that i will be
moving soon, thusly eliminating the concealment problem.
 
jon-anne, jamieson
little ferret (who just had surgery)
big ferret, and bartok (aka baby, aka jaws)
 
        ...wandering just what ferrets are constantly looking for.
 
[Posted in FML issue 0874]