Fellow Ferret Walkers (and Wannabees):
 
        Over the past two-and-a-half years I have purchased five, yes five,
     different harnesses that are supposed to work for securing a ferret
     comfortably and safely to a leash.  Of the first four, I did manage to
     return one for a refund.  The other three I "ate" since I tried to
     slightly modify them to work better than they originally did.
 
        These first four harnesses/leashes were the Velcro type straps, the
     belt-buckle type strap, the belt-buckle-without-the-pin type strap and
     the Robin (of Batman&Robin) mask that the ferret's legs go through
     both eye holes (that's the one I immediately returned for a refund).
 
        The Velcro type I sewed snaps on to make them more secure.  that
     was a joke!  The belt-buckle type I added more hole to make the
     harness more snug.  And the other buckle type I cut off the excess
     material which ruined the capability of getting the frayed end through
     the buckle opening.  That Robin-mask was made for a large lizard and
     thought it was worth a shot.  Ha!
 
        Well, I'd like to let you know that i have found the best harness,
     yet!  The harness is H-shaped and has these tiny quick-snap buckles
     (like on a knapsack).  Once on the ferret and adjusted, you'll only
     need to unsnap the buckle to remove it and never adjust it (unless the
     ferret grows/shrinks) again.  Also, I've found the easiest way to put
     on a harness is to close the end that goes around his/her neck and
     push the loop over their head.  That way you only need to wrestle
     these guys/gals to close one strap.
 
        Anyway, I found these harnesses in a local pet store and hadn't
     seen them in any of the other shops in my area (so, 1 out of 6 carried
     them).  I'm not sure who distributes them in you area, but they are
     made by:
 
                Marshall Pet Products
                5740 Limekiln Road
                Wolcott, NY 14590  USA
                (315) 594-1760
 
        The harness/leash is called "Ferret Harness Lead Set" and the UPC
     on the label is 66501 00004.  BTW, this is not an ad as I am not
     receiving any kickbacks for sharing my findings with all of you!
 
                                        Regards,
                                           Al
 
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Al Braunstein                         The Johns Hopkins University/
(410) 792-6000                        Applied Physics Laboratory
(301) 953-6000                        Johns Hopkins Road
extension: 3981                       Mail Stop 13-s313
email: [log in to unmask]     Laurel, Maryland 20723-6099
 
The above comments are mine and mine alone and may not necessarily
(but probably do) represent the opinion(s) of any other group or
individual.
[Posted in FML issue 1120]