This is to answer the anonyous question e-mailed to me from Arizona about
how I keep my ferrets cool in the desert.
 
I don't use air-conditioning; don't even have it in my car.  The shock of
moving from an air-conditioned vehicle to the hot outdoors is too stressful
(for me; I don't know about the ferrets).  I don't transport the bounders in
a wire cage; I use an extra-large pet-porter (the kind for really big dogs)
painted reflective white.  (I cut a sheet of masonite to fit across where
the two shell halves mate, creating a bilevel enclosure.  Hammocks are hung
from the roof.  The floor and the masonite are covered with an outdoor
carpeting that resembles grass.  A port-a-potty is in the back of the ground
floor).  This ferret-castle is larger than all but the largest wire cages,
and at considerably less $$.  (about 50 buck for everything, including the
reflective paint) It is easy to maintain, clean, and even sterilize, and the
little guys can't hurt their teeth biting the plastic).
 
When it is really hot, I fill a plastic tub with ice (blocks are better
than crushed ice), and cover it with several layers of terry-cloth towels
for them to lie on. I also take away the food dish; metabolising food
creates heat.  I make sure there is plenty of water (at "room"
temperature; resist the addition of an icecube. Not good.)
 
Ferrets pant to lose heat; they lack sweat glands over the majority of
their body, so I use an atomizer to simulate "sweat".  They recognise the
bottle, and line up for a good spritzing, bumping into each other to see
who will be first.
 
The biggest trick is to place closed-cell foam mats (the ones used by
backpackers) on the floor prior to putting the cage in the vehicle.  Even
in air-conditioned cars, the floorboards can get VERY hot, so while you
are in relative comfort, the fuzzies are soaking up the heat.
 
With the foam pads and the reflective paint, and a breeze from the window
blowing through the cage door, my furry friends have never had a problem.
 
The only time I have ever had a problem with heat was when I took my
beasts out of the big cage, and placed them in a smaller pet-porter to
carry them to my motel room. In less than two minutes, in close contact
with each other, they started to overheat and pant.
 
I don't recommend this type of travel for very young or old ferrets; I
leave them at home.  I have taken to buying those tourist decals and
applying them to the bottom section of the pet-porter.  (I also carry
five gallons of water and a cellular phone.  Even good cars break down.)
 
One advantage of the pet-porter over wire cages is that it is hard for
outsiders to look in and see what you have.  Great for sneaking through
California....)
 
Bob the Ice man
Moose, Stella, Daye, Tori, and Bear.
 
"Life is for the living; the dead never have any fun." C.D.
[Posted in FML issue 1351]