A little while ago, someone here suggested using vinegar to repel ferrets,
and many people reported back that it worked really well.  Since Mina loves
to dig at the carpet, we gave it a try.  She HATED it - she'd get a whiff of
it and run off sneezing and shaking her head.  We thought "Victory!" and did
our own war-dance of joy.
 
But as you all know, victories for us NH are short-lived.  Mina must have
referred to the FLO manual for methods in dealing with noxious substances.
She began with the desensitization technique, where she'd go up to the
vinegared carpet spot, scratch for a few seconds until she couldn't take the
smell any more, and quickly back away.  She gradually increased the time she
could spend in close proximity with the vinegar.  The next technique
employed was nose avoidance.  She'd go up to the smelly spot, stretch her
front feet out in front of her as far as she could, turn her head to the
side and pull it back as far as she could, and proceed to scratch.
 
Having combined these techniques for about a week, she is hardly bothered at
all by the vinegar anymore.  As a matter of fact, she gets it all over her
feet because she scratches right after we spray it.  So the victory goes to
the Marinated Mina!
 
Vanessa ("if I sprinkle some dill on the vinegar, will Mina have dill
pickled ferret feet?")
Mina and Josette
 
And one more thing, add another name to the list of people who got eczema
after getting ferrets.  Chris developed eczema a few months after we got our
first ferret (Mina).
[Posted in FML issue 1682]