Hi Tryntje and FMLers:
 
I totally understand panic with bugs.  My Sassy (rest in sweet peace with
Ricky, sweetie) was bitten by a spider of some variety last summer, and her
face got seriously swollen.  She was also lethargic, and I rushed her to the
vet.  Turned out she was fine, but the vet told me that in pets small like
ferrets, these bites can be fatal if the spider bites on the nose, shutting
the nasal passages, as ferrets aren't much of mouth breathers.  Also, with
severe reactions, their throats could be swollen shut.  Needless to say, I
panicked.  I'd seen these filthy beasts (watch out for those that
cross-subscribe to the Spider Mailing List <g>) several times before, but
all of a sudden they weren't just annoying, they posed a potential threat to
my BABIES!  I've always been one of those wierd people that wouldn't kill a
bug unless absolutely necessary, and all of a sudden I was armed and
dangerous.
 
What I decided to use, after searching for other options, was Raid Ant and
Roach Killer, Country Fresh type, even!  Now, I will not recommend you use
this product without first moving your pets out of the area.  However, it
does NOT say on the label to remove pets from the area before using, it only
says to cover fishtanks.  This was the only product that didn't say to move
pets, so I thought I'd give it a try.
 
So far I can only sing the praises of this Raid product.  It says it is for
ants and roaches.  I have neither of these pests, but I have not seen a
spider since, and just last month we developed a disgusting, awful flying
beast problem (I call them fruit flies, but I don't know if that's what they
were, all I know is I came home from a ferret show and found my ceiling
black from all these beasts on it---uugghhh!)  So I zipped the ferret cages
into the next room, opened the windows, hung a blanket in the doorway to
help keep the fumes from migrating, held my breath and sprayed.  This
non-bug killing woman became hell on wheels :-)  I literally watched these
flying beasts as they fell straight to the floor and died.  One treatment,
no more bugs.  I let the room air out for about two hours, just to be safe
even though the product doesn't recommend any airing.  We had no reactions
from the 11 ferrets or the 9 cats that also prowl our home, but those bugs
sure had a big shock.
 
If anyone out there knows that this product is not good for ferrets, I would
like to be alerted, of course...but in the mean time, I think it's a great
solution to these creepy crawly beasts.  (Is there a Creepy Crawly Beast
Mailing List?)
 
Wishing you a Bugless New Year,
Kymberlie Becker Barone
Director, Pennsylvania Ferret Rescue Association
"Forget Puppy Love...There's nothing Greater than Ferret Love!" TM
http://home.sprynet.com/sprynet/ferretlady
[Posted in FML issue 2179]