Hi all FMLers
I don't know what it is like in your part of the country, but our weather
channel just said that the wind chill outside here (at 3:30 in the
afternoon with the sun shining) is -24 below zero.  Eee-gads!  that's cold.
The old furnace is getting a chance to do what it is designed to do.  I
wear no socks or very thin ones on my feet and dress fairly lightly in the
winter time for a very good reason, I think anyway.  I can best judge what
it is like for the ferrets who are on the "floor level" after all aren't
they.  If I put on shoes and socks and dress really warmly, I would not be
able to detect that the little ones are really much cooler or even cold
down there.  They cannot wear socks and shoes, and they will have a much
more difficult time keeping warm and healthy unless we are aware that the
floors and especially the outside wall floors and corners are much colder
when the thermometer drops like it is doing.  Some ferrets will relocate to
warmer places.  Some ferrets will not because they may not feel at ease
sleeping in different places than they usually do.  Some ferrets are older
and have hair loss and may not have companion ferrets to cuddle up to and
help them keep warm.  If ferrets sleep in cages or condos, we need to make
sure they are located near enough to a heat source.  Get some thermometers
and find out what the actual temperature is where your ferrets are
sleeping.  Although your thermostat (which is at least mid way between the
floor and ceiling usually) reads 72 or so degrees, it may be well below
that where the little fuzzy people are living!!  If their tails and feet
are cold when they get up, they are not nearly warm enough.  Without
thermometers it is impossible to know for sure anyway.  Be sure to use
ferret safe thermometers or locate them out of the reach of the ferrets
while still getting them close to their place of sleep or their beds, I
mean.  If your ferrets are sleeping all the time, they may be ill or just
trying to maintain body heat and do not want to be up because the floors
are too cold for them.  They use a lot of energy keeping warm and may just
eat and sleep.  Dress lighter and kick up those thermostats if needed,
unless you live in south Texas or Florida or parts of Calif where it is
warm all year round in which case I am so jealous of you I can hardly
stand it.
 
I live in the land of Oz and there are no posies blooming around Dorothy
and Toto right now, only icicles.  I have changed the water in the birdbath
3 times so far today, trying to give the birds and neighborhood squirrels a
drink they don't have to chip out to get.  Oh well, starting tomorrow, the
days get longer and that means we are getting closer to spring and that
gets even we Kansans by for now.  The high temperature here on Christmas
Day is supposed to be in the teens.  We are just thankful that they are in
the plus and not the minus temp range.  Have a merry, merry Christmas and
remember all your little fuzz people with warm beds, extra ferretone and
lots of love.  Jan and the ll footwarmers at Gracie's Place in the Land
Of Oz.
[Posted in FML issue 2532]