Hi all:
 
Here I go again, getting on my soap box.  You all need to bear with me, I
have seen/heard/even done some horrible things and as a result I believe
that I know from where I speak.
 
This time my post is for all of you out there that don't cage your ferrets.
It is not meant for any one of you out there, but I have read countless
posts on this list from people that don't cage their furries, and I've
decided that I can't hold my tongue any more.
 
I didn't always cage my ferrets.  I've come to learn that's deadly to
ferrets.  Now I have a "ferret room" in my home that is literally 4 walls, a
square room, and cages.  There's nothing else in there except toys, not even
any cords, etc.  Despite that, my ferrets are still caged, but they each get
runtime every day.  If I can't watch them closely, runtime is only in the
ferret room, but even then they still go back in their cages after runtime.
 
There is no such thing as a ferret proofed home.  A room, *maybe* but
definitely not an entire house.  I've had a ferret chew through an
electrical wire and die as a result (rescue ferret).  My precious Lady
Lillian (Lilly) died when she fell between a wooden cage and the wall, had a
seizure, went into shock, and wasn't found for hours.  I found her before
death, but not in time to save her.  My Shadow, before I started to cage
him, escaped my home through a screen door that was knocked off the track at
2 a.m.  one night.  Three days later I found him, but I was lucky.  I can
tell 1000 stories--many gruesome.  No matter how responsible you are, no
matter how well you ferretproof, your ferret can die.
 
Ferrets sleep up to 18 hours a day--I'm talking this is what they *want* to
do, not what they can tolerate. Six hours a day of runtime is heaven to
many ferrets. Caging your ferret at night and when you are not home is *not
cruel behavior!* They enjoy cages, as they like small cozy areas to sleep
in. Jeez, when my ferrets are out for runtime, and they decide to take a
snooze, they choose to sleep in a tiny pet carrier with a towel in it. A
nice 2 story cage is more than adequate when your ferret is sleeping. If
you find this cruel, buy a 3 story or a ferret barn. They don't need it
(but hey, I spoiled my guys and they all have 3 stories...)
 
Your ferrets will prefer to be out when you are awake and near them anyway.
Let them out for an hour in the a.m when you're getting ready for
work/school.  When you get home, let them out again.  If you want, let them
out the whole time until you go to bed...that's more than enough time for
them to run and play...in fact they won't even be able to stay awake the
whole time.  Ferrets just like to sleep.  They sleep, eat, poop, sleep, wake
up, poop, play, then sleep again.  They're ferrets.
 
If you go out, put your ferret in a cage!  He might be cranky for a minute
when you put him in, but then he'll think...ahhh, a NAP...sounds good!
 
Ferrets get bored doing the same thing all of the time.  There are no homes
that do not have potential dangers in them.  Refrigerators, recliner chairs,
sofas, washers/dryers, toilets, waterbeds, cabinets, under cabinets, holes
in walls, screen doors, window screens, fans, styrofoam, rubber, the list
goes on and on and on.... every single person reading this list has caught
their ferret doing something that could potentially be dangerous.  You
stopped him and he survived.  Next time he does it it could be while you're
sleeping or out of the house.  WHY would you take this risk???  It is no
healthier for your ferret to not be caged part of the time.  In fact, it's
much worse.  Please, PLEASE anyone out there that doesn't cage their ferrets
(or have a SAFE ferret proofed room, I mean that is used for NOTHING but
ferrets) RECONSIDER what you're doing.  I'm just thinking of the safety of
your ferrets!
 
In conclusion, I'll tell you about something that happened last Friday.
Three of my ferrets were upstairs in my living room/kitchen while I was
watching TV.  It was almost midnight, and I had to pick my fiance up from
work at midnight.  I heard a commotion in the kitchen, a ferret was
scratching at something.  It was one of those bad nights, tired from work,
and every 2 minutes the ferrets were getting into something that I had to
check.  I ALMOST ignored this commotion, figuring that it was nothing, and I
stood to get the keys to go get my fiance.  He works 2 minutes from my
house, so I wasn't going to put the furballs away.  I heard the scratching,
and at the last second I went to check.  Patches had gotten his head wedged
between a bookcase that stands in the corner of my kitchen (at a 45 degree
angle) and a box that was against the wall.  He had pushed the box with his
head out from behind the bookcase and somehow had wedged himself in there.
He couldn't breathe.  He was frantically trying to get out, but he's fat and
just couldn't.  I rescued him just in time.  He seemed to black out for a
minute, wouldn't move, and then he seemed to come to, and started to cough.
Guys, if I hadn't checked that annoying scratching, he would be dead.  The
next day was the ferret show, he won 2 first place ribbons.  He almost
didn't live to see that show.
 
There is no such thing as a ferret proofed room or house. Just because your
ferret hasn't found that *one thing* that could kill him doesn't mean that
he won't. Don't let him find it when you're not around to save his life,
PLEASE!
 
Kymberlie Becker
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 1935]