>From:    Lim swee ho <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Plastic bag as sleep sacks for ferrets?
>
>I had a problem with my ferret sleeping at times in his litter pan.  He's
>sort of stopped since I thrown in a hard plastic bag with the handles
>snipped off and a hole cut at the base.  I have been examining the bag to
>ensure nothing gets chewed off or eaten.  Gizmo is thankfully not a
>chewer.  I am waiting for the latest shipment of ferret sleep sack which
>are due in a month's time.  Gizmo enjoys the bag for its crackly sound and
>sleeps happily in it but its a temporary toy for him....
 
Ah ha, finally a subject about which I can comment with some authority...
I think that most here will agree that in general, plastic sacks or bags
are not appropriate toys for weezuls... though I will admit that I have
let my (now three) weezul gurlz play with them on occasion.
 
They really do seem to love the mysterious insides and the wonderful
crackly noises - but, a word of caution.  Ferrets - even those who are not
"chewers" - can and will play with a plastic bag so hard as to tear it to
shreds.  The odds of this happening rise exponentially with the number of
weezuls playing with the bag.
 
Please remember that even though Gizmo isn't a chewer and so far has been
good with the plastic sack - all it takes is one episode to create a
disaster that could be either expensive or lethal.  And this could occur
while you are out of the house or sleeping.  I wouldn't worry so much
about Gizmo chewing and swallowing plastic - thereby giving him a
non-biodegradable, plastic "hairball" which could cause an intestinal
obstruction... but the real risk is strangling and asphyxiation.  A
plastic bag with a hole is a little polypro noose waiting to strangle
your Gizmo.
 
Instead of using a plastic bag for a substitute sleep sack... give Gizmo
one of your old (worn while you sleep and left unwashed) tee shirts or
sweat shirts.  He'll love it - it's all soft and cuddly and it has the
added attraction of smelling like mommy!
 
I discovered this tee shirt trick ages ago when taking my weezuls to the
vet on a cold day.  That hard shell pet carrier seemed so cold and
impersonal - and even though it was a short trip I didn't want them to get
chilled.  So I took off the sweat shirt I was wearing and stuffed it into
the pet carrier.  I have never had a calmer car ride with the weezuls and
by the time we arrived at the vets, they were all soundly sleeping -
cuddled together inside the sweatshirt.
 
Since then I have used this trick many times - even on very long
(multi-day) trips by car to visit friends in Montana.
 
If you don't have a suitable tee shirt or sweat shirt to use for this - go
out and buy one or two - wash them before wearing and then sleep one night
wearing the shirt - and then give it to Gizmo for a sleep sack - I'm sure
that he will like this better then the finest sleep sack you can buy...
cuz the store bought ones don't smell like his mommy!
 
Just my two bits...
 
Capitan El Perro Loco & the Weezul Crew
(now consisting of Nefertiti, Wilhelmina & Rockie - the best crew any
skipper could want!)
S/V Marsha Edmonds - aground for the winter on the shores of Lake Superior.
[Posted in FML issue 3645]