In response to Kiffany's post asking for the pros and cons of Martins
Cages, last week we set up 2 Martins Ferret Condos (F475PVC) and we are
very pleased with them.  This particular cage has three full floors, so
the entire cage can be utilized.  I, personally, am not a fan of the
cages with the balconies, especially for older or medically challenged
little ones.  Each floor has a door which is large enough to easily fit
high-backed litter boxes through.  In fact, I laid floor tile on the second
floor and had no problem getting half my body in there to work.  The cage
is attractive and my husband, who is the one who set it up, said the cage
is very well engineered.  The cage does have to be shipped broken down and
they send instructions and cage clips for set up.  The set up is time
consuming, but well worth it (especially if you have someone else do it!)
I had my cages 9 days after I ordered them and they were shipped from the
East Coast to the West Coast.  And best of all, my crew of 7 have given
the cages their full approval.  I highly recommend this cage.  Let me
know if you have any other questions about them.
 
In response to Ardith's post asking why having 3 ferrets was recommended, I
will share my experience with my first two boys 12 years ago.  Fletch &
Odie were from the same litter and were extremely bonded.  When they were
7, Fletch died of cancer.  Odie acted bewildered for about a week, and
after that he simply lost his will to live.  He stopped eating voluntarily,
stopped playing, and there was absolutely nothing I could do to interest
him in living.  He died 3 weeks later, apparently of a broken heart.  I
have since read that males seem the most likely to bond this closely.
The theory of having 3 is that when one goes, there are still two left
to comfort each other and you can then hopefully add a third that is
compatible with the remaining two.
 
That is just an explanation of the "three theory"; only you can decide the
number of ferrets right for you.  From your post, it sounds like you are
putting a lot of thought into how many you can handle, and that kind of
thinking is one of the most important things you can do for your ferrets.
 
Posted anonymously to protect the innocent "wild" ones in California
[Posted in FML issue 3455]