I'm also of the opinion that letting ferrets free roam in the car is a
*very* bad idea.  There are a hundred reasons why that I could think of
(leashes getting caught in various things, a flying ferret from a sudden
decceleration hitting the gear shift & knocking it into reverse, etc).
But of course, the reasons I can't think of are even more scary to me.
Even though you tell people not to look for a ferret while driving, to
pull over first, etc..  I highly doubt that a ferret owner will always
ignore a screaming ferret while in traffic.
 
There is no need for a ferret not to be caged while in a car.  If it's a
short (under an hour or two) trip to the vet or family, a carrier is fine.
They will live.  Sure, they might be bored and might end up making a mess
in one carrier, but all they'll do is nap.  Rather they sleep than get
caught and die.  Carriers are not that expensive and can be used for other
things at home like a toybox or a time-out place.
 
If you're going to be traveling for an extended amount of time, invest in
a cage that will fit in the car.  We drove from Massachusetts to Florida in
January of this year, and our two level Super Pet Fun-nel cage fit fine in
my small Ford Escort.  If you don't want to buy a cage that will fit in
your car, leave the ferret at home.
 
As for bringing ferrets into restaurants, the same rules about food stores
apply.  I would be appalled if I was eating in a restaurant where the
person next to me had an animal in a bag.  It's unsanitary, even if the
ferrets don't touch the food.  If you have a big cage in the car and it's
cool or the A/C is on, there is no need to bring a ferret into a restaurant
if you'll only be there a few minutes.
 
Visit my website http://members.aol.com/Raidra/fertravel.htm
for more advise on traveling with ferrets.
 
- Rachel
[Posted in FML issue 3034]