April,
 
I am not disputing whether these things go on in certain pet stores.  I'm
just saying that it's unfair for some members to label ALL of the pet
stores as being bad.  I would assume that most of us purchased our
ferrets from pet stores.  I got my Slinky from a pet store.  He was kept
in a glass enclosure, but it didn't have a top on it.  It was very well
venilated and very roomy and too high for the ferrets to jump out of.
Plus they were watched closely.  It wasn't a tiny box with a holes in the
top, but a large enclosure with plenty of room for them to play.  This
was a shop in Pensacola Florida where I got him from.  I don't remember
what type of shavings they used for the ferrets because it was so long
ago, but I know it looked like they kept it very clean.  Besides, ferrets
generally like to use the bathroom in the same area each time if able to,
so it's not as if they are laying in their own urine and feces.  They
usually go in corners whether it's a cage or the floor.
 
To be honest, I didn't realize that cedar shavings caused respiratory
problems in ferrets.  The problem is though I have heard the same thing
said about cat litter from the dust, and people have also said that pine
shavings are bad.  I haven't seen two people agree on this group about
what is best to use, so all the different opinions can be confusing.  I
preferred cat litter with my ferret because he seemed to prefer it over
shavings and it was less messy and less smelly.  You have to remember
that ferrets are natural diggers in the wilds.  My ferret loved to go
outside in his tunnel and dig in the dirt.  He had free roam of the house
too, but we also had a really big cage for him to play in when he was
outside so that he could get fresh air and sunshine sometimes.  Some
people on here are so against ever having your ferrets outside at all,
because of sensitivity to the heat and so forth.  But ferrets NEED to
get fresh air sometimes too.
 
I honestly think that some of the common problems people are seeing in
their ferrets might be due to being kept indoors too much.  A lot of
animals also need grass to chew on to help with furballs, but people
often forget to give them grass when they are kept indoors all the time.
Indoor cats also need sunlight and grass to chew on.  My sister has two
indoor cats that are declawed, but they had a special fence made for them
so they can also go outside and get fresh air and play.  It's not good
for any animal to be in a cage or indoors all the time.  We all need a
little sunshine.  Too much isn't good, but neither is not enough.  My
point is that maybe these problems are not just in what shavings are
used, but other factors too.  But if a real problem has been proven with
cedar shavings I will certainly not use it when I get another ferret,
which I hope to do in the near future.
 
Thanks for your message and no offense taken. :)
 
~Blossom~
[Posted in FML issue 3951]