When Sebastian made it over the barrier we had originally erected for him,
we gave up the idea of barriers and gates altogether.  This is what we did.
We had an old hollow-core door in our basement that we had scrounged from
the community dumpster.  It turned out to be perfect for our purposes.  My
husband cut it down small, about the height of a half door.  You can use an
exacto knife to cut through the veneer, leaving relatively smooth edges, and
a saw for the wood parts on the side.  You can narrow it to fit the doorway
you have in mine.  We cut an inch off the edge that does not have the block
for the handle, then took out the 1x1 wood edge and stuck it back into the
new edge.  We also did this with the newly opened up bottom and top edges.
Then, with about $10 worth of hardware (hinges and a doorknob), we hung it
at the top of our stairs.  (You do need a drill for this, and we don't own
our home, so my husband chiselled out a piece of wood and screwed it into
the wall for the latch).  Anyway, the whole thing was practically free, and
it looks much better than a duct-taped baby door.  The ferrets can't get
over it, but you do have to master the art of closing a door quickly, but
slowly, if you know what I mean.  If you want more coherent instructions,
contact me via email.
 
Hot weather: What a queer time to discuss this subject.  Here in Michigan,
most people don't have central air.  We don't even have a window
air-conditioner.  So, last summer, when it got up to 100 degrees (I can't
believe it was ever that warm, it's been -20 lately), we had to be pretty
creative to keep baby Sebastian cool and comfortable in our house.  We found
that he loved to lounge in front of a fan directed at his cage.  When we
were not home, we put him in his cage in the basement.  (I'd rather restrict
his freedom than come home to find him...you know) We also found that he
loved to play with wet washcloths, and if you squirt water at his mouth with
sufficient skill, he will drink.  With plenty of water, and a fan blowing,
he did just fine in the more moderate 90 degree heat.
 
Pictures: I've been trying to photograph the fuzzies lately.  I've noticed
that ferrets don't seem to take very good pictures.  I think it's because so
much of their personalities are expressed when they are in motion, and most
of us love to sneak up and take their picture when they finally settle down
and stop moving.  I've developed a few techniques for getting them while
they are moving.  I have a "fishing-pole" style toy that they love.  I get
my camera in focus, with plenty of daylight so I can open up the F-stop all
the way, and have a fast shutter speed (400 speed or faster is good for the
film).  Then I focus the camera on a likely looking spot, and lure the
ferret to that spot with the ferret pole.  I'm still waiting on a lot of
these pictures, but I think I got some pretty good action shots.  This is
all probably a lot easier with autofocus. :)  I also found that a good
deception for a cuddly picture is to have someone pose with the ferret in
thier lap.  Have them feed ferretvite or something while you focus and
adjust lighting, etc., then on the count of three (or something) move the
treat away and make a weird noise so the critter looks at the camera.  I now
have proof for the world that my Mortimer is a cuddle bunny (not!).  Does
anyone else have photography suggestions?  I find ferret shooting to be
quite a challenging sport.
 
carpet digging: I recommend pepper.  It comes in all colors, so you should
be able to match it with your carpet.  (ie white pepper for light colors,
black for dark, red or cayenne for red carpets) If you're lucky, your ferret
won't develop a taste for the stuff.  :)
 
-Catherine Shaffer
[Posted in FML issue 1468]