greetings from Eden,
 
Our2 boys are free roam, and have helped us to ferret proof pretty well over
time.  About the only time they get shut in is when we have too many guests
over to keep track of them.
 
Because of the layout of our house being freeroam means they also have
access to the kitchen, which is certainly where the most thought has gone
into protecting them.  Our refridgerator was purchased in part because it is
completely sealed across the back, and has a grill across the vent on the
bottom.  Our stove was also chosen because it doesnt have enough room to
crawl underneath.  If I had kits or a small girl we might have to rethink
this, but for the boys it's good enough.  The cabinets all either close
well, or we have installed childproof latches, One of the other tricks we
discovered is that if we keep the chairs tucked in at the table they cant
actually get up there At least so far.  the bathroom is pretty straight
forward, close the toilet & dont leave breakables or heavy stuff on the
counter because Misha loves to knock stuff down from there :-> The living
room is their playland; that's where we keep the 20 foot dryer hose
stretched out, and they can play king of the mountain in the pillows on the
couch.  I've put al the knick-nacks up too high for them to play with &
we've wired the fireplace screen shut so not only cant they use it, but
neither can we... the temperature in the house is pretty well regulated snce
we have a good heating system for winter, and we broke down & bought an
air-conditioner last summer (I'd never have done it for just me & Bill, but
the boys were so uncomfortable....)
 
Of course there's still the occasional problem.  Bill forgets and leaves
mugs on the bedside table for them to knock over, occasionaly they pick a
"wrong corner" to use etc, but overall it works for us and I just hate
locking them up during the day - even when we had the worlds coolest biggest
ferret cage, if we put them in there they would give me the look... I
couldnt take it.
 
The one remaining worry that nags at me, rational or not, is what happens if
someone breaks into the house?  Assuming they didnt get stepped on (what
burglar is going to think there might be an animal sleeping in that blankie
lying on the floor, or care?) I dont think yr average housebreaker is going
to close all the doors tidily behind them, so I worry about the boys getting
out & becoming lost or worse.
 
still I think it's worth the risk to give them such a huge play space.  Of
course if I had a different house, or hadn't been remodelling my kitchen
anyway which gave us the chance to buy "ferretproof" appliances i might
think differently...
 
Eden and her 3 guys: Misha, Lemke & Bill (the human one)
 
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[Posted in FML issue 1837]