Several years ago, my mother gave me an antique tiger oak wooden roll
top desk.  I love that desk.  Well, so do the ferrets.  I couldn't work
at the desk without them always clammering to get on it or in one the
drawers.
 
Finally, I gave in and emptied out the bottom drawer so they could go in
and out of it and sleep in it.  Well, soon enough they found they could
get under the drawer and have a romping good time there.  So, I had to
set up underneath the drawer for sleeping and playing ferrets, putting
down a sheet to protect the carpet, one of their beds on top of the sheet
and then little throws or blankets for them to curl up in.  They were
very happy and content ferrets.
 
That is, until they began exploring even more.  It seems this antique
desk has wooden bars in the back that hold each of the drawers in place.
The ferrets soon learned how to climb the wooden bars and make it up to
the other drawers.  Sigh.
 
The other drawers only had about an inch space between the top of the
back of the drawer and the bottom of the next drawer.  That didn't stop
these adventurous guys.  They were squeezing their way into the drawers
and ripping and tearing through everything.  I worked hard at blocking
the back of the drawers with pieces of wood, thick cardboard or making
the drawer very full.  It was to no avail.  I do not know how they could
be standing precariously on these wooden bars at the back of the desk in
pitch black and still manage to work their way through my blockade in the
drawers.  It was nothing short of amazing.
 
So, not having any luck with that, I cleaned out the remaining three
drawers and let the ferrets have all four drawers and under the bottom
drawer.  We put sleep sacks and such in each drawer and they always
crashed in the desk when they were out of their room.  It did make it
easier for hunting them down, since they were using the desk all the
time!
 
We read a lot of articles on care of ferrets, of course.  There has been
a lot written about the need for the ferrets to have complete darkness
for long periods.  The ferret room, their own bedroom, though it has
very heavy and insulated curtains, does not get completely dark.  So, we
decided that since they love to sleep in the desk and the desk gives them
the complete darkness, we would let them have my beloved antique tiger
oak wood roll top desk.  We moved the desk into their room and they
couldn't be happier.  I, on the other hand, am having to make do with a
desk half the size of the one the ferrets sleep in!  Triple sigh.
 
Debbie
[Posted in FML issue 5019]