Concerns for the cold:
I live up in the great white north, and talk about cold!  Well, it's
funny... sometimes we have better weather than Florida!  Where I live we
start feeling the temperatures drop around this time... September, but are
blessed with Indian summers on occasion in October making fall a beautiful
and warm month.  Otherwise, the kids are trick or treating in a few inches
of snow.  Late October through to January is the time for mild winters and
by February we are having blizzards and -40 C (and F) temperatures.  By
the time June rolls around, it can still be a little nippy but finally we
get our warming trends once again.
 
It is obvious to me that global changes have directly affected the times
when we would get snow and when we get sunshine in our part of the country.
Last Christmas, I was wearing flip flops on my feet through to New Years as
our weather was so mild!  But I do digress...
 
I wanted to give you an idea of the climate of where we live.  I do not
turn on my thermostat until October which is usually when the temperatures
really drop around here.  I turn my thermostat off in April, which can
still be on the cool side but I hate to pay the ever rising fuel costs
when all I need to do is bundle up by wearing a sweater.
 
Generally speaking the rule of thumb is that if you are comfortable the
ferrets are too.  But I can tell you from the many years of adjusting the
thermostat, that ferrets still fair well, if not better if allowed to live
in cooler temperatures in a home.  I do this for two reasons, firstly, a
ferrets coat changes are linked to light length in a day, but the thickness
of their fur is linked to temperature.  I have personally experimented with
this and I can tell you this is my observation.
 
When the ferrets live with the temperatures never dipping below 20 C (about
72 F), their coat goes through colour changes (due to daylight length) but
does not get overly heavy and thick.  When the temperature is allow to dip
to 16 C (64 F) they naturally compensate by growing thicker, fuller under
fur.  The difference may not be noticeable to every one, unless you are
looking for it.  I've also noticed that they tend to shed less than those
ferrets raised in warmer homes.  We keep our home around the 18 C (68 F)
during the day, and let it drop to 16 C (64 F) at night.  And no, I don't
live in an igloo, just in case you're wondering.
 
The second reason that I let them live in the cooler temperatures with me,
is that they are healthier for it as it seems to boost their immune system.
Bacteria in general cannot thrive in cold environments (they love warm and
moist environments mostly).  The ferrets are rarely, if ever, sick.  And
should they get sick they recover more quickly than those ferrets who are
raised in temperatures that were consistent to them all through the year.
 
I always supply my ferrets plenty of warm blankets (you can get great
blankets at the local thrift stores for cheap) and if they do get too cold
they always snuggle with hubby and me under the covers on those brisk and
nippy nights.  As our home also houses foster ferrets which sometimes come
to me sick.  These sick ones are placed in a room in the house that is
always warmer than the rest.  Sick ferrets should not be subjected to
cooler temperatures.  They need to maintain a decent body temperature in
order to aid the recovery of their illness.
 
Poop on the rug:
Bob Church has written on the very subject and I would recommend accessing
the FML archives for the full explanation.  But in a nutshell, Bob talks
about how ferrets need to mark their territory as a sign for others to know
who is where.  Your ferret is pooping in the area that is a high traffic
area - the front of the living room door.  You cannot stop her from doing
this natural behaviour but you can help ease your stress of it by firstly,
accepting that this is a behaviour that you cannot change, and secondly,
laying down newspapers, a plastic runner or some other material that makes
clean up easier on you.  Laying down new smells will only encourage her to
mark this area more or worse yet, move to another area.
 
Betty and Her Blur O'Fur
For the love of ferrets...
[Posted in FML issue 3185]