This is my first post to the list, and I was delighted to find the FML.
Although I've only been on a week or so, I've already learned a great deal
just "lurking."
 
I have a 10-week old gib named Stimpy, and live in a duplex that I estimate
to be of post-WWII vintage, i.e., late 1940s. I wonder if anyone has any
practical tips on where their ferrets have found unsuspected places to get
lost (or hurt!) in older homes. I am doing the usual, of course, checking
closets, baseboards, cupboards, around major appliances, entry points for
pipes and wiring, and I also hope to keep my little guy forever banned from
the attic. I would never be able to reach him if he got stuck in the many
unreachable places there. Any tips or personal experiences would be wel-
comed.
   Regarding the survey of ferret owners to track lifespan, causes of death,
et al., I would add a word of caution. Conducting such a survey on the FML
is likely to be unrepresentative of all ferret owners. Bear in mind that the
people on the 'Net are computer literate, share information regarding prob-
lems with each other, have access to advice from Dr. Williams and others,
and probably have more education and resources with which to care for and
treat their pets and make them happy and healthy. In epidemiology, that's
called a "selection bias," and I'd suspect that ferret owners who partici-
pate in FML have healthier and longer-lived ferrets than other ferret owners.
This doesn't mean the survey won't be useful. It sounds like a good idea, and
I know other ferret owners with backgrounds in statistics and epidemiology
who would probably be available to help with advice on analyzing the data.
Nonetheless, the results may not apply just the same way to ferret owners
who aren't as well informed...or, as the auto manufacturers put it, "Actual
mileage may vary."  :)
   --Jeff Johnston, UNC, Chapel Hill, NC ([log in to unmask])
[Posted in FML issue 1276]