>So, how do you find the happy medium between giving them plenty of rest
>time and keeping them from being excluded?
 
I guess it depends on the household.  Here we have all sorts of dark and
hidden sleeping areas for them which they can go to during out times:
bedding in the far end of a long closet with only the opposite door
slightly open, bedding under our platform bed whose construction itself
keeps out most light, etc.  We also have the cage on a trolley.  For us
that rarely get used (except in vacuuming or when we use any cleansers in
that area but in other households a trolley or casters may be just the
ticket more often.
 
BTW, there are animals with longer known total sleep times and longer
known REM times than ferrets now.  (Ferrets are high for both REM time
and non-REM time.)  The ones with more total sleep time have faster
metabolisms, and the ones with longer REM times were born more immature,
with platypuses now holding the record for the most REM (dream sleep
time in typical human conversations) sleep time among mammals.
 
I wrote this badly:
>with the secondary one trying to clarify if those abusers have
>repeated which Sue says that they haven't yet
 
so I wanted to clarify that what I meant by that is that I consider Susie
to have answered the secondary question with the latest data she had
available.  In case anyone took that to mean that I still had questions
in that area I don't and I am sure that we'll all wind up hearing about
it if new data indicates that the couple is at it again.  It just hit me
today there is room for that alternative reading.
 
Well, I don't personally question the veracity of most rescues and don't
see any reason to do so.  There simply are so many people involved that
the very concept of them being faked doesn't make sense to me.  There
have actually been more "Help my personal ferret" posts which cause me to
have questions.  Now and then there is a post about a rescue for which
there just aren't people involved, or there are new people involved
(which could mean it is the same person using different names) and none
of the established ferret people get anywhere when they seek to give
physical assistance, but when a number of established ferret people are
involved I don't think that any faking or abuse of donations is taking
place at all.  There was one highly questionable rescue report I guess
last year -- can't recall quite when -- when someone who has since
praised a known and prosecuted abuser and who also has since said that
large donations had been sent to rescues when they had not been sent
claimed to be involved in a large rescue but when established ferret
people offered hands-on help the person clammed up.  That one was
questionable.  People can't fake such things when there are a number of
hands-on established ferret people in there, though.  Do I demand an
accounting?  No.  When the primary criterion is in place of many
established ferret people in there working I figure it is time to give
the benefit of the doubt about veracity.  (I just wish we haven't been
without a real income for a year and a half so we could donate, too, but
life is life and we have postponed a number of repairs, haven't bought
things, and are minus a bit of furniture while ferrets get their medical
care so that we don't have to touch our longer term savings for
retirement and major emergencies and have less impact on the rainy day
savings.)
 
My focus here in this specific situation (and we all have different foci,
ALL of which help ferrets) is on finding ways to work smarter than we
have been as a ferret community: getting those bridges in place in place
which will allow cooperation with existing authorities for more
prosecution, improving laws and policies (and therefore the general
ferret community absolutely needing to know which ones need improvement),
getting people to realize that the FML has members who often enough
surprise others with their connections and resources, getting the bridges
in place with general shelters so that ferrets get the right care (like
the wonderful one CB just told about), ferrets in mass resources can be
saved at the same time that prosecution can take place, being able to use
the resources and sometimes medical care of general shelters, etc.  There
*IS* more and more work in this direction being done every day by ferret
shelterers, but a lot more is needed.  Bridges can only help us help the
ferrets.  The more ferrets there are as companion animals the more this
is true, and that has been a topic of conversation for years which is why
there are ferrets shelterers who have already worked and gotten such
essential bridges in place.  The FML is a very smart and very talented
community with useful hidden surprises so the members of the FML wind up
being able to help in ways people never expect till they ask.  The simple
fact, is that FML members and the FML are treasures.
[Posted in FML issue 4302]