I have a perplexing problem.  My Marshall Ferret Penthouse is not able to
hold one of my ferrets.  She is not a kit, but a six-month-old, 1.7-lb girl,
who the vet said has reached, or just about reached, her adult size.  My
other ferret is a boy, older and much bigger, and he doesn't seem to be able
to get out.
 
We keep the ferrets in their cage when we go to bed and when we're both out
of the house.  So usually, they get between six to eight hours of roam time
a day.  However, they're not allowed to leave the living room, because the
rest of the house isn't ferret-proofed.  At night when they're in the cage,
we leave the door open between the rooms to allow the air conditioned air
from their room to reach our bedroom.  (Yes, they have an air conditioner
in the room they sleep in, and we just have a fan.)
 
Anyway, this morning when my SO heads for the shower, he screamed because
EllieMae had bit his ankle.  So he put her back in the cage (the latch was
intact and Jethro was still in there) and proceeded to shower.  When he got
out of the bathroom, he found her waiting for him.  The cage was in the same
condition as before.
 
So I sat on the couch and watched her, but she wouldn't try to escape while
I was sitting there.  I went back in the bedroom and waited until I heard
rattling and then I quickely entered the room before she had a chance to
fully escape.  She had her head out between the bars and her body in the
cage, but when I entered the room, she stopped struggling and looked up at
me with an innocent expression.
 
I had to take them both out and leave their cage door open for the day,
because I was afraid she would get stuck between the bars while I'm at work.
Even though they are only in one room, I am very nervous.  My SO doesn't get
home tonight until 9 p.m.  tonight, so they will be alone for eight hours
until I get home.
 
I have contacted Marshall's regarding this issue, but have yet to hear back
from them.  I guess I will be buying a new cage soon.  Can anyone suggest a
good cage for small ferrets?
 
Also, does anyone with large ferrets want to buy my old cage?  It's fairly
new (five months old) and in good condition, and I'm asking $75 for it.
 
Re: Ferret-Legging -- Whenever I wear loose pants, my ferrets love to crawl
up them and bite my legs!  I cut up and old pair of jeans and gave it to
them, but they think it's a poor substitute!
 
Donna,
EllieMae, (I'm an Escape Weasel!)
and Jethro (How come she gets out? -- Oh, my head's too big!)
[Posted in FML issue 2379]