I am exceptionally lucky lucky lucky.  I have a yard for my kids which is
enclosed on all three sides by the house and then the 4th wall thick tall
brick with a wrought iron gate covered with plexiglass.  I cannot emphasize
enough, most of you all know how I campaign so strongly for rice or
sandboxes cause ferrets gotta be ferrets some of the time, the wonders of
the ferrets having some outside time.  They go crazy jumping and twirling
and digging.  They have their outside playpretties too, a couple of
tunnels, a doll house, a ferret ball but its the digging that is the most
fun.  I have learned little things like NOT fill in the holes with
sparkling white rough rocks and cover with dirt thinking they will leave it
alone - it only causes the stones to be flipped all over and stand out like
a sore thumb (I sill go for a pretty yard) and just this morning learned
you do not fill their holes up with water thinking they will leave it
alone, oh golly have I learned that lesson but I have hopes they will dry
out and the mud will fall off.  Sure I can hear you say, why don't you just
fill the dirt back into he hole they dug - cause they work twice as hard to
clean out what you messed up and go even deeper, out of sight.  But its a
safe yard they can stay in unsupervised for hours (the brick fence is
almost shoulder high and the gate is wedged and tied and secured - I am
always here but don't have to sit out there with them).  I think it took
this yard for me to realize how happy it makes them and knowing this, if I
didn't have this yard, I would want to find a leash or tie that would give
them some outside time and make myself use that time to sit out there with
them and read a book or do something to make sure they got this enjoyment
and were safe.
 
One warning though: if you have a routine of a certain time of the day they
are to go out, there is no way to explain to them it is raining and they
must skip a day or two.
 
Millie and her landscaping, plant moving, revising Noble Cleaning Crew
Easy Off: the most perfect ferret in the whole wide world
Ammonia: I can fly, I can fly, and I don't need Mighty Dog's cape either
Cascade: Dizzy, Darling, don't you want to come over and swing in my
         hammock, hummmmm
Ajax:  Please Joy, let me go play with the girls, I don't wanna be
       tucked in my hammock, pleaseeeeeeeeeeeee
Dizzy: Hey Grandma, can I have an extra Cherrio, I want to give it to
       Cascade where she'll have something else to do besides me.
Joy:   When you are a little older, Ajax, like 6, we will talk about you
       having more time with the girls.
Febreze: Zip, zip, zip, boy you all tire out so fast, lets go it again
Prell:   Whomp, take that and that, gotcha first, I knew you didn't look
         friendly, I just knew it, you were going to get me.
[Posted in FML issue 2646]