Just a few comments on various posts over the past two days:
1. Re: ferrets and cats - I have both, the ferrets were there first.
There was a dominance struggle and their interactions were closely
supervised initially (only common sense when introducing any new critters -
including the small human kind) until I was assured they had worked out a
truce.  They never became "friends" (I could bore you with my theories
there, but won't) but they don't ever attack or try to hurt each other.
I have had the problems mentioned in one post with "sharing" litter boxes
and food though and this is what I did: the ferret room (my bedroom) has a
screen door with the bottom half covered by plexiglass with a ferret-sized
hole - the cats can't get in to eat the ferret food but the ferrets don't
see it as a closed door so don't dig at it; I feed my cats twice daily
rather than ad lib, so there's usually not cat food around for the ferrets
to snack on; I put plastic carpet protector beneath/around the litter boxes
which makes cleaning up ferret "accidents" and loose cat litter much
easier; I also put the heavy duty kind beneath doorways that ferrets like
to dig at to protect the carpet; I've used plastic boxes with lids and
ferret-sized holes as litter boxes that the cats can't get into.
 
2. Re: ferrets and mice - in short, it's advisable to prevent your domestic
animals from interacting with wild rodents for a number of reasons
including: if your ferret eats a poisoned mouse, your ferret could be
poisoned; if the rodent bites or scratches your ferret, the wounds could
get infected; the rodent could be rabid or have parasites that could affect
your ferret.  That being said, I realize you can't prevent interactions you
don't see.
 
3. Re: fleas - When living in Galveston, TX (flea and mosquitoe paradise)
I had a company called Flea Busters treat my carpets with what I recall as
a mix of diatomaceous earth and boric acid.  They have a machine that
pounds it deep into the carpet.  I never saw a flea (or cockroach) after
that and my ferrets suffered no reaction to the treatment (note they were
out of the house during application because it is dusty during the
procedure).
 
4. Re: vet costs - it varies greatly by region and clinic so your best bet
is to ask your local vets what they typically charge but, in my experience:
adrenal surgery at $400 - $1200 (the latter was a quote from a "designer"
clinic); blockage removal about $500, routine vaccinations with check-up
$35-50, blood profile $65-120, x-rays $60-90, ultrasound $120-200.  I was
the person who posted about my now 8 year old ferret costing me about a
dollar a day when all costs (including food, toys, etc.  and two recent
surgeries) were averaged over her lifespan so far.  And I do consider that
a very small price to pay for all she gives me in return.  But I also wish
I'd had the foresight to start a savings account in her name the day I got
her!  If only I'd put away as little as $30/month (probably the equivalent
of what I spend on 20oz bottles of diet Coke from the vending machine at
work), the credit card companies wouldn't be my beneficiaries.
 
And that's my 2 cents.
-Tammy
[Posted in FML issue 3104]