>Becki Kain wrote:
>does anyone have experience with baseboard heating with ferrets?  I'm
>looking to buy a house that has it, and I'm a little concerned about
>the kids burning themselves.  Ideas?
 
It seems that every place we've lived we've had baseboard heating.  The
ferrets seem to be respectful of the heat factor.  A bigger concern is
the holes in the walls where the pipes go through.  Where we are now,
we've nailed small pieces of wood to the wall under the heating units
to cover those holes.
 
Another problem is ferrets getting into the heating units and walking
on the metal fins (ouch!).  Although Sabrina did this when she was very
young, she didn't hurt herself, but it was nerve-wracking when she got in
there.  If there are any gaps, replace the metal housing.  Also replace
any bent or damaged end caps.  Where we are now, everything is new, so
the pipes and fins are well enclosed.  The ferrets were a bit curious the
first week or two, but don't bother with them at all now.
 
If you're still concerned about it, you can do this (I forget who had
suggested this -- maybe Sukie?  -- but it's not my original idea): get
some flexible metal grating material and nail it around the baseboard
units.  Alternatively, you could use metal screening.
 
I hope all goes well. Good luck!
 
--Mary & the Fuzzies
 
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Mary R. Shefferman, Editor, Modern Ferret Magazine
Trixie, Koosh, & Gabby, The Modern Ferrets
Read my blog! http://www.modernferretblog.com/mary
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[Posted in FML issue 4199]