Laura Ellis asks "Any Suggestions?" #1653:
 
>Does anyone have any suggestions on how to block off the clearance between
>the floor and the bottom of a door?
 
Uh-huh, been there.  It's amazing, but some people actually think gnawed
shoes are less attractive.  Talk about your overreactions ... I mean, how
were the ferrets supposed to know they were *Italian* pumps?  Sheesh.  From
Italy, I guess they were.
 
You can fix it quick & dirty with a threshold, but it looks kinda tacky
inside the house.  Another way is to add a piece at the bottom; we
carpenters call 'em "dutchmans." Measure the width and thickness of the
bottom of the door, and have the lumber yard or someone handy cut a 1x or 2x
(depending on the size of the gap) piece of wood to fit.  If the door is
stained, then you should use the same kind of wood, otherwise almost any old
kind of paintable wood will do - poplar, alder, redwood, pine, etc.  The
dimensions will probably wind up being 1 3/8" x 30" x 3/4", or somewhere in
that neighborhood.  Now pop the door off the hinges and glue & nail said
piece to bottom, lining it up with surfaces of door.  Sand, prime, paint (or
stain), and voila.  Basically, you've just made the door longer.  If you
have central air be sure to leave at least 1/2" of gap or the
heating/cooling won't work very well in that room.
 
I know the longtimers don't need to be told about a ferret's opinion of this
type of modification, but Laura might.  Anticipating a hissy fit from your
brood, I'd recommend that you first protect the flooring on the ferret side
with something disposable like a plastic mat or non-residue tape.  They're
gonna be a little tweaked - my guys acted like barbarians for a couple weeks.
 
On the legal front: The late talk about ferrets for adoption has me
wondering.  I've been telling our reps that ferrets are supported by private
shelters to the extent that adopters outnumber adoptees.  Is this assertion
untrue?  How many shelters out there have more than ... say 5 adoptable
ferrets?  What's the average wait for the ferret?
 
Swampp
[Posted in FML issue 1564]