One poster mentioned the hazards of having the ferrets live in the
garage... I live in Oregon and it's very temporary. The garage door is
open most of the day and there are no paint buckets (or other known
fume producing chemicals) nor cars kept in there. My dad and I have
decided that they will be moving into my room permanently as soon as
we can get the spare bed out and at least 1 pet plug in.

After talking to my dad about the many different things that need to be
taken into account for the pen... Things are up in the air. We should
be going to the local farm store tomorrow to see how much materials
will cost and compare that to buying 2-3 pens from the store.

Hopefully by the time winter (and the accompanying torrents of rain)
rolls around things should be a lot more stable. Putting a hard, easily
cleaned floor in my room along with redecorating will be done by then.
That way, I'll be able to keep things on shelves, the night stand, and
the dresser to keep it safe. I'll also be getting my dad's old bed so
I'll be able to staple burlap to the bottom of the box spring to
prevent digging. I'm also hoping for a store bought playpen so I can
eventually set it up in the living room to let them play.

The main issue with things right now is that my dad's girlfriend does
not like the ferrets. She acts like she does when she talks to me but
will turn around and complain to my dad at every chance she gets. I do
my best to be reasonable but the situation may come to fisticuffs if
she keeps on insisting that they're dirty, disease ridden rodents who
need to be kept outside (even after she has handled them and allowed
them to lick her). And she needs to knock it off soon since there's
going to be a nasty heat wave next week. I'm willing to let them stay
outside with frozen water bottles as long as the temp stays under 90...
The forecast says that several days will be over 100 next week so they
will be coming outside even if I have to fight for it. She already
made me get rid of my cats so I'm not even coming close to negotiating
on the living arrangements for the ferrets.

Trust me, I'm extremely stressed out about the situation. I'm already
having to change my entire life around to be able to deal with this
woman and she refuses to budge even a little bit for me. We've never
been able to get along no matter what... Even if I were to (heaven
forbid) give up my ferrets, she would find another reason to constantly
berate me and cause drama. If she refuses to let me bring my babies
inside with me, I'll tell my dad that's that and I would rather live
with my ex than have to compromise on the basic needs of my pets. I
spent a good part of my teenage years between living with my dad and
my sister because of the drama that was caused by his girlfriend.

And there's my rant...

Cecilia

[Posted in FML 6405]