On Turning up/down the heat Zen said:
>We thinking turning up the household heat for your ferrets is the wrong
>reason.  We think its possibly better for them to keep the heat not so
>high.
 
I agree with Bill/Diane.  We live in Upstate NY and so A/C in the summer
and heat in the winter are pretty much facts of life.  The A/C is a must
since our ferrets live indoors on the second floor.  With no nice earthen
burrow to escape the heat, we do the next best thing for them.  Keep the
temperatures barable with A/C.  We don't make it an icebox in the summer,
but we definately try to keep the 2nd story temperatures from climbing too
high during the day.  Nights, except for the truely miserable days, are
not A/C'd.  When the temperatures cool naturally, like during a rain, the
ferrets all come to life doing dances of joy.
 
In the fall we hold out as long as possible before turning on the heat.
When the house gets really cool in that period, you should see the ferts a
'flyin!  When we do finally turn on the heat, we generally keep the temp's
in the mid to low 60's - exact settings depending upon the time of the day.
If my husband, baby, and myself can live comfortably with those temp's, so
can my fur-coated ferts.  In the mornings when it tends to be cooler, the
ferrets are maniacs.  War dances abound.  Plus with the heat running more
infrequently, ferrets and humans alike have less trouble with the dryness
that accompanies most heating systems.
 
BTW, while I know winter coats are a light issue, you should see the fluffy
coats our ferrets generally get.  Our youngest, Rosie, looked like a white
ball of fluff last winter.  Atlas gets a nice golden or honey colored
undercoat which inspires us to call him the "golden child".
 
Re: Ferrets and Kittens
>Whatever you do, do NOT assume your ferrets are going to be warm fuzzy
>parents to a stray kitten.  Or trust them in the same room as your son's
>hamster.  Or think for one second that the new baby green iquana is not
>of interest to them.
>
>*cringing now to the flames that will surely follow this posting*
 
You made an unintentional mistake.  No reason you should be flamed for it.
People that judge others harshly should remember that you get as good as
you give in life and that harsh judgemental natures will come back home to
roost.
 
I think your post is a good reminder that while our ferrets can be docile
little poopsies at times, they can at other times hear the call of their
blood to be what they are: carnivores and hunters.
 
We are supposed to be smarter then ferrets so it's up to us to try avoid
such situations. Thank you for the reminder.
 
-kim, squirt (zzzzzz...), pippi (I NEED RASINS!), atlas (kibbles and bits,
 I'm going get me some kibbles and bits!), jinx (I'm a lover, not a
 fighter), and rosie (the terror of tiny town)
 
ps.....while I still have to modify my sig, my address here has changed.
It is now [log in to unmask] If you have it in your address book,
please modify it. Thanks!
 
Kimberly Burkard     |             _    Everything I needed to know in life,
Eastman Kodak Company|      _____C .._. I learned from my ferret:
Rochester, New York  | ____/     \___/  Frolic and dance for joy often, have
[log in to unmask]    |<____/\_---\_\    no fear or worries, and enjoy life.
[Posted in FML issue 2876]