Mainly to Ed... As once again I disagree!
 
Last Sunday I grabbed two of my friendly boys (Orion & Ozzy) and hauled
them off to the Subaru show in Snoqualmie... I brought their large carrier,
a couple blankets, two leashes, food & water...
 
I got a lot of questions like... "Where are their ears", "Are they dogs",
"What are they", "What do they eat", etc... I answered all, handed at least
one boy to everyone that came nearby and everyone got to meet the ferrets.
 
Nobody brought their dogs, so I felt just fine about letting the boys have
the run of their leashes & carrier.  There were large trees overhead and I
placed the carrier near a campground shelter so the roof of that structure
reached the middle of my carrier.  This way the ferrets were protected from
the air.
 
Ozzy is a big albino boy and he got right into digging the minute the door
was open.  He did this for over a half hour straight and boy did he have a
dirty face after that!  I had to intercept him once because I saw he had
slipped out of his harness (an ADVANTAGE to standing close by and
monitoring your ferrets!).  I doubt he would have gone far because he was
so interested in that hole he had started, but it's a good thing I was
there keeping an eye out.  Otherwise I would have had a lost ferret in a
campground - and the chances of finding him in that situation are pretty
slim.
 
Now, it wasn't because I didn't thoroughly check those harnesses (because
they were tight), the thing is it happened.  And my point is that leaving
your ferrets unsupervised and on leashes runs you the big risk of losing
your charges.
 
My other point.... Leaving the ferrets out in the weather ALL day without a
surrounding pen or shelter just sounds plain cruel to me.  Those two boys
were never more than 5 feet from me and had their fill of digging after
about an hour.  Between all the handling & digging, they tuckered
themselves out.  Where did they go to sleep?  In the carrier with all
towels nearby..  Not in some hole they dug.
 
Sure, they fluff up and act more alert.  Being outside stimulates every
sense.  YES, digging is WONDERFUL exercise... But you're being naive if
you think your critters won't ever get away.
 
My thoughts: Build an outdoor pen.  This way your eliminate the possibility
of strangling your ferrets should they get tangled in another leash.  You
eliminate the possibility of animal attacks from above or below.  You
eliminate the possibility of the ferrets running off.
 
How does one build a structure like this?  Simple.  Dig a hole about 5 feet
deep and however wide & long that you want it.  Fill 2 feet with cement.
Enclose entire structure (including top) with wire.  Allow room for
yourself to get in and gather ferrets..... Throw dirt in over the cement
and make it even with the ground.  This way your ferrets can dig tunnels
but you won't have to worry about them escaping...
 
As for the fighting... You shouldn't be mixing ferrets that are going to
rip each other apart.  That's just not healthy for anyone!!  Especially
when they're wearing leashes!!!  That is JUST COMMON SENSE!
 
And as for all the nit-picking, Ed.... Aren't you the one in favor of
flaming?  You don't see anything wrong with it, yadda yadda... C'mon...
With posts like those, you're practically asking for people to respond back
with hot tempers.  People's sexual preferences, HIV and languages have NO
PLACE on these mailing lists.  You state that refuse to engage these people
in their 'misstatements'... Huh... What I've seen directly counters that.
 
Your posts have also been continuously derogatory toward women..  Open
your eyes - there are some really SMART women out there.  Not all are
'hen-pecking' - and a good deal of women are being VERY serious.  The
female of any species is not mean or evil.  Some may be opinionated, but
Ed.... Look at the amount that you post and then decide if you're
opinionated.
 
I will post because people should have correct information as well as
different opinions..  Remember that you're not only posting to all the old
ferret owners who have learned to ignore a lot of what you post, but you're
also posting to the new ferret owner.
 
The more you suggest infra-red capabilities of the ferret makes me wonder
if you ever bother to read what is posted in response to your questions.
It has been explained over and over and over again to you and you fail to
get it.  Pick up a book, do a little research.... And maybe listen to Bob
C - who is a close source of information.
 
Without even grabbing a source (yes, I've read lots on the topic - I just
don't have a source handy), Those whiskers developed to replace the loss
of sight as the ferret became more and more of a tunnel dweller.  The
'feelers' help to guide the ferret through the tunnels and warn them of
where to step and what was in front of them.  There is nothing to back up
the infra-red theory..  If you find something concrete, let's hear it...
 
And kudos for the post on the water and the way to pick up your ferret.  I
think a one handed pick up can be accomplished if you have a smaller ferret
and are able to completely palm the body and support as much of the weight
as possible.  The heavier back half of some ferrets should have a bit more
support as mentioned.
 
- Megan (always in favor of a good debate!) & the brat pack
http://students.washington.edu/~mdahlem/furo/
[Posted in FML issue 2727]