I just had an interesting conversation with one of the other members in my
Toastmasters (public speaking) club.  While I was on the phone I was
bemoaning my ferrets recent urge to dig the carpet in and out of their cage.
Mind you, they *always* liked digging near the doorway.  ( I've got runner
in place, but they go under it.  I don't really want to nail it in place
because there is almost no clearance for the door now.) Shredding the carpet
in the cage, though, was a new thing, and for the past several weeks they
have been obsessed with it.
 
Joice asked me "Are ferrets like prairie dogs?"  I started to go on an
educational lecture about how ferrets are carnivores, don't exist in the
wild, closest wild relatives are polecats...
 
"No, no, that's not what I mean at all," said Joice.  "Do they, or their
relatives the polecats, tend to dig burrows when it gets colder, like
prarie dogs?"  Hmmn.  Hadn't thought of that.  So maybe the answer is to
turn up the heat in my house?  Mind you, it's about 70 -72 degrees now in
their room, but that's a lot cooler than it was during the summer.
 
Has anyone else had a problem with ferrets digging behavior getting stronger
(read:obsessional) during the recent cooler weather?  And/or has anyone
noticed if this might be a seasonal trend?
 
-Ilena Ayala
Polly -"She just doen't get it.  The carpet texture takes on a much finer,
softer texture when it's been dug at."
 
Katie- "Too true." *sniff*  "Humans!  They just don't understand."
[Posted in FML issue 2144]