Hope everyone had a nice holiday and day off!  Took the ferrets to the folks
house which they seemed to enjoy although Boris seemd a little scared - but
that's normal for him:) My sister showed up with her dauchshund Jake.  Well
the ferrets got their own room after that.  Actually Jake didn't seem to go
into a "Badger!  Kill!  mode but was very excited and interested.  After
holding a ferret back up to him - he sort of took a small mouthfull and
pulled - I said that's it.  My sister insists that he's just a hair puller -
he does that to everyone.  He would whine outside their cage and try to chew
his way inside.  I do think he just wanted to play but he plays real rough
with their cat so I wasn't takeing any chances.  My mom's Chihuahua was
incensed but no threat (she's really old and fat).  Thanks to the people who
e-mailed me about their dog/fert combinations.  Only three but they were
good stories and all three different breeds.  I know there are more of you
out there though!  I have one input as a free roam household.  Once the
ferrets have explored everything and done everything they can figure out to
do (and the stuff they shouldn't be doing you have corrected) they get
really blase.  In some ways the drawback is they aren't as "wild and crazy"
as ferrets that are caged.  They have their favorite sleeping places, get up
when they want, cruise around, ask for tub drinks, let me know when they
want to play, disappear when they want to sleep.  Sometimes I get a little
jeolous about these super enthusiastic ferrets and their antics.  I have a
friend with a 3 ferret free roam household and she agrees.  Once they've got
the house "done" for the upteenth time and are used to being left out - they
seem calmer than caged ferrets.  Of course as always, ferret proofing can be
an ongoing education!  I have a little mental checklist I am always running
through my head "seat down in bathroom, basement door closed).  You must be
be vigilent.  Mary, Boris and Giesela (Mom we want a new house were done
with this one!)
[Posted in FML issue 1769]