A very nice ferret play tube can be made from expandable aluminum vent or
heat duct tubes.  These are available at most hardware stores in at least
two diameters (we use a six inch diameter) and they come in a
collapsed/compressed form.  For use they are simply pulled to the desired
length.  The tubes can be bent to any desired shape to give the ferts a
lengthy and curved path.  Moreover, they can be re-bent to vary the shape.
To protect the fuzzies the ends of the tube, because they sometimes have
sharp edges, should be covered; we used neatly applied duct tape but a more
elegant way would be to use plastic tubing that is slit down its length and
slipped over the edges.  There have been no signs of our two ferrets eating
the tape and I doubt they would chew on the PVC tubing, either.
 
These aluminum tubes can be easily stored under a bed or stood up in a
corner.  We have even re-collapsed our tube several times but I think
eventually the aluminum would break from the continual flexing.  We actually
made ours into a spiral once and it was quite an exercise for the two guys.
The corrugated wall of the tube give good foot hold.
 
This website is a very interesting one and I am impressed with the respect
and friendship shown between the contributors, the information that is made
available, and the many suggestions that are passed back and forth.  (Maybe
there is use for the Internet after all!)  Sadly, too, I am really touched
by the communications about ill ferrets and the support others give to
their owners.  There is something about these little guys that gives us all
concern about their well-being, isn't there?  How can such little creatures
have such a hold on our emotions?
 
I look forward to downloading your list each morning and read it via
WordPerfect or Works.  I usually first print-out the contents of the day,
including the date at the footer.  This page is stored in a notebook for
future reference.  Then, at a more liesurely pace, I read the entire day's
output.  Entries of particular interest are printed out and filed.  It is
time well spent.
 
What would be interesting to see would be a definitive list of what fruits
should and should not be fed to the ferts.  There seems to be much
disagreement between writers and books.  Also, there seems to be wide
disagreement regarding a recommended out-of-cage time.  We for a long while
had ours running wild in a large bedroom and would allow them wider running
areas twice a day.  They're now in a large rollling Midwest double decker
cage equipped with a sleeping cube and cut-off jeans to sleep in.  We let
them run the entire downstairs of the house twice a day for varied times;
sometimes they head back to the cage voluntarily and that ends their run
period.  They sleep virtually most of the day, however.  Following some
suggestions for ways to avoid or correct hair loss, they are placed in a
south-west facing window during the daylight hours and moved to a protected
corner for the night.  They seem to enjoy the change.
 
Thanks for the great website.
[Posted in FML issue 2376]