I had an interesting email from a farmer who grows vegetables in
greenhouses.  He has always experienced problems from rats getting in his
greenhouses and seriously damaging the vegetables.  He asked what I thought
of the possibility of using ferrets to keep the rats out of the greenhouse.
He had thought of getting a Rat Terrier, but feared the damage that the
dog might cause would be greater than that from the rats.
 
Frankly, it was the first time I've ever received a question on that
subject and was really pondering what my response should be.  My first
concern was the possible heat in the greenhouse (could introduce the ferret
at dusk and retrieve at dawn); then, if the ferret would be able to handle
a full grown rat (unaltered males might be big enough, I'm not sure).
Other than that, I'm at a loss as to whether the idea would be practical.
 
I am asking for your thoughts on the subject, especially from those in the
UK where ferrets are more often used as working animals than here in the
US.  I'll summarize the responses and forward them to the greenhouse owner.
Who knows, maybe we can find a reason for the agricultural interests in
California to support legalization <G>.
 
Dick B.
[Posted in FML issue 3356]