I have to say, I love that Swedish law about the cage size, though I can certainly see how it's not practical for apartment dwellers (come to think of it, I think I've looked at some apartments that were smaller than 5 meters square!). There are a lot of different ways to keep your ferrets, but I think in the end it has to come down to what you think is best for you and your ferrets. With the exception of a time when I was living at my parents' house for a couple of months, my ferrets have had varying degrees of free roam. Currently, Amelia (and until he passed away, Cully) lives free roam in my bedroom and study. There are pluses and minuses to this, but overall I feel that the pluses outweigh the minuses. On the plus side, Amelia has always had good muscle mass (despite being a little fat at the moment), she has many things to do to keep herself amused, and she can participate in her relationship with people on her own terms, something which I think is important flaky as it may sound. When she wants human companionship, she can some find us, and when she wants to be alone, she can be alone. The biggest plus is that she sleeps with me at night (even mr. respect-my-boundaries Cully would occasionally cuddle up, especially on a cold night ;-) Minuses include a bunch of litterboxes, not all of which are used scrupulously, having to think very carefully every time something new is brought into the space (how could she use this to get somewhere else), and the biggest minus, how easy would it be to find her in case of a fire or other emergency? For the last, if I or my husband are home, we know her sleeping spots. If we aren't home, well... our rooms are in an attic, so the chances of her getting out or somebody making it up to get her are kind of slim anyway :-/ Also if a free-roam ferret is ill, clean-up is potentially much worse-- I used the carpet cleaner on a daily basis when Cully was weakening. You may also not spot it as quickly if they have been throwing up, though both of my ferrets always made rather a public production out of any vomiting. I've had my ferrets with everything from free roam of an entire apartment to the more restricted current situation. While I really wish I could give Amelia free access to the living room as well, with housemates and a front door right off the living room that's just not going to happen. She does get to come down pretty regularly though. I will say, based on my experience I would always keep my ferrets out of the kitchen from now on. Even apart from the issue of ferret-proofing the fridge, stove, and cabinets, it would be too easy to step on a ferret or drop something hot while caught up in cooking if the ferrets are underfoot. That's what works for me, anyway! Happy Valentine's Day to all, Regina Regina Harrison [log in to unmask] or [log in to unmask] http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Lofts/1083 http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Labyrinth/8096 And just when you thought as though All your tears were wept and done Sorrow's child grieves not what has passed But all the past still yet to come [Posted in FML issue 3329]