A cage is defined as "an enclosure in which to keep living animals." Cages come in a variety of sizes and types ranging from elaborate natural enclosures to small wire coops, but they all have one thing in common: they are designed to keep the animal penned INSIDE. By this definition, a small rabbit cage, a multi-tier cage on rollers, or a large room with a blocked-off door ALL qualify as cages. Which brings up an important point. It is NOT the size of the cage that subjects a ferret to a bleak environment; it is the environment WITHIN the cage! An enriched smaller cage may be a better enclosure for a ferret than a bleak large room. Nonetheless, there is a communal belief that because ferrets sleep so much, a bleak cage environment is unimportant. After all, all they are doing is sleeping, so cage improvements are more in the scope of gilding rather than enhancement. The problem is that people have been somewhat brainwashed into thinking ferrets sleep so long that extended periods of time within a bleak cage are harmless. That belief is a myth; it is an observational tautology (a circular argument). Yes, caged ferrets have long sleeping times, but are those sleeping times a normal behavior, or, does the caging environment cause them? From my experience ferrets allowed to free roam not only have more waking periods, but also they sleep considerably less than caged ferrets. The general observation that caged ferrets sleep a long time is probably more of an observation of the effects of caging than of a true behavior. In other words, because most ferret owners house their ferrets in cages, and ferrets within these limited environments tend to sleep, then the assumption is erroneously made that such extended sleeping behavior is normal. The other myth is that because ferrets evolved from polecats that sleep in small, confined dens, a small cage is a fair substitute for such a den. The premise sounds fair, but because polecats can leave the den at anytime to enter an interesting environment and ferrets are forced to remain in their cage for extended periods of time, the assertion is faulty. I suspect the contention that ferrets regard their cages as personal space--that is, a den--is a fair one. However, even if true, ferrets and polecats tend to regard dens as temporary sleeping places, NOT as a semi-permanent, inescapable environment. A third myth is that older ferrets have such extended sleep periods that they don't need much time outside their cage. Again, this is an observational tautology. While older ferrets clearly are not as active as younger ferrets, much of their inactivity is due more to housing than by ageing. I have many older ferrets that have extended activity and periods. Tui, about 5 1/2 years old, is active at least 8 to 10 hours a day, and Carbone, about 1 1/2 years older, is as active as Tui, or more. Tori, who is almost 8, blind, and housed in a hospital cage, is at least active 6 to 8 hours per day. Activity is more related to interesting surroundings than to ageing. There is a fourth myth, one unfortunately encouraged by my more passionate writings. This myth is that ferrets are better off if allowed to free roam rather than being housed in enriched cage environments. It is true that I do not normally cage my ferrets (ill ferrets are housed separately in a hospital cage, and rescues are temporarily kept in a 8 ft by 8 ft enclosure), and it is also true I am a harsh opponent of bleak cage environments, but neither should be interpreted as meaning I think cages should be outlawed. As I will discuss later, a cage can be a safe, entertaining environment for any ferret. Bob C [Posted in FML issue 4182]