Ferrets do NOT get human rhinoviruses (the virus which causes true "colds"). That is well established by study and you should not take my word for it. Look for past posts by the veterinary pathologist, Dr. Bruce Williams and in texts. "Colds" is a term humans often also generalize apply to sinus infections (which are bacterial) and to mild cases of influenza. The first is VERY common and the second also occurs. Ferrets do NOT get the rhinoviruses, but they DO get some types of sinus infection and influenza. Since each is very different type of disease with different implications and treatments, and since sinus infections and influenza can be worse than rhinovirus colds it is important to understand and acknowledge the differences among these infections. If you show cold-like symptoms, please, DO realize that it could instead be a sinus infection or influenza and do reduce interactions, wash hands a LOT, do not let them kiss your face, etc. BTW, if you are getting a lot of "colds" do get checked in case you actually have persistent sinus infections and perhaps sinus polyps. Heat can: I didn't notice any provision for possible overheating since heat rises. Have you checked with a fire marshall to find out how to make sure some variant of this is fire-safe enough? Don't want you having problems which might be able to be avoided. It may be that just punching enough holes in the top and having a well designed holder -- all kept far from anything flammable like bedding or litter or litter dust would suffice, but I am far from an expert on such matters. Fire is just too serious a problem to take chances. The angora ferrets you see do not include the malformed ones which are not sold, but according to people I trust there is an uncomfortable rate of skull and nasal malformations in the variant and the consequences of such malformations. There is more on this in past posts in the Ferret-Genetics list and elsewhere. Yes, I realize that genetically these are "variants". I use terms like "defects" and "malformations" when the consequences to health, longevity and/or quality of life can be greatly negative for the individual -- and what is not negative or is negative for the individual can be sometimes surprising to outsiders unless people ask the individuals. Medically and practically I think that is an acceptable use, just as I consider dwarfism without negative health results just a variant just as so many very other variations among humans are from hair coloration to nose size, but when there is a form of dwarfism which also causes terrible cartilage trouble and horrible pain I consider that specific variation to also be a malformation BECAUSE it forces great suffering upon the individual. For ferrets -- as for humans -- some skull variations cause painful or limiting medical concerns, and nasal openings which are too small increase infection risk and pose other problems, so I don't think that the angora variant makes any more sense to breed than the neural crest variations which can cause mandibular malformations, intestinal woes, perhaps reduced litter size and some young deaths if cardiac neural crest disorders also happen in ferrets, possibly reduced life spans, deafness, etc. So, something can be a variant and not have medical results: no reduction of lifespan, no pain, etc, BUT it is also possible that some variants do have bad health results and when breeding for a given variant repeatedly winds up causing a portion of the resulting kits to have health problems then it does not make sense to breed that variant because doing so forces some ferrets to suffer needlessly. This is why keeping records is so important for responsible breeding and why culling through sterilization is so important when serious problems are found. If it seems that I am touchy on this topic then remember that Steve and I have a history of having adopted such impaired individuals. Once you know what it is like to be reduced to tears repeatedly trying anything possible to give such ferrets a chance at a decent life and as much of it as they can survive then you know well what the forgotten ones who don't make it to the sales floor go through. One of them, Scooter, died in my arms earlier this year after he asked to be held, with a sigh and a rush of blood when his malformed stomach literally gave out and shredded itself. (He made it as long as he did, even though he died too young, because of 4 previous stomach surgeries and 2 to one hand, but his stomach simply wasn't any longer repairable.) There IS suffering which is needless and avoidable for some ferrets and too much of it involves selecting for appearances despite knowing about a number of kits result with health problems. That is a world away from two human folks in love having kids. In the case of the ferrets it is matter of a human deciding to select which ferret breeds with whom for an appearance despite the harm it too often does to the resulting ferrets, and that isn't a loving action. [Posted in FML issue 4330]