>When I fell on Bubba I would welcome advice on how to defy gravity and >how to make me more agile and stabilize my equilibrium. Hence, barriers and ferret-proofing. Face it, folks like you and like me who have mobility handicaps DO have to take not only the same ferret proofing precautions as anyone else, but also a few extras. I don't think that the people are really attacking you. I think that they are just saying what I said yesterday: the chances in most homes of accidents, escapes and preventible deaths can be reduced greatly with ferret proofing, so their point is NOT anything about you, sir, but rather that they hope that you will read about ferret-proofing and use it. I also have a mobility handicap. When it happened I began needing not less but MORE ferret proofing in our home (at the same time as needing to make thing more accessible for my own use); that required help but, you know, that's just life. In fact, I very recently bought some more barriers -- a weaselgate someone was not using (which just arrived so THANK YOU and I still have to open the box as per directions for best way to open), and some sections of the MF playpen which were praised for this use on the FML. It honestly is a royal pain in whazzoo to alter a home to fit changed mobility needs. I understand that. To also alter it to meet the needs of ferrets is doubly hard. I also understand that; I live it. Never-the-less, the way to not have accidents and to not have ferrets escape IS to ferret-proof. It is a HUGE GIFT OF LOVE TO THE FERRETS TO FERRET-PROOF because it keeps them alive and safe. I think that is all that people were trying to get across: that ferret proofing would work. it just that the choice of wording on both sides got in the way. To me, ferret-proofing is a topic without sides, because it is such a huge help to all. Here are some places where you can find some really useful ferret-proofing tips to help your ferrets and to save you from the sorrow of preventable accidents and escapes: http://listserv.cuny.edu/archives/ferret-search.html http://www.ferretcentral.org _Ferrets for Dummies_ by Kim Schilling and there MIGHT (that is a "might") be some in http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org We've had ferrets in our family for 23 years and STILL find ourselves using these resources regularly (esp. the FML Archives and FHl Archives both of which get used almost daily, not despite our level of experience but because of it). If you go to more barriers and more ferret-proofing all will benefit from the reduced accident and escapes, including you but mostly them. That's all they meant, I think. Sukie Some assorted many topic things that I current value to learn with, think about, honor, or relax with if you need to clean your brain palate for a while: http://www.ferretcongress.org http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/hitchhikers/newseries.shtml http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/ferrethealth http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/world/iraq/casualties/ facesofthefallen.htm http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/world/casualties/ facesofthefallen_freedom.htm http://tingilinde.typepad.com/starstuff/2004/09/give_and_son_an.html http://homepage.mac.com/davidahmed/makingmusic.html http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=571&e=5&u=/nm/ music_lungs_dc (Did you know that loud music can collapse a lung? I didn't.) [Posted in FML issue 4625]