I love all the ideas about outside play areas, especially the courtyard idea but no body addresses the issue of predatery birds. In one of my ferret magazines was an article about some people who went camping with their three ferrets. They had them in on of those portable playpen things for small animals. A bird swooped down and got one of them . also I think I read on fml where this woman almost lost hers while it was on a leash but she looked up in time to see the bird and jerk the ferrets back to her. Just wondering how this is prevented in a big court yard or a 21 foot swimming pool turned into a play yard, Jod and the brat pack [Posted in FML issue 4949]