Thanks Bob, your post was very illuminating. *groan* The more I deal with ferrets, even after all these years, the more questions I have about some of their behaviors and how they relate to polecats, their well-being and all that stuff. Even on very hot days, my mob love to bask in the sunshine at different times of the day. Have a look at: http://au.blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-RqTM_joic6_wlvI0IE5ORQoLvPO_ to see a couple of samples. I agree that sunshine is not only very enjoyable for ferrets but contributes to their overall well-being. I also agree that caging is very detrimental to the mental and physical health of ferrets. Even if ferrets are only caged overnight, that is at least one third of their LIFE spent in confinement. One can use all sorts of justifications for caging, but I suspect it has more to do with what is convenient rather than what is best for the ferrets. If you have ever been the parent of a teenager with a newly acquired drivers license who has asked to borrow the keys to the family car, you will be aware of the fine line between the acceptance of reasonable risk and unreasonable fear. (If you're like me, you hand over the keys and then spend the rest of the time waiting for the knock at the door.) My ferrets have always been free of cages and able to come and go outside as they please, even when I'm asleep or when I was at work. My ferrets have yet to have had a misadventure because of this. Well, there was one time that my house was burgled while I was at work and 2 ferrets stolen; thank goodness they were not caged because many more of them would have been stolen too. The answer lies in truly wanting what is best for your ferrets and in meticulous ferret-proofing of the area available to them. The down-side is (There is always be a down-side, isn't there?) that you may have to pick up a bit more extra ferret whoopsies. You could look at: http://www.ferretclub.org.au/showcontent.toy?senid=10302&contentnid=189329 It's an article called "Room to Move" that I wrote some time ago. Cheers, Shirley [Posted in FML 5555]