Before you all get mad at me for this. Is it necessarily wrong to keep a ferret outside. I'd heard of people keeping ferrets like rabbits in cages in the backyard in the cold and the heat. I have a balcony and don't have much room in my apartment. I know I can ferret proof the balcony so that my ferret, Elmer can have free run of it. I'm sure he'll like the 5' X 8' balcony over the occasional times that I'm home to let him out of his cage inside. (I'm afraid he'll bite into an electrical wire or something if unattended - I don't have a room I can dedicate only to him.) I've heard alot obout heartworms being spread by mosquitoes and that heat for a ferret is awful. I've had him out there a lot lately but it's getting warmer and I'm getting worried. He hasn't seemed overly thirsty or anything - he just keeps knocking his food over and doesn't have anything to eat. Should I be worried about temperatures over 90 degrees Fahrenheit? I mean it's not like he can't got into the closet on the balcony where I have his cage, bed, water, food, and litter. It's much cooler in there and in any case the balcony is never in direct sunlight - it has a roof. Then there's the question of the mosquitoes. There aren't any ponds, slow creeks or any other standing water nearby but although I haven't seen any mosquitoes I'm sure they're around. By the way I live in Nashville, TN. What do you think about it? -Clint, Ginger and that dopey ferret, Elmer [Posted in FML issue 0868]