There's a point here that everyone seems to be missing...... First of all, I agree with Bill Killian that the temperature on a beach with sun reflection is way too hot for a ferret. And although Minnesota beaches may be significantly cooler than Virginia beaches - or even New York beaches - one thing is still the same...... All beaches have sand being blown around by the wind - it doesn't matter if the wind is cool or hot - it still blows sand around. Ferrets are *extremely* susceptible to upper respiratory infections, and when you take your ferret to the beach, you run the risk of this blowing sand being 'inhaled' by your ferret and causing pulmonary problems. Blowing sand can also cause eye irritation. Regardless of the temperature, these are 2 good reasons to keep your ferrets away from the beaches - IMO. Debbie Riccio WNYFLFA Rochester, NY [Posted in FML issue 1524]