Apparently I've missed a question or comment about bicycling with ferrets, because I notice on the FML tonight Catherine Shaffer <[log in to unmask]> wrote: >You should be able to get or make some paniers that should be safe for >your fuzzbutts. I think I've seen them made of nylon. You could probably >even put in a mesh panel. Hmm. I'm sure this could be done, but I'd urge caution. I converted a knapsack (not for bicycling use) to a ferret carrying thing by removing some of the fabric and replacing it with a window of mosquito mesh. All very well, but my diligent ferrets can get out the zippers unless I wire them shut. Now, a cyclist whose ferrets are stowed away in the rear pannier might need to pay attention to traffic, and the rider might not hear a ferret escaping, so this worries me. What if the ferret discovers the escape method half-way through a trip one day? Another problem with panniers is that most of them are just soft luggage - very little frame support. If the rider should fall, there's a good chance the ferret would be squished. Yes, I bicycle with my ferrets. I strap our hard plastic Kennel Cab II ferret carrying case to the rear rack, being most careful to secure it properly to the bike so that there's no chance it'll slip or fall off. I ride a recumbent bicycle, which means that my bike has a low centre of gravity, and the bike handling isn't affected at all by the ferret house on the back. Ferrets ride in the box when we're in motion, and they seem to love it. If I had to take ferrets on my regular bike, I think I'd still strap the ferret case to the rear rack, but I'd take a smaller carrying case, and spend a lot more time strapping it on and making sure it would be stable. I'm a confident traffic cyclist, and I usually ride on the city's busiest streets. With ferrets, though, I tend to stick to quiet streets, just in case traffic noise would bother the little darlings. I'm probably being a bit paranoid here... after all, somebody on this list takes his ferret on his motorcycle, and that little fuzzy seems to like it just fine. Happy riding, everybody. :) cmc -- Christine Code We shall find peace. Vancouver, CANADA We shall hear the angels, [log in to unmask] We shall see the sky http://www2.portal.ca/~cmc/ Sparkling with diamonds. - Chekhov [Posted in FML issue 1608]