Let me start out with a reference for those of you fighting the "feral ferret" crapola, especially in Ca Ca land. Mark Williamson and Alastair Fitter 1996 The Varying Success of Invaders _Ecology_ 77(6):1661-1666. A fine paper that discusses the ability of introduced organisms to invade and become established, and the few exceptions to the "rule of ten." (The rule of ten states that only one of ten importations lead to introductions, only one of ten introductions lead to an establishment, and only one of ten establishments become a pest. So the changes of any given importation becoming a pest are about 1/10 x 1/10 x 1/10, or about 1 in a thousand. No one knows why it works, but it does.) This could be a nice reference for Californians wanting to argue against the Ca Ca Fish and Gestapo's claims that the ferret could become established as a pest--even though it has been in the New World since white faces and hasn't extablished feral populations anywhere. The paper explains how the expections have special unique characteristics (not found in Ca Ca Land), and details what is required for such invasions to be successful. The journal "Ecology" is common at most colleges. Q: My ferrets seem to sleep alot, and seem out of shape. Who do you keep your ferrets active, especially in the winter? A: I tie their leashes to the bumper of my car. NO NO NO! Just a joke. honest. I actively seek them out and play with them. Simple as that. You have to understand that winter is the time for energy conservation for the ferret; they will be putting on the jelly roll for the cold climes as part of a predetermined genetic program. They also seem to sleep more, and will if they are not actively engaged. (Not with a girlfriend, Mo.) After awhile, you know what the favorite toys are for each beastie. Moose loves hand wreastling and chasing paper balls. Stella loves racing for the rat on a string. (Toy rat, OK?) Bear will climb anything for a piece of fruit. Foster dances over plastic jinglebells. All I do is get each one out and play with their favorite toy. You will be surprised at how much they start to look forward to the games, and will even wait and watch until it is their turn. Of course, this means you have to be actively involved. And sometimes, with the persistence ferrets only seem to understand, you may start something to only last a few minutes and they want a few hours. But that's the trade off for a fit ferret. Play up to their instincts; give them things to sniff, let them explore, dig, and roll in the dirt. Chase them, then run away. Pick up all the poop, then roll on the floor with them. These are active little guys, and if you challenge them, they love it, and will respond. When I'm out with the noise makers, all 18 come running. They dance and jump all over me, sometimes nipping my ankles, climbing in my shirt, even crawling through my hair. After an hour or so, we all lay in front of the boob tube, eat jerky and dried fruit, and doze off. At any time, I can have up to a dozen ferrets sleeping on or near me. Gus used to sleep across the back of my neck when I was in the "napping like a dead drunk" position. I can remember listening to his soft snore and occasional squeek. Sometimes I would get up and work on papers, and he would sleep right through the typing, only to lick or bite my earlobe when I wasn't expecting it. To have active ferrets, with few exceptions for the old and infirm, you have to be active with them. Don't be a pet owner; be a pet partner. Makes up for the poop. Mo' Bob and the 18 Fightin' Fit Ferts (Missing Gus the Snorehead) [Posted in FML issue 1725]