Christmas and Ferrets! Gifts: Forget it. Tons of reports about the fact that ferrets do not respect the "Do not open before Christmas" sign. Take gifts out 20 minutes before opening. Or stack them on a table, away from reach. Manger scene: A few reports of missing sheep/lamb figures. Electric trains: A couple of good stories reported. Worst case, the train was late! Tree skirts: Should be made of heavy material. Some digging reports. Lots of digging under. Good place to sleep. Stand: A couple of falling trees reported. Get a good stand! Water: If you use a natural tree, do not add any additive to the water if you cannot ferret proof the base. Ferrets WILL find the water and drink some. If you let them drink (no problems reported if you don't use additives) then watch carefully as you will have to fill the container more often! Tree: No major problems reported, even with natural trees. Remove sap or pine pitch stuck to their fur with vegetable oil. It does seem to be a good place to sleep as well. Got two reports of ferrets trying to drag the tree away! Climbing: Some odd reports of ferrets climbing almost all the way to the top. Most reports will give them 2-3 feet max. Some will not climb, but stretch and get whatever they can from the ground. Ornaments: (See Climbing). Avoid any breakable ornaments on the bottom 2-3 feet. Avoid the wire hooks (couple of bad reports). Smaller objects have a tendency to end-up under the couch. They love and destroy the "unbreakable" satin wrapped styrofoam balls. Candy canes: They don't finish them, and you'll find them stuck to your carpet! For now, let say we should avoid chocolate until we have consensus about it. Electrical wiring: Absolutely no bad reports! I guess there's so much to do with that tree, chewing is not fun enough. Using a ground fault plug may still be a good idea. Survey electrical cords daily, just in case. Bulbs/lights: LOTS of reports of ferrets trying to chew/bite them. More fun when they are on or blinking. No breaking reported, but it seems to a common thing... leave the lower 3 feet of your tree in the dark! Tinsel/garlands: Reports of some "Flashy" poop found in the litter box. Cannot be good for the stomach! I would avoid tinsel. Some people suggested alternatives, but I'll let you use your imagination (I got the usual "popcorn" garland... Sorry, but my ferret would eat this all the way to the top!) Holiday plants: A lot of them are poisonous! Add to this all the digging. Basically, avoid them! Stockings: Don't forget your ferret. It's not what you put inside that is important... It's the fact that it's a good place to have a nap in, once it is empty! Fireplace: Pretty obvious, but visitors may leave it open for your pet to visit. Please be careful! Guests: You should lock them up during your parties (the ferrets, not the guest). Enough bad reports to justify it. Biting, chewing personal items, stealing, being sat on, stepped on, accidently kicked. They may not be able to sleep in your size 6 shoe, but your visitor may not like finding a sleeping ferret in his boots! Ornaments: If you have really nice ones then you may want to hang them on things like chandeliers. They still look good, and they'll be safe! Casualty reports: Stuck turkey bones in the throat - two reports. Don't give 'em - period! [Posted in FML issue 2144]