Hello all, First off, just wanted to thank everyone who has replied and is interested in keeping Ferrets Across America going. I am really proud that so many feel that this program is worthy (yeah, once in a while I get a good idea! <g>) I will be going through all replies over the weekend. I am fairly certain that this is a job that a few people should do, not just one. I will reply to each and every one of you as quickly as I can. Hopefully this program can be back up and running by the end of the month. Next question. My husband and I are buying 2 acres of land in a wonderful location in the middle of wooded land and we're going to build our own home. I chose to build rather than buy because I want to have an actual separate, physical shelter rather than trying to run the shetler from our house. This is so exciting to me, but all of a sudden it hit me -- where do I start, what should a ferret shelter look like? So I'm open to suggestions. Shelter operators that feel that you have a good setup (even if it's in your house) I'd really like your input. We can't go huge, but I will be able to go bigger than expected as we are only having the builder build the shell of the building, the Pennsylvania F.E.R.R.E.T. Club members and I will be putting up the drywall, cabinetry, painting the walls, basically finishing the place. I have a rough sketch now of what I want, which includes an office/client area, general shelter room, quarantine room, storage room, and a room for my personal ferrets. I'm trying to think of ways that keeping the shetler nice can be done more efficiently; we're trying to figure out a way to have a shelf built about a foot off the floor that the cages will sit on, rather than sitting on the floor. This would make cleaning the floor much easier. These are the kinds of things I'm looking for - ways to be more efficient. And one specific question: I would like for the ferrets to have as much natural sunlight as possible rather than electric lighting. My first thought was to have skylights installed in the shelter roof. However, the possibility was raised to me that it could get too hot in the shelter, even if it's air conditioned. Can anyone tell me if I were to get tinted or frosted skylights, would this help? And if so, would it still let in the beneficial rays of natural sunlight? Would air conditioning still cool the room enough if we have skylights? I have one shot to make this shelter the best it can be for the ferrets, and I intend to do it right! :o) Thanks in advance for any input you may have. This is very exciting for me! Kymberlie Barone Director, Pennsylvania Ferret Rescue Association Montgomery County Branch http://www.ferretrescue.com Looking for a ferret club in Pennsylvania? Ask me about the Pennsylvania F.E.R.R.E.T. Club and other ferret clubs in the state! [Posted in FML issue 2705]