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Modern Ferret News Mailing List Issue #33
http://www.ferretnews.com
November 24, 2002
by Mary R. Shefferman and Eric Shefferman
contact: mary modernferret.com
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Hi
Wow! It's been a month since our last newsletter and
boy do we have a lot to tell you about!
We moved at the end of the October and since for us
moving consists of both moving our business (Modern
Ferret Magazine and the Ferret Trading Post) and our
personal lives (including our ferrets), it's been a
_lot_ of work.
The good news is:
With the help of our friend, Melissa, we're well on
our way to being fully set up in the new place and
continuing to do our ferrety work.
-- aside --
By the way, that's the same Melissa who made our
"Magic 8" Ferret actually talk. If you haven't played
with this fun Shockwave web page yet, give it a try!
http://asktheferret.com/talkingmagic8ferret.html
-----------
In this newsletter Mary's article gives you some
ideas as to what kind of ferret proofing we've been
doing and I follow it with a list of some of the
things you'll want to have on hand for quick
ferret proofing.
Other news: It's the holiday season and we have
a whole bunch of great things for you!
Photos from our Ferret Faces calendar are now up on
the web - check them out!
http://ferretfaces.com/january2003.html
Plus there's still plenty of time to buy the calendar
along with our new book _500 Things My Ferret Told Me_
and all sorts of other great goodies all at:
http://ferrettradingpost.com
Look for the special Ferret Trading Post coupon
further down in this newsletter!
And if that wasn't enough, there's a whole bunch of
new stuff on our Ferret Designs site! Shirts, mugs,
clocks, picture frames, greeting cards, and more!
See our Great Gift Ideas page for some ideas for
ferrety gifts (the super best seller right now is
our "Ask Me About My Grandferrets" items). And see
our Seasonal Items page for ferret greeting cards,
postcards, and Limited Edition Ferrety Christmas
2003 products including Stockings, Tile Coasters,
and Teddy Bears.
http://www.cafeshops.com/ferretdesigns
http://www.cafeshops.com/cp/store.aspx?s=ferretdesigns.33784
http://www.cafeshops.com/cp/store.aspx?s=ferretdesigns.33785
Remember, now is the time to start getting your
shopping done so that you don't have to rush and
do it all at the last minute!
- Eric
P.S. I almost forgot to mention -- our readers outside
the US can now order our calendar and books too!
For ordering information see:
http://ferretfaces.com/orderforeign.html
----- The Modern Ferret News -----
>>> In this issue: <<<
==> News About Our Move
& Our First Ferret Proofing Efforts
by Mary R. Shefferman
==> Early Bird Shopping Coupon
==> Update on Modern Ferret Things
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======================================================
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Get your very own ferret T-shirt!
Or a ferret mug, tote bag, or mousepad.
Or a clock, frosted mug, or flying disk!
We now have picture frames and greeting cards too!
Check the web site for sales & specials!
http://www.cafeshops.com/ferretdesigns
Shopping at Ferret Designs helps us be able to
offer this newsletter for free! Shop today!
---------------------------------------------------
======================================================
==> News About Our Move
& Our First Ferret Proofing Efforts
by Mary R. Shefferman
Moving is one of the most stressful events in a
person's life. That's what psychologists say anyway.
I'd tend to agree with them. Now that we're settling
in to our new place, we've set about the never-ending
task of ferret proofing. Ferret proofing is one of the
very first things any ferret owner has to do in order
to keep their ferrets from getting too stressed from
over-confinement.
The first week, we set up a square playpen enclosure
for the ferrets. That way, they were able to spend time
out of the cage. But the area was too small for any
"real" exercise, and the ferrets spent most of the time
leaping up at the sides trying to get out or get our
attention. We knew this couldn't go on. The ferrets
were not happy.
So we set out to ferret proof our bedroom. We had set
up the shelving units in our bedroom with the plan that
the ferrets would have access to the room. Therefore,
the bottom shelves are all too high for ferrets to
climb on. (We have Ivar shelving from Ikea -- you can
set it up in pretty much any configuration you can
imagine.)
-- aside --
In case you're curious, this link should bring up a
page about Ivar from the Ikea web site. The shelves
are adjustable to any height/configuration, making
it easy to set them up above your most athletic
ferret's reach.
http://ikea.com/product_presentation/syscat.asp?id=8273,8236,8352&syst=8273
-----------
We picked up everything off the floor, put plastic
socket fillers in any unused electrical outlets, and
checked around for any holes the ferrets might gain
access to. We didn't block the bottom of the closet
doors because we weren't sure if the ferrets could fit
under them. Then we let the ferrets loose and watched
them very closely.
-- aside --
Keeping curious ferret noses out of electrical
outlets is a must. You can usually find plastic
socket fillers in the baby section of a store.
-----------
First, Gabby got into the closet. We rolled up towels
and wedged them under the closet doors. Although a
ferret could work at it for a while and get in, by
that time we'd catch him or her. Fortunately, none
of the ferrets tried that hard to get in.
The second problem was the baseboard heating. We
knew this might be a problem. Gabby was nearly all
the way through to the next room through the
(incredibly small!) hole for the baseboard-heating
pipe. Eric managed to pull her out. The hole she used
was in a corner. Against one wall is a shelving unit
and against the other is the bed. We took a board and
wedged it partly behind the bed and partly behind the
shelving unit. This effectively blocks off the
baseboard heating on that side. We did the same thing
on the other side of the bed just to make sure. Then
we put a heavy box of hand and ankle weights under the
baseboard where it leads into the living room. So now
none of the ferrets can get under the baseboards to
escape to another room (or worse, outside).
So far, these have been the only truly scary things
that have happened. We've finally come up with a plan
as to how to block off the baseboard heating without
losing our heat. For baseboard heating to work
effectively air needs to flow in from underneath.
If you block that off (as we had done in the past),
your heat doesn't work as well. We're going to try
some kind of mesh under the baseboards. That way,
the air will still be able to flow in, but the ferrets
will be kept out.
For the closets, our friend Melissa duct-taped
cardboard to the inside of the doors, effectively
making them reach to the floor. So far no ferret
has gotten in.
It's nice to be able to let the ferrets out in the
bedroom, but I can't wait until we can allow them
access to the larger living area (except the kitchen,
which we are going to block off). In the meantime, at
least they are getting some good exercise.
:)
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If you've been reading this newsletter and would
like to see what Mary and Eric do in a real printed
magazine, you can go to our online store and order
a single copy.
http://modernferretstore.com/24/cat24.htm
Modern Ferret Magazine issue #33 features:
- A *huge* interview with best-selling author
Richard Bach (_Jonathan Livingston Seagull_
and now his new books _The Ferret Chronicles_)
- Is it a Boy or a Girl? How to sex a ferret
- Teeth, Claws, and Eyeballs: Why are my ferret's
teeth so long? by Bob Church
- Dear Gabby's tips for new ferret parents
- The Bones of a ferret: Bacula
- Ferrety Nursery Rhymes
- plus ferret cartoons, funny stories, and more!
*and* a very special Ferret Faces Pin-Up Centerfold!
You can also order a subscription, back issues,
and other Modern Ferret products from the site.
http://modernferretstore.com
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==> Early Bird Shopping Coupon
Help support this newsletter, get your holiday
shopping done early, and save money at the same time!
From now until November 30, 2002, you get 20% off on the
great items below when you shop at our Ferret Trading
Post online store!
When you check out just enter the coupon code below:
ferretnews33
and the following items will all be discounted 20%!
(Buy as many items as you want with this coupon and
get the discount on all of them!)
** The Ferret Faces 2003 Calendar and Address Book **
http://ferrettradingpost.com/caladbook.html
This is the great new calendar and address book that
we've made. Give it a look! Sharp close-up photography
of ferret faces!
You can see all 12 faces from this year's calendar by
going here:
http://ferretfaces.com/january2003.html
** 500 Things My Ferret Told Me **
http://ferrettradingpost.com/500ferret.html
This fun book gives you 500 enjoyable ferrety quotes
all wrapped up in a nifty little square book. You
can save 25% ordering a copy for yourself or get
extra copies with our -buy two get one free- deal and
save 25% off that as well! Order them now!
** The Monster Pack of Modern Ferret Back Issues **
http://ferrettradingpost.com/take25pack.html
We've renamed the Take 25 Pack to be in the spirit
of Halloween and we've even thrown in a bonus mug!
"I enjoyed every page of the Modern Ferret Take
25 Pack. This was an excellent deal for me. The
informative articles on ferret health, the humorous
stories, and the sweet photos of other people's
fuzzies is awesome. I just wish that I had the
other back issues that are out of stock! I keep
them in a basket so I can refer to them when one
of my ferts has a health or behavioral issue."
--Joyce Huff and the 9 li'l "devils"
(Sara, Kooter, Fuzz, Tootsie, Fuji, Nikki, Sasha,
Tweeters, and Spanky), Pennsylvania
This Holiday Season, get yourself and your ferret-
loving friends a gift they'll enjoy and that will
help them help their ferrets live happier, healthier
lives -- the Modern Ferret Monster Pack!
** The Wit and Wisdom of the Modern Ferrets **
http://ferrettradingpost.com/witandwisofm.html
Compiled from the columns written by our ferrets
during the first 5 years of publishing Modern Ferret
Magazine, this book has the kind of writing that
got us to be chosen as one of the 12 Best Magazines
in the Magazine Business!
Ferret care tips written by ferrets -- what could
be more educational while being enjoyable to read?
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==> Update on Modern Ferret Things
Please tell other ferret people to go to our site
ferretnews.com and subscribe to this newsletter!
The more the merrier!
One of the things that sets _Modern Ferret_ magazine
apart from other publications is that we don't just
write about having pet ferrets, we actually _do_ have
pet ferrets.
This move has really given us the opportunity to
re-examine ferret proofing by actually having to
start ferret proofing an entire new place. Although
we've ferret proofed places before, viewing a fresh
new place from a ferret's perspective always brings
up new ideas for both what could be dangerous to a
ferret and what can be done to make it safer.
We've never had ferrets in our bedroom before - our
ferrets have always had full run of the living room
area, but we've never had a bedroom that was safe
enough for them. It's pretty exciting to watch
Koosh and Gabby hopping all over our bed and making
cute little "dook dook" noises.
A lot of good ferret proofing articles are on the
way as we live through the experience!
-- Newsletter delivery
Please remember: If we send out the newsletter and
the email is returned to us (for example if your
email box is temporarily full), our current software
will remove you from the list.
If you find that you suddenly stop getting the
Modern Ferret News, please try joining again at:
http://www.ferretnews.com
-- Holiday Shopping
Start your shopping now!
Remember that by shopping at
http://www.FerretDesigns.com
and at
http://www.FerretTradingPost.com
you help support this newsletter and keep it free.
For our friends outside of the United States,
see the ordering information here:
http://ferretfaces.com/orderforeign.html
That's it for this issue!
Stay tuned! More great stuff is on the way!
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The _Modern Ferret News_ e-zine
Please let your ferret friends know about this
newsletter and encourage them to read it.
Shopping at these websites to helps support this
newsletter and keep it free.
http://www.ferretdesigns.com
http://www.ferrettradingpost.com
You can provide feedback about this issue by sending email to:
marymodernferret.com
Disclaimer:
http://ferretnews.com/disclaimer.html
The shortened version of the disclaimer is:
If your ferret is ill or you think your ferret
is ill, bring your ferret to a ferret
knowledgeable veterinarian.
Previous articles from this newsletter are at:
http://ferretnews.com/articles.html
Archives of this newsletter are available at:
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Copyright 2002 Modern Ferret magazine.
All rights reserved.
http://www.modernferret.com
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