From:
Vicki Montgomery
Date: 2006-11-29 15:54:58 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] HUH? no digging? no dirt?
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
I think I'm in need of some serious re-education here. Why in the world would anyone discourage a natural act of ferrets? Why discourage digging.. I ENCOURAGE it..
It's healthy for them psychologically and physically (by the way it is for kids too - let them get dirty - two and four legged - take the time to let them go wild in nature, then bathe them). Not only does it give them joy, but it exercises their arms and if they dig long enough they get a cardio workout, plus it helps wear the nails down.
To Me.. discouraging them --- sounds tantamount to tying a left-handed child's left arm to his left leg to FORCE him to use his RIGHT hand.. How many of you had that done to you or knew/know someone to whom it was done? After all Satan makes left-handed people doesn't he?
I grew up running and playing in woods.. sometimes very swampy woods... I got cut, scratched, scraped we lived and still live with fungi.. LOTS OF IT... and it is RARELY ever a problem.. did any of my wounds ever get infected.. hell yes... what did I do.. I washed them with warm soapy water, poured hydrogen peroxide on them, dabbed on some neosporin and off I went again to do it all over again.
These people who cry, "Oh my gosh Mold might be in my house" - guess what.. MOLD is EVERYWHERE.. Fungi are everywhere - I don't know what's up with the mold climbing up stairways and walls, but I eat mushrooms, another fungus (and research cheese please)... It hasn't hurt me and while I'm not going to brag about being the oldest person on this list.. I've been around the block more than once.
I've played with lichen, wild mushrooms - including exposure to spores, moss, I'm sure mildew, and every conceivable type of dirt and soil you can imagine - including years of mucking out stalls in which my and other horses relived themselves, cleaned up vomit from sin-kids, skin-adults, dogs and cats... Played and swam in gully's, lakes, rivers, swamps.. fields, meadows, heavily undergrown woods.. I've chewed on grass stems, eaten dirt (falling down and not because I wanted to eat dirt) and NEVER GOTTEN SICK from any of it.. nor have any of the many people I grew up with or those who grew up before and after us who played similarily. And I really think that ferrets have a more attuned and effective immune systems than I do. I could be wrong..
I let - no make - my dogs, cats, kids and ferrets (no forcing there), even myself these days, go outside to gain some benefit from the "fresh" air, sunlight, and especially just from being outside in the world.
SO If there is something I'm missing here PLEASE let me know - I don't want to do the wrong thing.. but right now I think the wrong thing to do is live TOO sterile a life so my body doesn't develop it's own protection, nature immunities, against microscopic invaders.
Clean up feces of all kinds and urine and vomit and decaying plant products (rotting food), keep vermin (roaches, rats, etc) out of your food supply and clothing (well unless pets, out of your home), wash your hands thoroughly, with soap and as hot as you can stand water - don't have boil them, after going to the bathroom or touching anything having to do with bodily secretions, rot, or someone having an illness, such as cold, infection, flu etc; and everytime before you handle food - anyone's food - even your own.
but embrace nature.. and if you feel your soil needs sterilization.. take it outside and place in direct sunlight for awhile.. SUNLIGHT is sterilizing..
Ultraviolet rays from the sun Sterilize..
Now if I've got it all wrong please let me know. Why discourage digging in a natural digger and what's wrong with soil? Like my nephew used to say.. God made dirt.. dirt don't hurt!
Vicki
lewingtonjohn <jhlewing@iinet.net.au> wrote:
--- In ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com, "manajane21" <amandadegraw@...>
wrote:
The short answer is avoid any potting mix in case of the presence of
fungal or other contaminants. I presume you have in house ferrets
just let them play with you and have plastic pipes for them to run in.
Ferrets usually 'playfight' between themselves and should be
discouraged from digging efforts!
John
>
> In an effort to enrich my babies play time, I started a dig box for
> them containing potting soil. The box is connnected to their tubes
for
> an extra fun element. Anyways, I just wanted to run this by with
> everyone here to make sure this is safe for my kids. The potting
soil
> does not appear to contain any fertilizers based on the bag label
and
> listed ingredients (it was a cheap bag of soil from Walmart, 98
cents
> for 10 lbs). The ingredients say "this product is formulated from
> organic materials (derived from one or more of the following:
hypnum
> peat, forest products, or compost), sand, and perlite. In Georgia,
this
> product is regionally formulated to contain 77-87% aged pine bark,
sand
> and perlite." Does this sound ok??? I have been supervising their
play
> thus far. They are definately not eating any of it, but they do get
> some in their nose and such, from their play. Please let me know
ASAP
> if you think this could be a problem, as I would never do anything
to
> harm my fuzzies intentionally. Thank you.
>
Vicki Montgomery
Tricks and Treats Rescue
Greater Houston/Galveston Texas
713-472-6599
ferretfrenzy@yahoo.com or Tricksandtreatsrescue@yahoo.com
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/FerretCare/ - Join ferret care and share your care experiences
"Until he extends the circle of his compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace." ~ Dr. Albert Schweitzer
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