258 THE KEEPERS BOOK 



Ferrets and Ferreting 



The main point to be remembered by the keeper is 

 that ferrets are as liable to disease from bad hygienic 

 surroundings as he is himself. Accordingly, the ferret 

 should be assured of cleanliness, fresh air, and good 

 food. The days of dirty, badly-ventilated boxes ought 

 to be at an end, and as much care should be taken of 

 the ferrret-runs and hutches as of the kennels. Ferrets 

 must therefore be allowed plenty of pure air and sun- 

 shine. To secure this, there must be connected to their 

 sleeping-saloons a sufficient open-air run, which should 

 be on dry, porous, well-drained soil. It is best that 

 these runs should be tiled over, so that they may be 

 well sluiced with permanganate of potash solution, 

 sanitas, or other antiseptic fluid. It is easy to arrange 

 these tiles so as to secure sufficient drainage. The 

 sides of the run should be high enough to prevent the 

 ferrets escaping, yet not too high to interfere with 

 the easy entrance of the keeper for cleaning and other 

 purposes. 



The hutch, which is pierced with holes for the proper 

 exit and entrance of the ferrets to and from the runs, 

 may be a box, the top and sides of which lift bodily from 

 the ground. In may cases the box consists of but one 

 department, but recent improvements are much more 

 elaborate, and even go so far as to secure three com- 

 partments one for sleeping purposes, one for feeding, 

 and one for the calls of nature. Where such an arrange- 



