I adopted a big (4.5 lb.) ferret late in December, Stanley.  Just a few
days after I had him neutered I had to travel for 10 days on business.  I
left him and his brothers and sister in very capable hands - at a veritable
"Ferret Camp" while I was away.  Yesterday was the 1st day that everyone
was home and the schedule was back to normal.
 
In the evening, I let Stan out for playtime in the kitchen.  Katie, Matt,
and Al got living room playtime.  Al, kept scratching at the Weasel Watcher
Gate between the two rooms - he wanted to get Stan out to play.  "Okay I
thought, you asked for it...." I let Stan out - Katie and Al disappeared.
Matt made a nervous poop on the carpet and Stanley decided that the fun
thing to do was to start biting an 80 lb. Golden Retriever!  Bad idea.
Stanley got a time out in the cage and Matt went back to his room.  Katie
decided to join him and Al hid behind the couch for over an hour - playing
with all the toys that were hidden there over the years.  I finally moved
the couch and put Al to bed (he's deaf it was the only way to get him).  I
felt guilty so I opened Stan's cage and figured I would let him have the
run of the kitchen over night.
 
I went up to bed.  I heard some banging noises but I assumed that it was
just the old pipes clanking getting the baseboard heating going upstairs...
WRONG!  When I got up this morning, the gate had been knocked down - looked
like an inside job - after their 1st meeting I don't think the dog was
too anxious to let the ferret out... Stan must have knocked down the gate
himself.  First job was to locate the ferret - he was sleeping in his cage.
Next job, damage assessment.... Checked all the things that Katie. Matt, &
Al go for when I'm not looking.  Plants, okay, items on book shelf, okay,
garbage can, knocked over but trash in tact.  He didn't do anything!?!  I
think the poor guy just didn't know what to do with his freedom.  Nobody
to torment (who knows what he did to the dog when I wasn't looking), nobody
to play with - he just went back to bed.  Not much of an adventure if you
ask me!
 
Kristeen, JT,
Katie, Matt,
Al & Stanley
[Posted in FML issue 3307]