Sorry, this is super long but I need to vent.  I'm mad, scared, and
greatly relieved.  Hope this helps some one else out there who thought
there place was ferret proof.
 
Well, the new playroom for the ferrets is a hit.  I "thoroughly" ferreted
proofed it and there was "nothing" for them to get hurt on or in, right?
Well, ferrets being ferrets, mine figured out a way to get into trouble.
If there's nothing else to do, let's try crawling under the door.  Who
cares if it's only 1/2 of an inch high, I can do it!  I'm super ferret,
the tiniest ferret alive, I can make myself fit anywhere I want to.  (I
guess that was running through her head when she decided to try to get
under the door).  So, I am 2 hours away at a flea market and receive this
absolutely frantic call from my 15 y/o that Little Bit (the one going for
adrenal surgery Tuesday) is stuck under the playroom door.  She's gasping
for air, foaming at the mouth, and bleed profusely!  (relax, she wasn't).
So I told her to lift the door and prop it up until her brother could get
it off the hinges, I was on my way.  She is now hysterical, but I can
hear her 19 y/o brother in the back ground saying it was ok, he had it
taken care of.  They got the fuzzy out of her predicament and I'm in the
car flying down HWY 10 to rescue her.  (trying to remember my vets number
for emergencies).  The kid says the ferrets is bleeding and not moving
her head.  I'm trying to stay calm.  Ok, put her in her cage and put on
ice bottle beneath her hammock.  How's her breathing?  (panting but ok)
Is her nose/feet red?  (no, pink).  Ok, I'm coming as fast as I can.  Try
to find Wes's number, he may have an emergency vet number.  Hang up and
call back 10 minutes later.  How's the ferret?  She's grooming herself,
and seems just fine.  (ok, drop back down to some where closer to the
speed limit).  Is she still bleeding?  (Uh, no mom, I didn't say she was
bleeding, she just has a bad scrape and all the skin is pulled back, can
I go for a walk please?).  Got son on the phone.  No the ferret was never
bleeding, or foaming at the mouth.  She was panting a little from being
stuck, but no other signs of distress.  I finally arrive home to find a
happy health, if slightly scuffed Little Bit, drinking from a bowl of
water and snuggling happily into my arms.  There is a red mark, like a
scrape, on the back of her neck and that's it.
 
Lessons learned:
1. If you think it's ferret proof, it aint.
2. Kids exaggerate!
3. Put the vet and emergency vet and backups into the memory on the cell
   phone.
4. Teach daughter how to assess a situation without panicking.
 
So, any idea's how to block a 1/2 in gap below the door?  (short of
cutting the door in half and caulking the gap, which they would pull up
and eat anyway)  Since I know some one will try this again.  BTW, it is
really only 1/2 inch, I went back and measured it because I couldn't
believe anything could get into that small of a space.
 
Oh, and just to add to the fun.  This was my husbands first trip out
of the house (other than short milk runs) since he had major abdominal
surgery last Monday!
 
Life with ferrets sure is interesting.
 
Shelley
[Posted in FML issue 4209]