I believe that the concern is that he got lost in the first place.  We
recently moved, and Loki one day managed to get the basement door open.
I was out of the room, not supervising properly, so if anything had
happened, it would have been my fault.  Luckily, I was able to get back,
see the door, get the other kids back into their cage, and get down to
the basement before anything untoward happened to Loki.  It still took
me what felt like a lifetime to get him back into my arms.  Our laundry
room, furnace, and some inviting looking drainage pipe is down there.
I'm still amazed that he didn't go investigating somewhere I couldn't
find him.
 
Even when my ferrets had free-roam of the entire house, at our previous
residence, I would track them down several times every day.  Wondering if
it was "okay" for them to disappear for several days at a time was not
something that I considered an option.  If I hadn't seen one for several
hours, then out would come the squeaky toy, and we'd do a weasle check.
Yes, accidents happen.  And yes, ferrets die.  However, we all worry
when we hear about it.  And I commend Karen for having the strength of
character to come forward and express her concern.  Especially knowing
that some people on this list can be... defensive... at times.  Isn't
this supposed to be all about the ferrets?
 
Denise Autry
[Posted in FML issue 4622]