Hey group-
 
I need your advice.
 
I have had ferrets since I was a teenager and I have never seen or gone
through what I have in the past couple days.
 
I just moved into a new house were my ferrets have two adjoining rooms
to play in.  I had the ferrets out to play a couple days ago while I was
cleaning their cage in their room like I have done a 100 times before,
since I have moved in.  Well, I had gone to go and wash out the water
bowls downstairs and when I came back I had noticed the window above the
radiator had a small rip in the bottom.  I freaked out and started to
count everyone.  When I noticed my Ashtin was missing I had a panic
attack.  Their room is 3 floors up since I live in the slopes were all
the houses have 3-5 floors, it took all that I had in me to look out at
that window.
 
Somehow, Ashtin had climbed the radiator, tore a little hole in the
window, got out and fell three stories.  I ran outside, falling down the
stairs myself, to find him in the back of my house, still alive, but with
a broken back and blood coming out of his nose.  I rushed him to the
closest Met Vet, where they said the most humane thing for me to do was
to help him across the bridge.  Which I did, but can not forgive myself
for.  He was five and a half years old and a dark eyed white.  I had
rescued him and his cage mate awhile back.
 
I have NEVER, I MEAN NEVER seen any of my ferrets trying to do that.
Nor, any of mine for that matter, even give a screen another look.  I
have never had anything near a window were they could climb and try to
get out.  But since this house is older, it has all those old time
radiators under all the windows in every room.
 
Since then, I have but up one of those Marshall Play Pen gates around the
radiator and doubled the screens, but now I am terrified to leave them
even for a second when they are out with the windows open.
 
Has anyone gone through anything like this and if so can you offer some
advice on how you get through something this tragic.
 
Monica & The Fuzzy Bunch
10 very sad fuzzies missing Ashtin
[Posted in FML issue 4561]