A response to several questions on the last FML -
 
1) Anon asked if ferrets respond to their names.  There is no question that
Slinky knows his name, and will come when called if his little ferret brain
is not otherwise scrambled by some other intensive ferret pursuit (as we
all know it usually is).
 
2) Regarding the harness question - I have no problems with Slinky slipping
out of a MF harness.  It should be pretty snug, though, otherwise he will
slip out at first conflict (ie he wants to go a different way than his
harness).  Try making it tight enough so that it is in contact with him,
but not squeezing.  Never let him outside without it - you never know
how fast he'll be able to get away and into some hard-to-catch place.  For
those who haven't seen an MF harness, by the way, I think it is far
superior to any other ferret harness I've seen - it fits better than a
kitten harness, and the quick-clips minimize the muss and fuss of
attachment.
 
By the way - Slinky is belled all the time, and I take off his collar for
bath time each week.  After he has dried off, when I go to put his collar
back on, he will remain absolutely motionless while I collar him.  This is
about the only time he will freeze when I hold him.  Do others have the
same response?  Also - note that MF collars are not as good as MF
harnesses.  While the clip is still great, Slinky outgrew his pretty
quickly, despite the fact he's not really large (2.4 lbs).
 
Best - Mason, Slinky, and Leila ("So he's bored!  What's the big deal?  We
can really talk through this....")
[Posted in FML issue 1101]