I'm behind on FMLs and just saw a question (from Peter?) about road trips
with ferrets.  I know some people have done well travelling with their kids
free in the car, but I just tried it this past weekend.  My boyfriend took
one of the fuzzies out of their (huge) pet carrier and let him roam around
on the floor a bit.  Well, he (the ferret) wiggled behind the dash and the
stick, and managed to get right under my foot as I was driving.  I was
concerned that he might get stuck in some crevice of the car, and looked
down.  When I looked up, the car was already on the guardrail; I fishtailed
twice and finally spun out into a snowbank.  I was bruised and beat up a
bit, but everybody was okay.  The car, however, was TOTALLED and guess what-
it was a rental.  And I declined the company's insurance because I rented it
on a gold card.  This was just last weekend, so I have no idea if I'm going
to spend the next ten years paying off a four day old Sentra or not.  The
point is, I wouldn't recommend letting ferrets run around in your car,
unless the car is PARKED.  Just get a jumbo plastic pet kennel, and keep
them in it until you get where you are going.  They will just be
double-extra energetic when they get out.
 
I'm sorry to post anon, but I'm sort of embarrassed that I could be so
STUPID.  Really, I've never had an accident before, and my boyfriend
ironically praised my handling of the car during this disaster- he seemed to
think the car would have rolled if Joe Schmo had been driving.....but
anyway....
 
and yes, the loose ferret was totally fine.  At first, we couldn't find him,
because he had crept up under a plastic panel under the steering wheel.  He
was terrified, but I coaxed him out and put him back in the kennel with his
buddy, and I swear, in five minutes, he was asleep in the hammock.  I wish I
had bounced back that fast- I was shaking for hours!
 
So the moral of the story is, for your safety and your ferrets',
keep them in a pet carrier on road trips.
 
Jenn
[Posted in FML issue 1447]