Hey all!
 
Tonight I had the hugest scare of my almost 8 years of being owned by
ferrets, and probably of my life.  I've read so many stories here of ferrets
escaping outside and have sympathized with everybody and been relieved when
the babies were found, but I felt pretty sure that I had taken the extreme
measures needed to make sure it didn't happen to me.  Well, tonight it did.
 
I live in a small condo on the end of a building.  When my six frets are out
they're usually confined to the master bedroom and bathroom because they're
much more "ferret-proofed" than the rest of the condo, and then the dog can
bother them when I'm not able to supervise.  They'd been in the bedroom for
several hours, and I hadn't seen any of them around for a while and assumed
they'd gone to sleep, as is the norm.  I was busy moving pumpkins to and
from the back patio into the dining room, and I suddenly saw a flash of
ferret fur in the 4-5- inch space that the back door was open (it doesn't
shut very easily, and I didn't think that any ferrets could be out in the
main part of the condo).  I assumed that one of the ferrets had gotten out
of the bedroom somehow and had run outside, so I yelled for my husband to
bring a flashlight.  He did, but on the way he found my big boy Gus inside
in the dining room.  I still thought that the ferret I saw in the door was
going out, so I had him start looking around out back while I went to the
bedroom to do a head count.  Immediately I saw that the baby gate was secure
and the covering over it (preventing climbs) was intact, so I didn't know
how the heck one or two ferrets had gotten out, but hey- they're ferrets!  I
immediately found Cleo running around, and Nitozha was in her separate cage
(she's sick), and Gus was now in his cage, so I still needed Tiny, Fidget,
and Einstein.  On a whim I checked the windows (the blinds were all down,
and to my horror found that one of the windows was open (I'd forgot) and the
screen was pushed out!  It was a window that I didn't think they could get
to,and plus it opened to the front side of the condo.  Needless to say, I
panicked big time!  I pulled out all of the drawers, where they usually
sleep, and no ferrets.  Called and called and called- no ferrets.  I went
outside, where it is the most horrible night- dark and wet and very cold and
VERY windy, and called and squeaked the squeaky toy, and Lance did the same.
No ferrets.  Went in after a bit and tore apart the bedroom, and found Tiny
and Einstein in strange hidey holes I hadn't known existed.  Still no
Fidget.  For an hour we ran around outside with a weak flashlight calling
her and squeaking (and of course me sobbing the whole time), with me coming
inside occasionally to tear up the bedroom again.  Finally I put piles of
their towels and food and water in front and back by the doors and resigned
myself to going out around the building every 5-10 minutes calling her, and
in the meantime I started making signs (which was kind of scary to do, since
ferrets are illegal in Bloomington).  After about a half hour Lance came in
yelling "I got him!!!" (he still hasn't figured out which of the frets are
girls and which are boys).  He'd found her wandering around the side yard,
dirty but surprisingly not very cold.  It turned out that she and Gus had
gone out the window, and Gus had figured out how to go around the condo to
the back patio, and when I had the door cracked he ran back INSIDE (he's one
of my smartest, but Fidget is too).  Fidget, on the other hand, decided to
have herself a little adventure.  But all are safe and sound now, and I have
again learned a big lesson.
 
Translation- NEVER think that it won't happen to you!!!  They can find a way
to any window, any door, any hole.  My eyes are still puffy and it's been
two hours.  I'll never again take my ferret-proofing for granted!!!
 
Love to all-
Jamie, and     Fidget, Tiny, Nitozha, Gus, Cleo, and Einstein
[Posted in FML issue 2106]