>From:    Diane Burman <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Reality Check on Missing Ferret in Central NJ
>I'm feeling desperately sad and without hope at this point and I'm turning
>to the list for advice.
 
Sounds familiar.  We went through the same thing with Rocky our little
sable female many years ago about the same time of year, temperature wise.
Neighbor next door had her in his home for a while where she ate some cat
food, and then he pushed her outside with a newspaper because he thought
that she was wild.
 
Three days later after distributing flyers and everything else, we had
given up and I had taken her carry cage back inside.  Last thing was to
open the breezeway door into the garage at 3:00 A.M.  where I heard this
rustling noise.  Looking down there was a plastic bag of garbage at my feet
with a little hole in it, and soon a very happy ferret face looking out at
me.  There were also two little piles of poo poo near the door that showed
she had been eating raspberries from our back yard.  She was quite cold but
otherwise okay.  Rasberries were always a favorite treat after that.
 
From having two teenagers and two mostly uncaged ferrets which 'escaped'
more times that we would like to think about, my experience is that:
 
1. Ferrets tend to stay quite close and don't wander too far.
2. They are most active in the evenings or early morning.
3. Leaving a carry cage with food and a warm sweater in it may help.
4. Contact your neighbors, they may have been taken in.
5. Most will respond to a sqeaky toy.
 
        - Bill Williamson
[Posted in FML issue 2521]