Nancy, et al -
 
We call our  male fuzzy, Toby, a "mouse killer" - an electronic mouse that
is.  The first time we saw  him up on the computer desk, we couldn't believe
that it was him that manipulated the mouse and got out the little steel
roller ball inside that guides the cursor on the screen! So the second time,
we heard noises coming from the other room, we quietly peeked around the
corner, and there's Toby up on the desk again; with his front paws, he
flipped over the mouse. He uses his mouth and front paws to twist the disk
that holds the steel ball inside, and within seconds, the disk is off and out
drops the ball. Toby takes this ball in his mouth and hides it in an open bin
in the computer hutch.  Toby loves all kinds of balls - ping pong, tennis
balls, squeak toy balls, etc., but how the heck did he suddenly realize that
this computer mouse has a steel ball in it? It's covered with a rubbery
coating, so maybe he just figured there's a "toy" in this gadget for him to
play with. :)
 
Our other ferret "General Pershing" (aka "General") steals just about all my
shoes.  Not my husband's shoes, just mine.  If I leave my shoes unattended,
or don't put them out of his reach, he just collects them and hides them in
various places around the house.  He use to put each pair in one spot. Then
when he saw me taking them back from his hiding place, he started to separate
the pairs and put each shoe in a different room. Of course that's harder for
me since I have to check a few places now in order to find the matched pairs.
 Now tell me ferrets aren't smart and know strategic planning! :)
 
Phyllis
[Posted in FML issue 1243]