[Moderator's note: I received parts 1 and 3 today. Assuming part 2 will
arrive eventually, I'm holding part 3 so it can follow part 2.  BIG]
 
Ferret Frolic/Ferret Olympics Report of Activities Sunday June 28, 1998.
Part 1 of 4 Parts
Compiled by Der Frettchenlustbarkeitsfuehrer [G.] Ferret Frolics Leader,
Edward Frettchenvergnuegen Lipinski
 
1.  3-Flags Flagpole Race:
1st place @ 21 seconds to Tamber Thomas's BAXTER.
2nd place @ 25 seconds to Wendy Jessman's LARRY.
3rd place @26 seconds to Jill Santo's RALPH.
Lara Hill's SIMON @ 30 seconds.  James Santo's SIMBA @ 44 seconds.  Tamber
Thomas's CARMINE @ 1 min 5 sec.  Todd Cromwell's DORS @ 1 min 22 sec.  Karen
Santo's RALPH @ 2 min 2 sec.  Ray Tobkin's LADY and ROCCO incomplete.
 
2.  Paper Bag Escape:
1st place @ 4 seconds was Laura Hill's CHIEF.
2nd place @ 5 seconds was Wendy Jassman's VAN.
3rd place @ 6 seconds was Taber Thomas's BAXTER.
Karen, Jill, and James's ferrets as No.s 3, 4 and 5 escape times were 19
seconds, 35 seconds, and 1 minute 16 seconds.  Owner No. 1: 34 seconds.
Owner No. 2: 35 seconds.  Owner No. 7: 29 seconds.  Owner No. 13: 32
sconds.  Ferrets of owners No.s 8, 10, 12, and 14 did not exit the paper
bags on their own.  One went to sleep and the other pooped.
 
3.  Ferret Hearing Response Test.  25% of ferrets subjected to this test
responded dramatically.  75% showed little or no interest and one ferret
left the hearing test enclosure by means of an exit tube.
 
The two ferrets that responded traveled from a closed, cardboard box to the
sound source thru a 15-foot long plastic and wire sound tubes.  A 19-inch
long exit tube extended from the side of the cardboard box directly opposite
the incoming sound (tube.) Both ferrets that responded were reluctant to
completely exit the final tube with their rear paws and kept their hip
flanks covered until they were removed by the owners.
 
This is, however, characteristic of ferrets when exposing their bodies after
transiting a tube or coming out of an earthern tunnel.  You see this quite
clearly in viewing films of the black-footed ferret cavorting at its den
entrance.  It appears they blindly "back-pedal feel-find, push-probe" their
den opening by backwards thrusting with their hip flanks.  This
characteristic is observable in the domestic variety too.
 
The dramatic response by the ferret only occurred with 2 of 11 sound
generators.  Predator call No.  5 was highly effective as was the inflated
balloon pressure shreik.  To duplicate such ferret responses one should use
Haydel's Game Calls, Inc.  1808 Shady Gr. Dr. Bossler City, La 71112, Phone
318 746-3711, Baby Rabbit BR-84.  This is a mouth-blown device that produces
a rich spectrum of sounds that are very complex, since, mouth blown, the
sounds produced are a function of the air pressure blown into the call and
the duration of the air flow through it.
 
The balloon shreiking is produced by mouth inflating a balloon to about the
size of a small watermellon and then pulling the nozzle of the balloon with
fingers of both hands at right angle to the normal air flow as the air is
forced from the balloon nozzle by squeezing the balloon against your body.
The stretching sideways of the nozzle will produce a single frequency
momentarily and an infinite number of other frequencies as the balloon
squeezer increases or decreases the stretching of the nozzle and the air
pressure lessens.
 
                                End of Part 1 of 4 Parts
[Posted in FML issue 2361]