Hi Guys-
 
I'm so glad to hear that Tony made it safely back home!  I've been off the
internet for a week or so as my computer is on the fritz.  And I'm down in
San Jose on my way to the La FA show this weekend.  You are so lucky to have
gotten him back and he was lucky that a good person found him!  It doesn't
always turn out that way, so he must have had a little angel (Ms. Wiggles?)
looking out for him.
 
I know exactly how you felt, as when I was in PA, Frosty escaped one night
while we were out to dinner.  We came home and couldn't locate her.  She had
climbed three feet up a radiator cover (never had before) and sqeezed out a
1 1/2 inch wide gap where I had left the window open for some air, and then
jumped three feet to FREEDOM!!!  (or so she thought).  It was midnight when
I found the ferret prints by the window and I was out until four am alone
(Jim was on call at the hospital) looking for her in Philadelphia with my
flashlight and sqeekie toy to no avail.  By 9 am I had 100 posters out and
had put lost ads in all the local papers as well as at the animal shelters.
I roamed the neighborhood knocking on doors and passing out flyers in
addition to the ones I had posted everywhere.  I was lucky in that at 5:30
pm, a neighbor down the next block that I had spoken to earlier saw her run
into her yard from the one next door and called me right away (sans posters
and going door to dooe, she said she'd never have called anyone and would
have left Frosty alone, as she ddin't know anything about ferrets).  I went
to get her and she ran into a hole under the house.  She was having so much
fun she didn't want to be caught.  She was so dirty, but tired, hungry and
thirtsty and I was so glad to have her back home.  I had cried all night and
several times during the day thinking of her spending snother night in the
dark, in the city, alone.  I learned my leason about letting them roam free
unattended.
 
You mentioned that this is the fourth time one of your ferrets has escaped.
I hope you consider that perhaps letting them roam free all day and night is
not in their best interest.  Eventually they find ways to get out, as you
have found, or find a way to get into trouble that can cost them their lives
or limbs.  We all ferret proof the best we can, but they are smart animals
and seem to find ways into and out of things we just don't see.  When you
are home and can supervise, it's ok, but it's best to put them away or in a
comple tely ferret proofed room (if one exists) when you can't keep an eye
on them.  I kniow I'd never forgive myself if I lost a ferret or one got
hurt or worse, due to my negligence, accidental though it may be.  We are
responsible for the little guys as they can't be for themselves.
 
P.S.  I hope you don't take the above as condescending or judgemental or
infering that your "bad" ferret owners because yourt ferret got loose, as I
certainly don't mean it that way.  It's just my personal opinion on the best
way to keep them as safe as possible.
 
SunFerret
[Posted in FML issue 1879]