Here at Especially Ferrets Inc., we recieve several calls a week about lost
ferrets.  sometimes we even gather up a bunch of volunteers to go out and
look for the ferret.  some of my best volunteers come from folks whose
ferret we helped find.  Occasionally, we chased leads of sightings of the
little critter running loose in the neighborhood, and sometimes we get real
lucky and find the fuzzy.  they are usually very tired, hungry, thirsty,
and scared.  Three times last year, we found the fuzzy too late and they
died right there in our hands.  All thtree were suffering from exposure
and hypothermia.  In one case, the ferret had been out for three days and
it rained all three days that he was out.  Here in Colorado, we experienced
extreme weather conditions in the winter and summer.  In balmy conditions,
a ferret can be expected to survive approximately ten days without
intervention. ( human or animal)  In extreme weather, they can be expected
to survive anywhere from 1 to 5 days and will sucumb to temperature
conditions.  Even though they are furbearing, they are not acclimated to
freezing temperatures and or finding food sources.  There little feet also
can become frozen if out too long in extreme cold.  There can be exceptions
where the conditions are right for their survival such as a case I
personally experienced a few years back.  We had some ferrets get loose
from the shelter by an alarm installer who was left alone to do his job
while we went on a rescue.  We came back to find all the doors to the
shelter open and ferrets running all over the neighborhood.  We immediately
recovered all but one, and to make matters worse, it was a boarder.  Two
weeks went by, we had already informed the family that their ferret was
lost, took the flack we deserved, and had given up hope of ever finding
the lost one.  I went out back with some trash one day, after it had been
snowinf for a couple of days straight and just happened to look into
Ferretland.  ( For pictures, see our website at www.especiallyferrets.org),
and I saw footprints that didn't look like the regular squirrel footprints
all over Ferretland. and upon investigation found the little lost ferret
from two weeks ago!  She had been living in Ferretland in the little Fred
Flinstone house and had found all the little stash places the other ferrets
had put food in on the previous summer season.  She had made a nest inside
the house and seemed quite comfortable outside.  She had been able to get
in Ferretland, but because it is escape proof, she couldn't get out
 
During the summer season, there are not only so many animals out that
coulds easily kill or injure a ferret, but they have to deal with extremely
hot temperatures.  It doesn't take much for a ferret to die from heat
prostration.  When you see you ferret start to pant, it is the beginning
of a very serious condition.  Putting them in front a fan will not work as
they don't sweat the way we do to cool off.
 
During the summer months when Ferretland is open, I fly a flag that has a
skull and crossbones on it, like a pirate flag, on days when it is too
dangerous to have ferrets outside, so if you bring your ferret over to
play in Ferretland and the flag is flying, you let your ferrets out in
Ferretland at your own risk.  We keep a frig outside next to ferretland
with cold, dry towels in it to slowly cool your ferret off in the event
they start panting, and then recommend that the ferret go inside for
awhile.  On hot days, the flag is usually flying during the heat of the day
and taken down in the am and pm when it is much cooler out.  There is also
an airconditioned space in Ferretland for staff to sit in while watching
the kids in Ferretland.  It is all glass so as to not obsruct the vision of
whomever is in it..  There is room at the bottom of the enclosure for all
the little fuzzies to come in escape the heat of the day if they so prefer
to do so For questions about Ferretland, see our website or call me
 
ferretguy.
[Posted in FML issue 3043]