>From: Todd Olson <[log in to unmask]>
>
>    Also our two oldest did the (seemingly) impossible, I got home from work,
>sat down to remove my shoes, and they BOTH we out of there cage (which was
>still locked shut).  One was sleeping under the sofa and the other one came
>to sniff me and that is how I realized they were out.  Either the cat loves
>em both soooooo much that she let them out, or I need to reinforce the door a
>little bit.
 
When I got my first 2 ferrets some years ago, my boyfriend at the time (an
engineer) decided that he could build a better cage than any of the ones we
saw in pet stores.  Unfortunately, after we got the ferrets, some major,
um, design flaws were made known to us.  Specifically, the boys could
easily pop the door open.  So we added clips to keep it shut.  They pushed
vigorously, and popped the clips, so we added clips all around.  They still
popped it open, and in desperation one night, we shoved a Sears Craftsman
toolbox (about 50lb.) in front of the door.  *That* held the little
weasels!
 
While I was away on a business trip, my boyfriend woke up in the middle of
the night to find little Eric sitting on his chest, staring at him while he
slept.  So he got up, moved the toolbox, unclipped the door, installed Eric
back in the cage with Otto, re-clipped the door, replaced the toolbox, and
went back to sleep.  He was then awakened by something slithering down his
leg.  So he got up, picked up Eric, moved the toolbox, etc.  About 20
minutes later, something was nibbling his toes.  He picked up Eric, grabbed
the toolbox, and said, "Wait a minute."  So he put Eric back in the cage,
replaced the clips and toolbox, and waited.  Eric stood on his hind legs
with his back to the door (both door and cage were made of 1/2" mesh),
grabbed the cage above the door with his paws, and flexed it inwards,
leaving a gap, which he then squeezed through.  Once he was out, the cage
wall snapped back, leaving no evidence of how he did it.
 
As a friend said, "It must be tough having pets that are smarter than most
humans."
 
[Posted in FML issue 0903]