Howdy!
 
I've had the girls for more than a year now.
 
Lola's the new addition to the crew.  Kate, my fiancee, loved the other two
so much, we went and purchased Lola from P.J.'s in Etobicoke, Ontario,
Canada.
 
One of the big questions I had when I was a new owner of Mindy was can I
trust her that she won't run off from me if I remove the leash or she
wiggles out?  I had read that ferrets cannot go off the leash as they might
dash off or not stick by you.
 
Well..... interesting experiments and happy contridictions.
 
Outside tests 1995-1996.
 
Mindy will run with Kate or I without a leash if we're:
 
 a) heading home from a long walk and she knows where she is (for safety,
    I stayed near her and didn't let her get out of quick reach as we live
    in the city)
 b) is not interested in nice smells or attractions around her
 c) she is not sitting in the wind or hot sun for too long
 
Lola will run along with Kate or I without leash if:
 
 a) we're on a field of grass and you have white shoes on.
 b) she's not involved in any little adventure or playfight.
 
Gabby will run along with Kate or I without a leash if:
 
 a) hell freezes over
 b) you're going in her direction
 
Why did I do this?  For one, I always feel that mutual respect and
understanding tends to lead to deeper relationships between owner and fert.
Not trusting the ferret doesn't help.  Understanding that they are curious
and will wander away on occasion is OK.  Place yourself in an area that
makes it easy to recover them.  Also observe them when they're having fun
and their habits.  Normally the ferts won't run away when you go to pick
them up.
 
Areas and time of day we went for walks:
 
  A) Wasaga beach - late afternoon.  Mindy ran along the beach with me for
     an hour (yep, distractions were there and it didn't matter), dug
     sandcastles up and we swam a bit together to stay cool.
 
  B) Park near apartment - evening / night. Is mildly lit, cool and open
     area so we can see the ferts no problem and they'll stay cool.  Mindy
     and Lola will tend to run around the field with you and play alot, but
     Gabby... well..  we run with her.  We still think she's a bit of an
     introvert.
 
  C) Cottage - we tend to stay near because Mindy likes the underside of
     the cottage and the chipmunk holes. BTW - chipmunk holes are REALLY
     Wide below the surface.
 
Anyone else attempted this?  Your findings?
 
     Rob, Kate & Crew in Toronto, Canada
 
     Samson - head feline       - nickname - "boi, furrball"
     Mindy  - 1.4 yr old, sable - nickname - "Mindo, Min Bin, Bucket"
     Gabby  - 1.2 yr old, sable - nickname - "McGabber, Gabbo"
     Lola   - 12 wk  old, silver mitt - nickname - "Loli, Lolita"
[Posted in FML issue 1635]