Ann Gruden <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>Anal scent glands are a ferret's only defense mechanism. 99& of the
>time they will only "spray" when hurt or frightened. Ferrets do not
>usually make noise. We had one older male ferret (a former breeding
>ferret who, of course, was neutered, but not descented) get caught
>behind a cabinet. The only reason we knew where he was and that he was
>in trouble was that he sprayed, and when I walked into the kitchen and
>smelled it, knew something was wrong and quickly investigated. Would he
>have died there? That I don't know for sure - but I've had 2 different
>descented ferrets get locked into a closet for 24 hours and one for 2
>days and we never knew it. They do not cry out, and never scratched.

Oh, you just reminded me of how useful they can be! Like your poor
stuck ferret, our boys have made a couple of escapes in the past, and
on numerous occasions we've used the scent (they get really excited
when they get outside, so they scent a fair bit) to help track them
down.

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[Posted in FML 5666]