Hi, all -- I admit to being one of the "propagators" of scaring people that
if their ferret were lost for more than a few days, their owners should
throw in the towel and give up.  In the www.pets.com article I write:
 
"In fact, domestic ferrets have few survival instincts.  If one were to
escape outdoors, it would survive only a few days because ferrets have
poor eyesight, reduced hunting instincts, and little fear."
 
I had, of course, written MORE than that -- echoing many of Bob Church's
sentiments, to justify this position, but you know how editors have to
shorten everything up!
 
Part of this reasoning was based on a study I read on ferrets' (and other
animals') reactions to heat.  Of course I can't FIND the study, which is
why I hadn't posted yet (as soon as I locate it, I'll send it to you,
Bob!).  Given that my first writings were for a Texas (=hot weather)
audience, a few days of survival in 100-degree weather is probably about
right.
 
Ferrets, because they have little fear, do run up to people, dogs, motor
vehicles, etc.  and can easily be killed.  So an escaped ferret could live
for only 5 minutes or for much much longer.  I have rescued resourceful
ferrets during the heat of the Texas summer who found refuge under damp,
cooler sheds, drank out of water sprinklers, and ate leftover dogfood and
survived for two weeks.  On the other hand, I have rescued ferrets who were
suffering from heatstroke after 8 hours and did not survive.  Others were
killed within hours of escape by ignorant neighbors who thought they were
some sort of "varmint," hit by cars, or killed by dogs.  In the desperate
search for water, some have drowned in swimming pools.
 
Again, Bob is right -- there is no "magic" cutoff number like three days,
because this has not been statistically proven and there sure must be a
lot of variance.  However, in my limited rescue experience and 15 years of
ferret ownership, it's my personal opinion that the odds aren't very good
after a few days.  Yes, this is meant to scare us ferret owners into being
extra responsible and observant about our furkids and protect their safety.
But for those of you who lose a ferret, don't give up hope and keep
trying -- you just never know how clever YOUR escapee will be about
personal survival!
 
- Erika and the Terrific Ten
[Posted in FML issue 3042]