On the subject of ferrets that go FLOP on their TUMMIES, I was in Hawaii a
few years ago, sitting on a big pile of boulders watching the house-sized
waves pound the shore, and dozens of mongooses (mongeese?) were scampering
all over the place.  They really are as numerous as squirrels over there; I
can see why people would *think* ferrets would establish in the wild with
the kind of mongoose population explosion they have had in their fragile and
unique tropical ecosystem.  Anyway, I was sitting quietly on top of a
boulder watching the waves for maybe a quarter of an hour when what should
creep out into a sandy opening between the rocks at my feet but ...  a
sleepy mongoose!  I was directly above him on my big boulder so he didn't
see me, and I wasn't making any noise so he didn't hear me.  His fur was
reddish-brown, sort of a rusty brunette color, and he FLOPPED DOWN ON HIS
TUMMY just like my ferret!  Little paws extending out in front, little feet
pointing out back, just like superman flying, and with his little chin in
between his paws.  I was so astonished!  He was about a leg's length away,
so I had a good, long, long look at him, maybe five minutes.  I was frozen
completely still so as not to disturb him, and he just sat there until he
*happened* to look up behind him and he did a total human-like double-take:
"What the...!" I *swear* his main reaction after surprise that this huge
human was looming quietly over him was mortification, that he should have
been so careless.  The members of the weasel family really do have
*personality* and *intelligence* and *individuality* like so many other
animals don't; it's just so plain to see.  Anyway, it looked to me like his
first thought was "OHMIGOSH, I hope none of the other mongeeses saw me!  How
embarrassing to be snuck up on by a mere human!" He bolted off quick as a
snake.
 
My impression at the time was that they are fast-burning high-metabolism
creatures that just cannot afford the energy to always be on full alert
status.  They just have to shut down every once in a while to conserve
energy, like a photocopier going on STANDBY mode.  I don't think they are
sulking or pouting or any other anthropocentric emotions we might ascribe to
them, I think their energy levels run so high that they just have to go on
STANDBY status every once in a while to recharge their metabolic batteries.
My own ferret, Indie, will do this sometimes even in the middle of a rousing
game of Catch The Windup Shark Toy, so I don't think she's dissing me or
anything, I think she just got too pooped to pop.
 
Pop went the weasel,
 
Dan and Indie
[Posted in FML issue 1433]