While cleaning the critter condominium I locked the poor beastie into the
1/2 bath to keep her from underfoot so my wife and I could lift her cage
downstairs into the basement (note- ferret's cage).  We were going away for
a few and with the house locked up little Matilda would be if not baked,
slightly sauteed (no air conditioning), so the cool basement becomes her
retreat when the nineties beckon.  Cage established!  Open bathroom door
and out runs a ferret body with a paper towel tube where her head used to
be!  Honest to goodness I jumped out of my skin!  I had flattened a TP roll
and slid it under the door to distract her from her favorite game of "let's
dig our way under the door".
 
She bounced off a few pieces of furniture, and hid under the desk.  I
finally fished her out, and tried sliding the tube off -- skin tight and
glued in place.  It would really have hurt her to try to pull it off --
plan B.  I held ferret while wife carefully snipped away at tube with tiny
scissors starting from scruff and working forward to her very scrunched
face.  We almost went to plan C, trip to the vet, when wife carved away
enough cardboard for me to start tearing and in a few short seconds BLAMMO
out emerged one very excited ferret.
 
We were getting nervous because it seemed as if her fight was fading away
slowly, though it could have been her relaxing in my hands.  Either way her
neck was stretched looong and her face was pinched and she was assuredly
not breathing 100 percent effectively inside that tube.  She emerged
apparently unscathed.
 
A week later She is fine, though her summer coat has some inexpert scissor
work forming a funky design on her shoulder as the sable was clipped away
revealing her white undercoat.  This seems to not faze her as she does not
usually use mirrors to admire her coat.  Oh, and I threw away the tube
after ripping it wide open.  Ferret fished it out of the trash, and it held
its shape as a tube.  Guess what if she didn't try to push her head in
there AGAIN.  So much for traumatized...
 
Final words: ferret proof, ferrets ain't gerbils, tubes need to have an
inner diameter greater than the ferret's outer diameter, supervise, ferret
toys only please.  And as for ferrets escaping and colonizing.... Mattie
ain't gonna lead that bunch, not without the 240 pound ferret going with
her to extricate her from whatever is next.
 
Todd in Rochester NY
where if it stays in the nineties it is going to start melting the snow!!!!
And Matilda the Tube Snake says thanks to Nurse Shawna who was scared of
me until I needed your help and there you were!!!!
[log in to unmask]
[Posted in FML issue 2750]