I posted this before but thought I'd repost it for anyone that missed
it since the subject of the importance of counting heads came up.

I made a "Weasel Roundup" system for my ferrets several months ago when
I headed out of town for a cat show and had my neighbour's two pre-teen
girls coming over to let the ferrets out to play and feed them.

http://www.ferretocious.com/play/weaselroundup1.jpg
http://www.ferretocious.com/play/weaselroundup2.jpg

I used the lid from a tin of popcorn I'd received a while ago and used
blue tape to separate it into two areas. Photos with names were printed
up of each ferret and glued onto round refrigerator magnets. As you put
the ferrets back in the cage you move them to the other side of the
line. Next time you're rounding them up, move them back to the other
side.

At first this was just for the kids so they could remember all the
ferrets' names and since they weren't used to keeping tabs on seven
ferrets. But I've used it ever since and it's nice to not be sitting
there in the living room and have a ferret walk up like "Um... forgot
someone?" LOL

NOTE: check the check first as you're rounding them up. After their
first weekend ferret-sitting the girl's mom told me she was called over
after one of the playtimes because the girls were panicking that Ringo
was missing. After searching everywhere they went back to the cage -
just as he poked his sleepy head out of a hammock LOL He'd put himself
back to bed!

Laura

[Posted in FML 6093]