Hello Everyone!
I finally got the guts up to take my two ferts camping and they had a
blast!!!
 
I fixed up a big dog carrier with a hammock, food bowl, water and a litter
pan -it served as their "RV" for the weekend.  We loaded up the Jeep Friday
night and Put them right behind our seats so they could see out the
windshield.  The campground was only an hour away, so they wouldn't be in
"vet fear mode" for long.  They had a rough time trying to sleep on the way
down there- neither would close their eyes!  Chimi eventually went nuts and
started digging frantically at the litter pan.  He was mumbling something
about a "man on the wing" (for the twilight zone fans).  I pulled him out
of the bathroom and made him sit in my lap.  He got a couple of truckers to
honk their horns.  I put him back in the cage and he sat in the hammock.
 
We set up our tent and the boys loved the fresh air.  We bought a super
technical heater we could use in the tent to keep them (and us) from
freezing.  Worked like a charm!  They loved running in the tent.  They
practiced their Y2k scramble by hiding stashes of food under the air
mattress and in my shoes!  I kept them in the carrier when they tired and
took them around to my mom's campsite where they sat by the fire.  They
were SO good.  They spent most of saturday sleeping by a toasty fire (they
were pretty far back).
 
I walked them on their harnesses and Chimi was so thrilled his tail was the
biggest bottle brush I have ever seen!  A little boy with a country accent
says "MOM!  They got squirrels as pets!!!" he comes closer and says "I
didn't know you could keep squirrels as pets!?" and I said "they are
ferrets" -he scratched his head and ran off!
 
They camped for 3 days and 2 nights.  On the trip home, they were so
exhausted (they smelled smokey just like camping) they actually slept in
their hammock in the car.  I put them to bed when we got home and they
didn't even wake up when I picked them up!!
 
I believe we really bonded on that trip.  They ran around their room making
sure all their stuff was where it should be...and they are so happy.
 
We overcame our fear.  Now, we are veteran ferret campers.
 
Sincerely, Stephanie, Chimi & Pepe ("Who says we can't survive in the wild?
Mom, would you fluff my hammock?")
[Posted in FML issue 2853]