I have recently found that it is necessary to be very careful in choosing
normal household items as toys for ferrets.  I live with my wife, one
Dalmation, and four ferrets.  I had picked up a 20 foot length of clothes
dryer duct for Abbott, Costello, W.C., and Bozo to play with - little did I
know how this would turn into a near tragedy.
 
Some time later, in our summer home, I neglected to completely ferret-proof
the house prior to letting the gang out of their house - I forgot to make
sure that the laundry room door was closed.  Of course, that`s where they
all went immediately!  Bozo got behind the dryer, pulled the duct hose from
the wall and escaped into the great outdoors through the now-open vent in
the wall.
 
He was almost immediately attacked by a very large dog.  It took me three
heart-wrenching hours of searching for him , and finally it was my Dalmation
who found Bozo and brought me to him.  He was in pretty bad shape , with a
large fang hole in his rear quarters, and very much in shock.  Our local
veterinarian (Dr. Clayton Schneider ,Dryden, Ontario) went out of his way to
see that everything possible was done for Bozo.
 
That was two weeks ago.  Today Bozo is back to being his usual boisterous
self.  I have only myself to blame for his pain and suffering , but I have
learned a few things along the way.  First - be certain that the house is
completely ferret-proof before letting the gang out to play.  Secondly,
don`t use anything for a toy which they could run into in the normal course
of use.  They don`t know the difference between a toy and a functioning
piece of equipment - I`m certain that when Bozo saw that dryer vent he
assumed that it was his old toy.
 
It took this accident to show me how much I really loved my little friends ,
and I hope that my story will prevent this type of thing from happening to
someone else.
[Posted in FML issue 2005]