On Thu, 29 Mar 2001 11:05:15 -0500 GEORGE MORROW II <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:
>Well after all that I just wanted to know if any of you good folks have
>ever had a fert return to your house after being gone outside a good 10
>hours? I considered that it great compliment she came back.
In 1996, I had two ferrets, Smokey and Li'l Girl. They were both only 2,
and I nearly lost her. (Little Girl was a sleeper - like 20 hours a day
from day 1! Smokey, though, was up 20 hours and slept 4!) I fell asleep
on the couch while they were out playing and when I got up to go to bed,
couldn't find them to put them up. It was the only time I had EVER let
them stay uncaged all night, and at 1:30 am I awoke to hear LG playing.
Well, because I was tired and didn't know where Smokey was, I let her stay
out. I was afraid I would be awake all night if I took the time to set out
food and water for him and closed her up in the cage. So I said, Okay,
what's one night?
Well, someone opened my apt. door in the middle of the night. At 6 am, I
felt someone watching me. I looked and it was Smokey, staring at me from
underthe dresser. He did the *Lassie* number - you know, Follow me!
Hurry! Timmy's in trouble! - so I followed him to the living room. There
I saw the open door and thought, the ferrets, I have to find the ferrets.
It was so funny because it took a minute for it to dawn on me that ONE of
the ferrets was right at my feet! I just KNEW that Li'l Girl was gone,
though. Sure enough, I couldn't find her anywhere inside. I went out and
started asking questions, determining that she was last seen about 4:30 am
by someone leaving for work. He knew I had ferrets and thought she might
be mine, but couldn't catch her.
Well,I spent all day looking under every apt. building, in every hole,
under cars, even under the homes of the neighbors. No Little Girl. I even
checked all the streets to see if she had been hit by a car. No Little
Girl. BUT, all day long I had this voice telling me, "If you will go at
dusk to the last place she was seen, you will find her there." So, I told
myself, okay, I will. I talked to the man when he came home from work to
determine EXACTLY where he had seen her. And, I kept hunting.
As the day passed, I talked to more and more people. Finally, it was near
dusk and I literally had to interrupt a conversation as the voice became
more urgent. "Go NOW, Renee, or it will be too late!" So, I ran to the
last reported sighting spot and there she was, running down the sidewalk,
free! I could almost hear her squealing in delight at her freedom! I
called her and she ducked under a car in the parking lot. I got on my
belly and grabbed her. Still not sure how! I kissed her and loved her
and took her home. She was so full of herself!
And, it turned out that my door was probably unlocked by a disgruntled
former employee who had a master key. I was not the first person it had
happened to. They changed my locks, but I NOW keep my critters caged at
night and, just in case I fall asleep with one or more out, I keep food
and water ouside the cage and ANYONE I see gets put away for their own
protection.
I also take these other precautions to protect them:
*No matter how sure I am they can not crawl into the washer, I verify the
location of each one and keep them out of the laundry room immediately
before starting the washer.
*I open the dishwasher to verify no fuzzies and visually confirm their
whereabouts. Same when using the oven or the dryer.
*If someone *escapes* - inside or out - no appliance is used. They can
crawl into outside vents or up into heater/AC vents. It is all turned
off.
*Same is true for furniture. And laundry and rugs.
The first piece of advice I was given about finding a lost ferret was, Look
in the place they absolutely, positively can NOT be and that is where you
will find them. And, ya know, it is SO true! No matter HOW careful we
are, they are always a little smarter!
Sorry this is so long. I hope the fact that I am so overly cautious about
this helps someone.
Renee :)
[Posted in FML issue 3373]
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