Some one had mentioned that their ferret dragged off a hammer and the writer
wondered what it planned to do with it.  You really don't want to know.
 
 
We've had ferrets for a number of years (current count is 15 of our own) and
thought we had ferret "proofed" fairly well.  One day we came up four paws
short in our daily paw count (count the number of paws and divide by four to
make sure you have all of the ferrets).  I looked everywhere but had to leave
for work.  My son later called me saying that he had heard sounds from under
the dishwasher, opened up a plate at the bottom and found the missing paws
inside.
 
When I got home that night sure enough, the plate was still off the
dishwasher (like most kids he knows how to take things apart but not put them
back together) and I put it back on.  I noticed however that the "kick plate"
at the very bottom (just below the plate my son removed) was slightly loose
and could be raised by light finger pressure.  When I took that off, wonder
of wonders, a veratable ferret treasure trove including a couple of plastic
rattle bags, ball point pens, and assorted snacks.  They had obvously made
themselves a club house.
 
I cleaned it out and tightened the two phillips-head screws to make sure that
the club house was closed for good (bare electrical terminals under there).
I really couldn't immagine how they got loose in the first place.  I had
been positive that I had tightened them when I installed the dishwasher.
 
A couple of days later I noticed that the crew seemed *very* attentive to me.
I couldn't go anywhere without being surrounded by a fleet of ferrets.  When
I sat, I had one climb on each shoulder and one perched on top of my head.
They usually are affectionate but this was rediculous.  While I was
marveling at their change in personality, I heard a faint clatter out in the
kitchen.  A little while later another faint clatter, followed by another.
 
I removed the three ferrets from my upper extremities and shuffed through the
crowded at my feet to see what was going on.  In my "junk drawer" (does
anyone else have a drawer that seems to catch every odd and end of stuff that
you need but have no where else to put it?) - anyway - in my sunk drawer
where I keep some handy hand tools, there were two of my ferrets.  They had
apparently opened the cabinet door at the bottom and climbed up the pots and
pans to the back of the drawer and pushed it open.  They were busily throwing
out screwdrivers to two waiting ferrets on the floor, who where promptly
dragging them away.
 
Now it dawned on me why all of the special attention that morning.  The rest
were supposed to keep me occupied while these four found the right
screwdriver so that they could re-open their club house.
 
As I said, you don't *want* to know what they planned to do with a hammer.
 
Dick B.
[Posted in FML issue 1284]