Like almost every owner of a fuzzy houdini I've ever met, my two beasties
have at one time or another managed to escape.  I've found a pretty good way
of luring them home.  Now I know this will sound strange, but the boys and
girls will drop everything and come running when I squeek their toy
octopuses.  The noise the toy makes is very similar to the 'I'm frightened!"
squeek of a baby ferret: all my darlings appear to be hard wired to come to
the rescue.
 
In fact, the only two times one of them didn't come halumphing along was
when one got himself locked in a suitcase (located by the scratching as we
squeeked his 'Baby'), and the other was trapped by the next door neighbors
dog in an old air conditioner (except for a missing tuft of hair, no damage,
thank God!)
 
The mob doesn't react nearly as strongly to their other 50 odd squeek toys,
just the two (different manufacturers, but about the same size) squeek
octopi, and, to a lesser extent, a squeek tarantula of similar size and
resonance.  My suggestion is to try different toys until you get a positive
reaction (you'll know it's the right tone when they all come rushing from
different parts of the house to the rescue.) My ferret callers are slightly
larger than my large adult male spread hand (about 11 inches across,
tentacles included).
 
Oh, yes, buy two.  The children LOOOOVVVEEE to hide this toy in secret
hiding spots.
 
Ciao, David Minette
[Posted in FML issue 1523]