Hi, all -- I admit to being one of the "propagators" of scaring people that if their ferret were lost for more than a few days, their owners should throw in the towel and give up. In the www.pets.com article I write: "In fact, domestic ferrets have few survival instincts. If one were to escape outdoors, it would survive only a few days because ferrets have poor eyesight, reduced hunting instincts, and little fear." I had, of course, written MORE than that -- echoing many of Bob Church's sentiments, to justify this position, but you know how editors have to shorten everything up! Part of this reasoning was based on a study I read on ferrets' (and other animals') reactions to heat. Of course I can't FIND the study, which is why I hadn't posted yet (as soon as I locate it, I'll send it to you, Bob!). Given that my first writings were for a Texas (=hot weather) audience, a few days of survival in 100-degree weather is probably about right. Ferrets, because they have little fear, do run up to people, dogs, motor vehicles, etc. and can easily be killed. So an escaped ferret could live for only 5 minutes or for much much longer. I have rescued resourceful ferrets during the heat of the Texas summer who found refuge under damp, cooler sheds, drank out of water sprinklers, and ate leftover dogfood and survived for two weeks. On the other hand, I have rescued ferrets who were suffering from heatstroke after 8 hours and did not survive. Others were killed within hours of escape by ignorant neighbors who thought they were some sort of "varmint," hit by cars, or killed by dogs. In the desperate search for water, some have drowned in swimming pools. Again, Bob is right -- there is no "magic" cutoff number like three days, because this has not been statistically proven and there sure must be a lot of variance. However, in my limited rescue experience and 15 years of ferret ownership, it's my personal opinion that the odds aren't very good after a few days. Yes, this is meant to scare us ferret owners into being extra responsible and observant about our furkids and protect their safety. But for those of you who lose a ferret, don't give up hope and keep trying -- you just never know how clever YOUR escapee will be about personal survival! - Erika and the Terrific Ten [Posted in FML issue 3042]