The first weasel experience was Stinky. Stinky was a wild mink that had been cornered by my black lab. He/she had been knocked out by a log and Sam was moving in for the kill when we came to the rescue. Stinky lived up to his name. He had a outdoor enclosure with a house. We would catch him fish and frogs as well as Purina Mink Chow we got from a local mink farm. Stinky didn't like having his cage cleaned and he would hide in his house with his head stuck out the hold and scream at you until you were done. After Stinky had gained some weight and didn't seem to be suffering from any internal injuries he was released back into the wild. My first ferret experience was about 25+ years ago. My older sister was working with the Animal Control in Cape Cod MA and received a call to go pick up a rat that someone had discovered curled up outside one of their beach cabins. When she arrived she found out that it was not a rat but a small ferret that the prior tenants had brought with them from Connecticut. At the time ferrets were still illegal to own in MA so people would drive to Connecticut to purchase them. The vacationers had stayed a week and during their partying the ferret had escaped only to return to the shelter of the steps after exploring. The only problem was that the family was now gone. Well this little guy was next to dead so when my sister reported back to the office that she had picked up a dead animal and would dispose of it. She took him home and forced fluids and clear Knox gelatin until the little guy was out of the woods. My English Pointer wanted nothing to do with this slinky rat that kept trying to make her dance. My younger brother did not like animals and would try to ignore Loki which made Loki more intrigued by him. I remember my brother trying to shoo him away using his baseball cap. He tossed his cap at him and it landed right on top. Now we had the baseball cap with a tail bouncing around the room following my brother around. Loki lived for a few more years after that. I never knew if Loki was a boy or girl or how old he was. My sister owned a few more ferrets after that but gave up on them because raising reptiles and ferrets don't mix. I didn't see another ferret in person until after I joined the Navy. It was my first duty station at Cecil Field, Fl and one of the girls who lived in the barracks with us had one that she kept hidden. She would tote the poor baby around to parties in a small carrier to show it off then when the curiosity would wear off the ferret would be locked up in her car and forgotten while she partied. This behavior ended up being the demise of the ferret after being taken to the beach one weekend and left in the car all day. Unfortunately I didn't know about the death until after the girl has shipped out so I couldn't turn her in. Because of this incident I was more aware and aggressive about military members who lived in the barracks and would break the rules by keeping pets hidden in their rooms. Peace Wendy From Harmony House [Posted in FML issue 5057]