I hear so many stories of ferrets getting lost, but though I have had a number of scares, I have never lost a ferret. Have any of you had this good fortune? I wonder if it has something to do with living some distance away from other houses -- they can find their way back pretty easily? My new house in Ethiopia has a much smaller yard -- this one is 1.5 acres, and that one is 1000 sq meters. Of course that is a good-sized lot, but I am sad to be losing a life in lots of space On the other hand, the advantage is that it is small enough to fence. We are putting up a 2-meter-high corrugated metal fence, sinking it 6" into the gound so the dogs wont dig out. The smooth metal should keeo the cats in. There are wonderful trees in the front, with a large space in the middle, and that is where I will put an outdoor ferret enclosure. The cats have never been enclosed and they will not like it, I am sure. But I dn't want some hyena to get them! Addis is 8,000+ feet up in altitude, so though Ethiopoia is in Africa, the weather is temperate -- very much like the SF Bay Area. Our house wil be in "the highlands" outside the city, another 1K or more up in altitude. Lots of trees and fresh air. It's a solid old house, made in Haile Selassie's time, and is made of brick and stone. I doubt I'll be able to make a hole/tunnel through any exterior wall for the ferrets, and the windows all have wooden shutters, but you can bet that I'll find a way. [Posted in FML 5641]