I had this ferret with me for an entire week and during this time: - I ran a listing in craigslist.com and the local paper. "Found ferret - email to describe". One person contacted me but they were looking for a dark sable with a full coat and the ferret was lost about four miles from where this one was found. The only lost listing was for an albino ferret. - I called the guy who found the ferret to find out exactly where it was it was found. I drove back there and parked my car and walked around several blocks with my dog looking for "Lost ferret" signs - none were up. - I called the local ferret shelter - nobody reported this ferret missing. So whoever owned this ferret seems to have let it out on purpose. He also had what looks like a basal cell tumor on top of his paw. That didn't just appear in a short while I'm sure - they've ignored that as well. And I suppose their reasoning for just dumping him and not taking him to a shelter is that they realized how neglected he was and maybe didn't want to get "in trouble" for that. If, as you say, it'd been lost for awhile well his nails were FAR too clean to have been out for more than a day or two. Plus it's been dropping down into the 30's at night here. There's no way being as naked as he is he could have survived. Add to that there's lots of coyotes that would make a quick meal of an unsuspecting ferret. And if now - a week later - someone's just noticing their ferret is missing - well then they definitely don't deserve to have it back. He's down at the shelter now and will be looked at by the vet Monday. I may end up fostering him - haven't really decided yet. Really want to see what the vet says about him. I don't really want anymore ferrets but I would like to help this guy and being that I work from home could easily give him plenty of out-of-cage playtime separate from my gang so they don't scratch his poor like naked body! Percy cat definitely seems to miss him - he keeps looking around the house! While I was at the shelter this couple and a teen came in with three ferrets they "had to get rid of" since they're new place didn't allow ferrets. They d been keeping them in the garage since moving and "they weren't eating much . One was "suddenly sick" - looked like it barely alive. They "don't know what happened" they gave it a bath and it "just got like this". I had to get out of there QUICKLY. I really hate humans sometimes... Laura [Posted in FML 5788]