This is the first time I post on the FML, although I have been reading the posts for some time. I have a missing ferret story, that fortunately ended up happily. My ferts name is "Scalia" and he is an inquisitive 2 yr. old albino. Last April, I had just finished one round of exams (I go to Law School, hence the ferrets name), and had a week between. So one Saturday I decide to go out partying with some friends. I had studied all day and was frankly pretty fed up. So I showered and left pretty quickly. Turns out that I didn't secure the back door too well when I left. At 5:00 the next morning I felt a chill in the apartment. I went downstairs and found that my back door was open. Scalie was nowher to be found. For the next day I was going nuts. My apartment complex gives way to a large wooded area on one side, a busy street on the other, and a residential area with many dogs. I asked all my neighbors if they had seen him and scrounged around the wooded area with one of Scalia's squeaky toys-nothing. Then, these guys two doors down ask me if I'd lost a ferret. Turns out they had a party that night, at about 10:00 Scalia just wandered over there and was hanging out around the people milling outside. One of the guys had the foresight to pick him up, but the only place they could stash him was in a barbecue grill. Michaela, who is an animal freak and works for the apartment picked him up and kept him at her place. Needless to say I picked up a soot covered Scalia, who seemed rather glad to see me. My friends disparangly refer to him now as a "party rat" [Posted in FML issue 1531]