It was a cold, dreary and rainy afternoon today and our son was in the living room looking out the back door when he called, saying, "Mom, come here! Who let the ferret out!" I couldn't believe my eyes, but there was Sasha the Fearless wandering around on the back deck, wet but apparently having a great time. We brought him in, dried him off and decided that he made good his escape when we let Baxter in a few minutes earlier. A few minutes later I thought I would just check up on Sasha, but he was nowhere to be found in his "regular hangouts". I brought out the squeaky toy (that brings the ferrets running - usually) and Katy showed up promptly but no Sasha anywhere! So, I thought to look outside, thinking it impossible that he got out again, there were no doors opened since we brought him in the first time:) There was Sasha the Escape Artist outside again! We brought him in, towelled him dry and set him free again, watching this time:) He ran for the laundry room, behind the dryer and we were onto him! The dryer hose had worked free from the dryer, so he just scooted down the hose, ran about twenty feet and exited outside through the vent, into my son's waiting hands this time! (The reason this happened is a new washer was installed and in the move, the hose from the dryer worked loose. The area is now fixed, glued, sealed and blocked to ferret access.) Regarding the ferret condominiums and the ramps; what I find works beautifully to cover the ramps is to use the sleeves from an old sweatshirt or a sweater, cut to length and simply slipped over the ramps. It's nice on their little feet and easy to slip off to launder. Also, for the cage bottom, I use small mats - which have *no* rubber backing. They can be cut to fit and easy to wash. I use diluted vinegar to wash the ferret cages and then dry the area with a clean towel. Is this a safe way to clean their cages? Sincerely, Jean and the ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Jean "Everything that lives [log in to unmask] Lives not alone Nor for itself" William Blake ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ [Posted in FML issue 1537]