Balls and Walnuts
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Ferret on the lam
Here’s the crappy thing about ferrets: they’re like teenage boys, no end of mischief and they think they’re immortal. They’re geniuses at getting themselves into trouble. No instinct for self-preservation, none whatsoever.
Zappa is missing.
We let them out every evening and give them the run of the upstairs bedroom. (Our upstairs, the product of a 1970s remodel by the previous owner, is a great big bedroom, master bathroom, walk-in closet, and another walk-in closet. She was known as the Imelda Marcos of Brookings, that last owner, and she needed closets. Lots of closets.) Usually, they go to ground at some point and fall asleep under the furniture. When Zappa didn’t show up, we figured that’s what he’d done. I expected him to wake me up, the little bugger, but he never did.
So here are the options: he got into the attic or the walls, or he jumped off the balcony to his certain doom. If the fall didn’t kill him, the local predators would.
I’ve checked the attics. (We have a few. Don’t ask.) I’ve listened to the walls. I’ve checked the hillside beneath the balcony, looking for a ferrety body. Nothing. He’s vanished.
I’m upset about this. This is NOT good. I love the little bugger and I feel like I’ve let him down by allowing his inclination toward self-destruction free reign. I think we need to implant these guys with some sort of transponder.
We let Harmonica out earlier today in the hopes he would find Zappa’s hiding place. No go.
Anyway, I don’t know what else to do.
D.
Oh, that sucks…
Leaflet the area. Tell folks to catch him if they can under an upturned bucket.
Set ferret food out near places he might have gone to ground.
Make a ferret trap.
We lost my daughters’ first ferret twice.
The first time she escaped (courtesy of a storm blowing the cage lid off) we kept her cage open and put food in it. She turned up back at the cage after 3 days looking very thin indeed.
The second time, (and I don’t know how she got away) we recaptured her by putting a trap I invented near the spot we thought she’d probably gone to earth, and we caught her within a couple of hours.
It’s amazing how attached you get to the little buggers. Good luck.
No suggestions, but I hope you find him soon.
This is something I posted at Wiki.answers.com – I supervise over the ferrets questions, and since I posted it, I’ve copied here. I hope you find him. I had one get out through the dryer vent hole, when we were moving into our house, didn’t even realize she was gone, the next door neighbor found her at their back door.
Check through your house carefully, including places where your ferret “couldn’t possibly go.” If a ferrets head can fit inside something rest of the body will follow. Ferrets are very sound sleepers. They maybe sleeping where they haven’t slept before. Look inside drawers (ferrets like to sleep in drawers), under dressers, in hampers, under and inside refrigerators, etc. Squeaking or jingling a favorite toy or rattle a box of treats and listen for rustling. Most lost ferrets never make it outside. If you determine it’s not in the house, enlist the help of friends and check with your neighbors. Check your backyard, bushes and garage. Ferrets when exploring will cling to the side of a building or structure before venturing out into an open area. Put food and water out, preferably in a familiar cage or carrier with a blanket or shirt that has your scent on it. Place food on the front and back porch. You may also want to sprinkle the area with flour to make it easier to identify tracks left by any animal coming up to eat and drink.
And also check your closets real thorough if you have any boxes of clothes he might get into, there’s the possibility of getting his nails caught in threads or something and can’t get loose.
Thanks, folks. I’ve put out signs and set out one of those safe traps. Now I think I’ll go over the bedroom one more time to look for him again.
We once lost a pet box turtle in the house. He turned up a few weeks later and was none the worse for wear. That reminds me of the time we lost our baby. He had somehow crawled into a bathroom and was hiding in the tub behind the shower curtain. We had been frantically looking for him and calling his name for perhaps 30 minutes. When we finally found him he just smiled and giggled.
Still no sign?
Lucie: reptiles are good at lasting a long time without care. Mammals, not so much. Ferrets, not at all. They really don’t know how to tend to themselves. If something doesn’t look and smell exactly like their usual food, they won’t sample it.
Kate: still no sign. Sigh.
Shoot. I hope he comes back. I lost a mouse once but my brother recovered him, thankfully. He lived a full and happy life and continued to ride in my electric train afterward.
I’m close to losing hope. My idea of baiting the live trap with ferretone (an oil they really love) hasn’t worked.
We bought another ferret today. That may seem callous, but Harmonica needs company or he’ll go nutty on us.