The ferrets escaped...

[shell 42]

About a month ago the ferrets escaped out of their hutch. I don't think it had been shut properly and they'd managed to push the door open. They didn't go so far and were soon all caught. Malc tightened everything up on the doors and put new catches on etc. Sorted.

 

I got home from work yesterday to find Malc looking flustered. The ferrets had somehow got out again. Malc had managed to find some of them - in the feed room, log shed, puppy pens. But 2 were still missing - our young hob and jill. Eventually found the jills body. She'd got in with the hounds and they'd killed her. We buried her in the field. Gutted. She was one of the young ones we'd had recently (about 4 months old). I looked everywhere for the young hob, couldn't find him. We thought he'd maybe got in with the hounds as well. Malc set a couple of live traps up around kennels just in case we were wrong and he was still alive.

 

A short while later I heard this horrible squealing sound. Thought the ferret had gone into one of the traps and was trying to get out. Headed over to the nearest trap and realised it wasn't in there. The noise was coming from the manhole cover on the yard. Shouted Malc to get out here now, we opened the manhole cover and there he was in the water, making a horrible horrible noise.

 

I couldn't look as Malc fished him out. He was barely alive, frozen cold, and soaking wet. I ran inside and got some towels, and Malc did a bit of CPR on him then held him upside down and rubbed him with the towels to try to get the water out of his lungs etc. I took over, took him in the kitchen, carried on rubbing him to try to get him warmed up and dry. Ended up getting the hairdryer out to get him dry. He was so cold. If I hadn't of been stood where I was when I heard him in the drains he'd have died in there. He deserved a chance so we did all we could for him.

 

I wrapped him up in a dry warmed towel and carried him around for a while (contemplated putting him down my top but didn't think it was a good idea in case he suddenly came too!). Made a box up for him with bedding in. Covered him in some tin foil and some bedding and put him in the box in front of the range. Didn't know what else to do. Just thought we've to get his temperature up slowly, not too fast. Poor lad was shivering like mad. I kept checking on him, and he kept blinking back at me to say he was still alive. After about an hour in his box he seemed a little perkier, still wasn't moving much, but was no longer screaming. A couple of hours later he was running around the kitchen chasing a ball.

 

Put him back in with the other ferrets and he got tucked into some rabbit straight away. Went to check on him a couple more times before we went to bed and he was fine. This morning, he's absolutely fine and seems totally unscathed. We're going to give him some antibiotics as he could have picked anything up in the drains. We've absolutely no idea how he got into the drainage system.

 

We're wondering if someone had opened the hutch. Can't work out how they got out. There was a message on our answerphone from one of the members up here at the beagles asking if we'd any ferrets for sale. We're wondering if he came up and opened the hutch then panicked when they all came forward.

 

Malc spent an hour last night sorting the hutch out again. It's bomb proof now and locked up.

 

Gutted we lost the young jill... but so chuffed we managed to save the hob.

 

We don't name our ferrets, but we've called him Lucky.

 

shell

[Guest Frank]

Sounds like you went threw hell and back, aswell as the poor wee ferret.

Glad his back to normal, tough old things ferrets, hope eveyting is fine now.

Small wee strong padlocks are handy, in situations like that.

 

All the best,

 

Frank.

Edited July 31, 2007 by Frank

[ferret15 0]

thats one lucky hob hope he has a long and happy life sorry to hear about the Jill good idea about the lock i have the same on there court as a few years ago while we were out some of the local kids climbed over our fence to see the ferts they opened the cage then panicked and legged it when they all jumped up the door we were lucky as my neighbour has rabbits so most of them went there and she managed to get them in to her spare hutch ! except for one who came in to our house through the cat flap and was asleep behind the TV we wouldn't of found him if it wasn't for the dogs sniffing round the telly I'm an very lucky to be good friends with my very understanding Neighbour as she has had most of our animals in her garden at some point we had to retrieve our dog which jumped the six foot fence to have a play with her dog

[shell 42]

We had the same happen at our other house. Kids decided to go and see the ferrets. They were all over the street! People were catching them in their garages and all sorts! Got them all back except one... was finally found asleep in someones washing basket in their kitchen!

 

shell

[stubby 175]

we hear lots of stories about people's ferrets escaping, and Im glad you found yours when you did, but does it never occure to anyone to fit padlocks to there hutches/courts??

 

my court has an internal wire door that is secure with a small padlock from a suitcase, wouldent stop a theif, but will stop a nosey neighbour etc

the main door (closed at night) has the huge padlock on, as do the outside court doors

 

hutches have cabanna clips to hold shut if catches work loose

[Guest ARTEMIS]

d

Edited August 18, 2007 by ARTEMIS

[shell 42]

We used to have padlocks on the hutch at our other house (after the kids let them out) as it was in the middle of suburbia. But up at kennels we're in the middle of nowhere, no neighbours, no kids, nothing. Only person that comes to ours on a regular basis is the postman! Never thought we needed to lock the hutch to be honest.

 

But, it is locked now! They won't be able to escape from it! And we won't be going through that again.

 

shell

[Kay 3,709]

OMG thats awfull so glad you got the hob back in one piece, rest in peace little jill

[wyliecoyote 0]

my hutches are all padlocked had a two hobs pinched a while back broke the hinges off the hutch the at the time we lived out back of beyond so whoever took them knew they were there, living in the town now still padlocked but one very large dog in back garden now , let them try there luck now