Lost Ferret

Question
my ferret got away about 5 days ago in the middle of the night and we have spotted her around but i was wondering how much  longer she will last in the woods with a fox on her tail? i have also been leaving around flyers, posters, and going door to door asking around but i was wondering if she would last longer  because i have left food and water around for + she has been eating it. tomorrow we are having a small search party to try to find her please respond


Answer
Hi Devon:

So sorry to hear your ferret has been gone five days already! He's doing a good job of keeping alive if he's still going at this rate.

The best way to find a lost ferret is to contact children in the neighborhood and to let all your neighbors know what he looks like so they can be keeping an eye out for him. Passing out flyers is a great idea. Be sure it has his picture and your telephone number on it (more than one phone number is a good idea so they can always get an answer from someone). Let them know on the flyer if he bites or not....if he does NOT, be sure to write "DOES NOT BITE!" in big letters so people won't be afraid to pick him up.  Put his name on it so they can call him b name and that will also help put him at ease if they find him. Hand out flyers for at least a mile around - two miles is even better, especially since it's been so long since he's been gone.

Great idea to leave the food and water out for her. Leave her cage out with bedding in it and she may surprise you by crawling inside and curling up for a nap in her hammock!

The weather usually is one of the greatest dangers for a ferret who gets loose - anything colder than 55-F degrees is too cold and anything warmer than 80-F degrees is too hot, so if you live in a place too hot, you may try leaving a cool place for her to escape into; or a warm place with lots of blankies if it's colder than 55.

If she's eating the food from the bowl outside everynight and you can do it, try to stay up and catch her when she eats - IF it's her.....it could be some other wild animal eating the food and she may be long gone. Do prepare yourself for that outcome, as gruesome and sad as it could be, it is a possibility.  If it were my ferret, I'd be sitting awake all night waiting for her to come to the bowl so I could nab her, that's for sure!

Best of luck to you in finding her. Remember - the more people who know she is misssing and know what she looks like, the more likely she will find her way back to you.  Call your local Humane Society and ask if they have had any ferret reported found, put an ad in ALL your local newspapers with a description and offer a reward if you can - that always helps.

Best of luck to you. I will keep your little one and you in my thoughts and prayers. God Bless!

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers