Delilah disappeared 2 days ago

Question
Hi there, i dont even know how to start but i just have my ferret disappeared and i cannot think of anyting else but her... We have 2 six-month-old babies and one of them got lost. Disappeared. I'm not home and my bf took care of them and one day when they were out playing, Delilah was nowhere to find. She always runs away, never sleeps, very active and always very easy to find. She comes out cos she wants to play. But not since then. i cant fly back till next Monday but the fact that she cannot be found and i cannot do anything is killing me. We (my bf) also realized that one of the rooms we never use and always close was missing a vent cover and we are almost sure that she must have gone in there since she didnt come back yet. I was just wondering whether there is anything to do... ANYTHING. i know it might be too late but i would do anything to get her back if its still possible. My bf and our roommate tried to open the other covers, make noise by the holes, put food there, etc. Is there anything else we could do w/o opening the wall??? I feel so helpless being an ocean away from them.

Answer
I am so sorry to hear about your lost ferret. And I'm also sorry to tell you that you may be right, two days is a long time for a ferret to be lost, and it sounds like she most likely did get lost in the vent since ferrets love exploring new opening, much to their undoing sometimes. It is very likely she has died from ingesting something inside the vent, getting hurt, or simply from dehydration and no food. You are doing the right thing by taking off the other covers, making noise, and leaving food out. You might also want to consider the possibility that she somehow got outside, in which case you need to post ads for her and talk to your neighbors. Be sure to stress that ferrets are tame and are friendly and don't have rabies. Although the grim reality is that once a ferret has been lost for 2 or 3 days, they usually don't return, but I have heard of miracles happening, with ferrets being alive and found by somebody and being returned to their owner weeks or months after the fact.

To prevent this from happening in the future, it is crucial that you adequately ferret proof your home and also watch the door when you come and go. It is also important to train your ferrets to come when you call or make a certain noise, this can be done with treat rewards. You start out slowly and let the ferret know you have a treat while you repeatedly make a certain call sound ('come here, boy' or ring a bell or shake a bottle of pills). The ferrets will soon associate the noise with food. Keep doing this with more and more distance between you and the ferret, eventually call without any sign of a treat. If they come then give them a treat, and always keep rewarding them with a treat when they come. If you continue to do this throughout the span of your ownership of ferrets, if they ever get lost again and are within hearing distance, it is pretty much a sure thing that they will come to you.

Again I am very sorry about your lost baby, keep on hoping for the best but also expect the worst. My sincere condolences.