Escaped Ferret

[Crono]

I've got a bit of a situation here, and this is outside my area of expertise.

The neighbor a few doors down has a ferret wandering around loose outside, his roommate left a door open...
As far as I know it isn't trained at all. There are about 5 people wandering around the neighborhood right now looking for it, but there are plenty of places for it to hide. Add in that it is white and there is still snow on the ground, so it would be hard to see.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to find it?

Unfortunately, there is a storm drain right in front of his place, would the ferret have gone down there?

Also, the forecast is for -12C tonight, its above freezing now. If he is hiding somewhere, will he make it through the night?

Sorry for the questions, but most stuff i can find online doesn't help in this situation, and I am heading back out to look again.

 

[Mushroom Spore]

Try rattling his food/treat bags? That always works when we have a cat being stubborn about coming inside at night.

Also if the ferret has any squeaky toys or anything, use those.

 

[gride225]

i used own 2 ferrets and they are very curious as you already know. From my experience I had certain toys & treats I would use to my advantage. If you have a bell or certain treats or whatever they are fond of you can try to lure them. Unfortunately you said they were outside so that leaves an infinite amount of places for your ferret to have gone. I never let mine outside the house for this very reason. good luck, i hope you find him.

 

[Crono]

Thanks, no sign yet. It's been a few hours, and the police/public security have been notified about a loose ferret. The local shelters are getting a call next, and posters are being put together.

I asked whether he had a squeaky toy or not, and the owner says no, so I doubt the ferret would know what it was.

 

[verry_sweet]

I wish them good luck finding it. I had a rescue when I was a teenager who was very shy after being abused and he got away from me. It took a week and a contractor to get him out of our walls lol my mom is still ticked about it.

In NJ you need a permit to keep them as pets.

 

[arachyd]

Around here you can either buy a small live trap (a harmless cage that snaps shut when the animal goes inside and touches a baited lever) from a farm supply store or hunting supply store or rent one from an exterminator. They are probably available in your area as well. Put a can of cat food in it as bait. A semi-tame ferret does not usually hunt well and it will be hungry. As long as the cat food is smelly (and I've never met canned cat food that wasn't) the ferret should go for it and be found in the trap within a few days. Unfortunately you may also catch quite a few cats, skunks, and raccoons. If it got into the storm drain you may need to get the assistance of whatever agency maintains keeping them clear to find out where the ferret may come out if it rains and if there are other openings you can check. Sometimes they can have openings quite a distance away.

 

[Crono]

At this point I am hoping someone found him at either took him to a shelter, or home with them. I hope the little guy made it somewhere warm.

The cage was an option , but there is an old lady who feeds the stray cats around my friends building, so chances are it would be cat after cat in the cage.

Thanks guys

 

[Crono]

Alright, has been found wandering while they were putting up posters for him. He's back in his cage asleep at the moment.
I guess this is a happy ending, I was expecting worse actually.

 

[arachyd]

I'm glad to hear it.

 

[Mushroom Spore]

Woohoo!

Make sure they're gonna take it to the vet soon, just to be sure he didn't catch anything/get any injuries you don't see while he was on his adventure. Also keep an eye for weird symptoms or bowel movements in case he ate something he shouldn't have. (Anything funky happens, vet immediately. You just don't want to take the risk of losing the ferret after all this because he drank antifreeze or something.)

Glad to hear it all ended well.