By Holly

⚠ PLEASE do a "ferret check" after a door outside (or to the garage) has been opened.

⚠ Please let your kids, friends, relatives, anyone else who might come and go from your house to CLOSE the door. Never leave it open, even if it's just a few trips of bringing groceries in.

⚠ If you keep your windows open, make sure your ferret cannot access them. Some ferrets will push a screen out or tear through it, so don't think that a screen will stop them!

https://www.all-about-ferrets.com/lost-ferret.html

https://myferretpet.com/2015/09/my-ferret-is-lost-how-to-find-missing.html

🔸 Check inside first. Drawers, kitchen cabinets, laundry hampers, storage/boxes, garage, inside the couch, any other strange spot a ferret could fit.

🔸 Search your house, surrounding area, basement, etc thoroughly. Ferrets go low and burrow/dig for safety, and will stick to edges. Check dark corners outside your home, under bushes, under the patio, etc.

🔸 Squeak a squeaky toy outside. Stand in the same spot and squeak...for a good 5-10 minutes. If you do it at dawn/dusk you may see the shine of their eyes in the dark. Walk around the block with it if there's no luck.

🔸 Leave their carrier outside with a blanket, food, and water. The smellier the food, the better. (Even if a stray/wild animal eats it, the smell can help bring your ferret back.) An older, smelly blanket is preferred so they can catch the scent.

🔸 Post a picture with not too much detail, and a "LOST" sign around the neighborhood and put it on everyone's front door. They may be hiding in a neighbor's house, and this will help them know who to contact. (A vague picture so that if someone else tries to claim your ferret, they won't be able to describe them well).

🔸 Let all of your local vets know - ALL of them, even if they don't see ferrets. People not familiar with ferrets might just bring them to the closest one around.

🔸 Let your local police station, animal control, and rescue/shelter know, in case someone finds your ferret and brings them there instead.

🔸 Go door-to-door in the neighborhood and ask! Someone may have seen it and thought it was a wild weasel. Ask them if their kids have seen your ferret (kids play outside!)

🔸 Ask your neighbors to check their garages, sheds, vents, and be on the look-out.

🔸 Post on your local Facebook!

🔹 PLEASE remember to give it food and water. Ferrets imprint on food and may not eat what you offer, even if they are starving. If you don't bring it to a vet/shelter/etc right away, you may need to purchase food. Most ferrets are from Marshall Farms and were raised on that food. Marshall's Premium Ferret Food can be found at most pet stores. If you are NOT in North America, there is a high chance the ferret was fed raw - offer chicken hearts or unseasoned meat.

🔹 Please rescue it from it's situation ASAP if it is stuck or in your vents. Domestic ferrets are not equipped to survive outside - any injury, stress, or lack of food can cause health to decline fast. Do not wait til tomorrow.

🔹 Contact local vets and let them know you found a ferret. If the ferret has any distinct markings, mention that. You might just find the vet that this ferret goes to, and they may be able to help reunite it with the owner. Hopefully the owner will have called all local vets and they'd be on the look-out anyways.

🔹 Search your local Facebook group for posts about a lost ferret. You can post, but ask any responders to describe the ferret IN DETAIL. If you post a picture, make sure it is low quality so criminals can't pinpoint details to confirm they own it.

🔹 Check for a microchip. Not many microchip their ferrets, but some do.

🔹 Put up vague "Found" posters with no photo or a poor quality photo, but please ask any caller to describe IN DETAIL what the ferret looks like to confirm that this is the owner. It's sad, but there's a lot of scumbags in the world who would lie and claim the ferret was theirs to then flip, abuse, or who knows what...

🔹 Ask neighbors (and their kids) if anyone has asked about a lost ferret. If they connect you with someone, again, ask the person to describe IN DETAIL what the ferret looks like.

🔹 Keep it away from other pets, but inside (no shed/garage). The bathroom is a great temporary area - make sure it can't get into any cabinets, vents, trash, toilet scrubbers, etc. Provide some T-shirts with no buttons (some ferrets can be chewers with blankets) to sleep in, with food and water at all times. Place newspaper or paper towels behind the toilet as a temporary litter/potty area.