Close call with Cosmo!!!!

Holy crap!!!!! Just had a MAJOR scary moment!!!

I just had the ferrets out playing while I was cleaning their enclosure. Since their enclosure is a 4'x6'x6' closet that I turned into their enclosure I have to get inside it to clean it. Well I got out and was playing with the ferrets a little when I noticed Johnny acting strange in one corner of the room behind a bureau. It was a behavior I had never seen in any of the ferrets, so I went over to investigate...

Cosmo had escaped!!! Johnny and Cosmo were face yo face and Cosmo was hooded up and bluff striking like a maniac. Johnny seemed to be having fun with his new found "toy". He wasn't really getting too close, but seemed like he wanted to play!!!

I immediately grabbed all 4 ferrets and locked them in their enclosure and tried to scoop Cosmo up. He wasn't having it, so I ended up picking him up with a dustpan (good thing he's tiny!).

I went to put him in his enclosure and noticed I hadn't closed it right!! Uggggghhhh!!! I'm soooooo infuriated with myself, but obviously relieved it didn't turn out worse.

Cosmo has been returned safely to his enclosure and all is fine....but my heart is STILL beating out of my chest.

I will be DOUBLE and TRIPLE checking my enclosures each time I close them up from now on.

Holy crap that was scary!!!!

OMG Craig!!!! I would have soiled myself.

oh thank goodness for a happy ending. :O i feel like a ferret would make quick work of your lil worm if they wanted to. poor Cosmo must have been so scared!!!

it only takes one time seeing an empty enclosure to make you fundamentally change everything about your routine!

i would like to think that snubnose cuteness probably saved Cosmo.

but for real, it was a blessing in disguise. it was a close call but u might have never found your snake if the Ferrets weren't out.

Very close call!! I would have had a heart attack Omg. So glad he's safe! What a troublemaker haha! Good thing Johnny was more interested in playing than doing any deliberate damage.

I fully admit it makes me curious to see what your ferrets look like now!

Wait so your ferrets found the snake? If so that's amazing and terrifying at the same time as I would hate to have to deal with a hognose bite and chew on a ferret.

Very cool the ferrets ferreted out the snake

So glad he was ok


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Originally Posted by hilabeans

OMG Craig!!!! I would have soiled myself.

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I almost did!!!

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

oh thank goodness for a happy ending. :O i feel like a ferret would make quick work of your lil worm if they wanted to. poor Cosmo must have been so scared!!!

it only takes one time seeing an empty enclosure to make you fundamentally change everything about your routine!

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No doubt a ferret could easily make a quick snack outta him. My goodness I got lucky.
I also wonder what would have happened if Cosmo managed to get a bite in and despite the poor delivery system got a little venom into Johnny. I have no clue how it would affect a ferret.

I didn't even notice the empty enclosure!! I had last seen Cosmo yesterday morning. During last night's and this morning's enclosure check I assumed he was burrowed, no worries... but yup, you're right, my routine will be a little more strict moving forward...

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Originally Posted by Ax01

i would like to think that snubnose cuteness probably saved Cosmo.

but for real, it was a blessing in disguise. it was a close call but u might have never found your snake if the Ferrets weren't out.

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I thought the same thing!!! Had Johnny not found him I possibly could've lost Cosmo forever! He's so tiny and my house is old, there are ways out, and plenty when you're as little as he is.
I picked Johnny up after the whole ordeal and smothered him in kisses and thanked him.

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Originally Posted by SDA

Wait so your ferrets found the snake? If so that's amazing and terrifying at the same time as I would hate to have to deal with a hognose bite and chew on a ferret.

Very cool the ferrets ferreted out the snake

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Yup, the ferret found the snake. I had no clue Cosmo had even escaped. I just knew something was different with Johnny's behavior, so had to check it out.
I got L.U.C.K.Y!!! And Johnny is a hero!

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Originally Posted by MissterDog

Very close call!! I would have had a heart attack Omg. So glad he's safe! What a troublemaker haha! Good thing Johnny was more interested in playing than doing any deliberate damage.

I fully admit it makes me curious to see what your ferrets look like now!

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This is Johnny, the hero of the day!!! I had him outside Saturday while doing some yard work. As you can see, my lawn needs it! Hahahahttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...87d02b8f58.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...68f0caf5a1.jpg

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Originally Posted by MissterDog

Very close call!! I would have had a heart attack Omg. So glad he's safe! What a troublemaker haha! Good thing Johnny was more interested in playing than doing any deliberate damage.

I fully admit it makes me curious to see what your ferrets look like now!

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Baloo is the dark one.
June is the grey and white girl.
From L-R: Chloe, Baloo, Johnny & Junehttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...02df2d9ad0.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...1ee1ff78a8.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...8c2158ef15.jpg

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Those ferrets are a cute bunch. Glad everything worked out ok. :)

Years ago my BP escaped from her Exo Terra. Those tiny knobs can be hard to lock when you are all thumbs like me. After that incident I was major OCD on checking those locks multiple times even if I didn’t even open it up for that day.

Though I no longer have tanks, I check every single enclosure before I leave the snake room, even if I only opened one cage

Both Johnny and Cosmo deserve some extra treats :)

Glad it turned out well, whew, close call..

All's well that ends well. I'm glad your story had a happy ending Craig. ;)

Oh wow just saw this thread, that is really scary! My KSB got out once and since then definitely changed the way I obsess over making sure things are secure. I'm glad it ended ok, I had a little laugh picturing Cosmo all puffed up and hissy (I'm sure it wasn't funny at all in the moment, just hognoses are so freakin cute and funny). Glad it ended ok. And your ferrets are adorable!!!

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Originally Posted by Avsha531

Oh wow just saw this thread, that is really scary! My KSB got out once and since then definitely changed the way I obsess over making sure things are secure. I'm glad it ended ok, I had a little laugh picturing Cosmo all puffed up and hissy (I'm sure it wasn't funny at all in the moment, just hognoses are so freakin cute and funny). Glad it ended ok. And your ferrets are adorable!!!

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Hahahaha, it's typically pretty freaking funny to see them hood up, hiss and bluff strike, but not this time, hahaha.

I'm paranoid as heck now too, I must've checked on him a million times last night, in the middle of the night, this morning, as soon as I got home from work...

OMG your ferrets are adorable. I really want to get one but will have to do some research into their care.

Are they easy to keep?? Do they smell bad?? I heard you can have the fixed and remove their scent glands?? Not sure on how true that is.

Would love any information you care to share on them. The good and bad.

Thanks

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Originally Posted by L.West

OMG your ferrets are adorable. I really want to get one but will have to do some research into their care.

Are they easy to keep?? Do they smell bad?? I heard you can have the fixed and remove their scent glands?? Not sure on how true that is.

Would love any information you care to share on them. The good and bad.

Thanks

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Thanks!! They are adorable, no doubt.
As for are they hard to keep? No.

Do they smell? Not really, as long as their enclosure is clean. Most that you will buy are already neutered and have had their scent glands removed.

They do require daily work though. They have an extremely high metabolism, and they eat and drink often. What goes in, must come out. They poop a lot, and pee a lot too, but more poop. So their enclosures need daily spot cleaning, blankets etc...need to be washed often.

They sleep about 14-18 hours a day, but are extremely energetic when not sleeping. They are tons of fun to play with!!! They love human interaction and require a good amount of exercise. So coming out to play for a wile should be done every day, or almost at least.

I've had them for about 2 years now and adore them.
But, would I do it again? I honestly don't know. I wish I had ferrets when I was younger, that's for sure. But I'm almost 40 and enjoy more relaxed pets at this point in my life (SNAKES :D). I hope mine all live long lives (expectancy is 7 years or so) but 5 years from now I won't be getting more. Once mine cross the rainbow bridge they will be missed dearly, but not replaced.

Hope this helps. If you have more questions I'm happy to help where I can.

Do they naturally know how to use a litter box??

Do they typically sleep all day. I work full time days and want a pet that can be left alone all day.

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Originally Posted by L.West

Do they naturally know how to use a litter box??

Do they typically sleep all day. I work full time days and want a pet that can be left alone all day.

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They need litter box training. And not all of them get it, mine dont. They go in the same two corners of their enclosure most of the time though. They made more of a mess with the litter than it was worth. It ended up all over the place.
They can be left alone all day. But they'll definitely enjoy at least a few minutes of daily play time.

Ferrets are SO cute, but just too much mischief for me to live with. I almost got one many years ago, but instead I had a pair of Korean chipmunks for years. :D
That was well before I got into snakes, & I've always got dogs to play with too, so don't feel sorry for me. REALLY glad this ended well for you & all your animals.

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Ferrets are SO cute, but just too much mischief for me to live with. I almost got one many years ago, but instead I had a pair of Korean chipmunks for years. :D
That was well before I got into snakes, & I've always got dogs to play with too, so don't feel sorry for me. REALLY glad this ended well for you & all your animals.

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i wanted a ferret, might still get one one day. (i would rather have a weasel tho if possible b/c it's smaller.) the thing i didn't like that i learned about ferrets is that u need to feed them mice/rodents! i know, i know snakes eat mice too but i'm afraid a ferret would scurry away to hide somewhere around the house to eat the mice. i'm afraid of the mess it will make or leave a partially eaten rodent somewhere that i would not be able to find.

and omg Chipmunks1

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Originally Posted by Ax01

i wanted a ferret, might still get one one day. (i would rather have a weasel tho if possible b/c it's smaller.) the thing i didn't like that i learned about ferrets is that u need to feed them mice/rodents! i know, i know snakes eat mice too but i'm afraid a ferret would scurry away to hide somewhere around the house to eat the mice. i'm afraid of the mess it will make or leave a partially eaten rodent somewhere that i would not be able to find.

and omg Chipmunks1

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I've never fed them mice/rodents. They eat kibble basically. It's designed for ferrets so it's super high in protein and has no grain or corn.
They occasionally get some "duck soup" as a treat. That's basically just a protein packed powder that you mix with water to make a "soup".
I've tried giving them chicken beef, they have no interest.