Persistence

Have you ever heard of the idea that people and their pets will begin to look like each other? I think the same is true of habits and basic nature. I am by nature a very persistant person. Once I start on a task, no matter how futile, I will doggedly work at it, trying everything I can think of to make it work. Even falling back on the old premise of, if it didn't work the first or second time, maybe it will work this time! I am a nut that way sometimes. Enter a ferret named Lil, who apparently pays WAY too much attention to her human.

Here is the situation: the ferrets have their very own room, I had the house built so I could specify what was going on. Their room has vinyl flooring, like the kitchen and bathroom, while the rest of the rooms have carpet. If you live with ferrets, you know why this is better. When we first moved in, I used to have a barrier I would put up to keep them from getting to the front of the house, and I would let them run between their room and the back bedroom. I closed the door to the master bedroom, because Nikki has a penchant for digging into the mattress, nuff said. I stopped that practice because,

1. Although there were litter boxes there, the guys aren't all that studious about using them. This is bad on carpet.
2. I wanted to make it into a music room, guitars, amplifiers and stuff.

Ok, that lays out all the explanations for what follows.

Lil has instituted a game with me, she somehow knows everytime I am coming through the door into the room. So, she is waiting there most every time when I go in, and she is looking to scamper out as fast as she can. Her thinking she will succeed is reinforced by the fact that she has on several occasions. It has gotten down to a routine between us. As soon as I open the door I automatically reach down to grab Lil, with about a 97% success rate. Sometimes if I am tired, or more likely, carrying something, such as the soup I give them every morning, she will get by. Then a merry pursuit ensues. This all usually happens when I am on my way out to work, or have to be somewhere quickly. She knows all the good spots to go from previous adventures. Under the couch is a good one, as is behind the TV or under the recliner. Anywhere she can go, keep a lookout and escape from quickly. Her most favorite spot was under the kitchen counters. I have a big open area living room / kitchen deal. She discovered the counters on her most memorable escape to date. She got out for the whole day. I was dealing with a sick kid who needed to be taken to the vet really quickly. I was so distracted that Lil slipped out the door without me noticing. So I obliviously took off, sick ferret in hand, with Lil having the run of the house. When I got home that evening, I heard a strange noise coming from the kitchen. I looked in and saw a ferret nose poking out from under the counter, much to my surprise and chagrin.

Now, my little buddy knew she wasn't supposed to be there, so getting her out from under the counter was going to be a bit of a chore. It took a good hour of wheedling, and cajoling to do the job. If I went out of her line of sight, she would start coming out a little to see where I went, as soon as I tried to sneak back, she would zip right back under. She was having a great time, and I myself couldn't help seeing the humor in the situation. After a while though, the situation needed to be resolved, so I decided to play dirty. I got a saucer and a tube of nutrical. I placed a bunch of nutrical on the saucer and put the saucer just in front of where she was hiding. I let her come out to see what was there, then I would walk towards it and she'd scurry back in. But this was all part of my dastardly plan! After a couple of rounds of this I moved the saucer out to the middle of the floor and sat down cross-legged behind it. I was working on the premise that no ferret is going to stay away from a perfectly good snack, even if it means getting caught. I sat very still, and was soon rewarded by Lil sticking her nose out and looking around. She looked a little conflicted, then finally she threw all caution to the wind and ran over to the saucer and started in on the nutrical. Her adventure for the day was over. I am sure she had stories to tell everybody that night. I later went around and found all the places she had visited and cleaned up. She has not equaled the success of that day, because I try to be a little more vigilant, but she keeps on trying.