Revoking Night Time Roaming Privileges

[Deleted]

So Honey has finally done it! She has outsmarted the ferret oppressors and their cruel authoritarian government system that forbids all forms of fun including mess making, stuff breaking, sock stealing, furniture parkour, headphones eating, recycle bin overturning, etc. 

Since I let them free roam a couple of months ago, and Honey has been getting better and better at doing things she is not allowed, in  conjunction with developing her acrobatic skills and deception abilities.

She has learned to do her mischief only when we are either sleeping in the closed off room, or aren't home. And! to leave the scene of the crime before we come back, leaving only evidence clues. (all the erasers and headphones stashed nicely behind the computer monitor, which she was never able to get to before)(watercolour footprints on my paining commissions)

Since she has learned to do pull-ups on the chairs we moved them away, then she learned to climb on to the chair back and do a flying leap off there. Yesterday she learned to climb the bookcase shelves (and we have no idea how she does this!) where my boyfriend keeps his glass and figurines. And broke a glass, so we had to clean it up in the night, thankfully she didn't get hurt. Last week Honey managed to separate the card wood board separator blocking off one of the kitchen entrances, in a way that we were convinced she was teleporting there, because it was so hidden away. And many more! 

This rebellion can not go on any longer and the perpetrator will be caged in the night, with a nice warm blankie, lots of noms, and water to dive in instead of drink If anyone says that you can have a ferret proof home - it's a legend or a myth, a ferret will prove you wrong

Here we are on another previously "ferret proof" dresser, showing off the results of our levitation skills. 


And our footprints on my painting 

[linsul]

Uh oh Honey! I'd spoil her in a cage for the night too, that illustration is fantastic! It's really too bad she added little ferret feet, but she was probably trying to help lol. Plus her roaming sounds like she's getting adventurous enough to hurt herself eventually. Nobody needs that stress when trying to sleep. Enjoy your blankies and noms injury free Honey!

[Blue]

Oh man that is hilarious! Thank you for sharing your pain That watercolor painting is gorgeous (even before the footprints ), you are very talented And what a tail that girl has!

[Deleted]

Her tail is her pride and joy she poofs it out all the time when she is excited, and when she gets super excited she even wags it

And the glass breaking thing was what really tipped the scales against her night time escapades. If we didn't hear it, then all of them could have got hurt.

She will just be joining Rapscallion in the cage for the night. He is kept in there because he plays rough with Miri, and now that she is deaf she screams at him and wakes everyone up. Honey and Raps get along better. Also in case Raps still gets adopted, so going into the cage some time won't be a big deal for him.

The picture is for a children's book. It's a song about a boy who wants to be a poet but finds no inspiration in the grey urban environment, so he goes to the farm where 33 cows in the field help him write his poems. It still needs some Photoshop adjustments, but it's on its way. The hardest footprint to get out was the one right across the cow's face. 

[Blue]

Wow, that picture is gorgeous. I'm sharing it with my sister, I know she'll love it And great that you managed to remove the footprint on the cow's face -- I thought that one was a lost cause!

[Deleted]

Awww poor @sveta! Honey, your Mama loves you so much, don't resent her

And really, your commission looks beautiful!

[Deleted]

I read this and thought bonnie(my terror ferret)! This is exactly why ours have bedrooms and only a few hours out in the house a day.

[Deleted]

Haha terror-ferret!

A terror to herself, more like! we only have two and half rooms in total so we have to all share together

[kraesmom]

I understand your decision, and love the painting, but I have to say...perhaps Honey needs to have "craft time" and do some more painting on appropriate papers? I loved the watercolor effect on each of the footprints.

[Deleted]

That would be cute! get them some big paper and non-toxic paint and let them walk around on it? Then sell it to a big art gallery

[Deleted]

lovely, lovely, painting!

Mine rattle pots and pans at night--that is why my free roamers have to be locked in their room at bedtime.

[FerretsnFalcons]

That is so funny, what a naughty little fuzz! (giggle) I'm glad you were able to fix the painting, it is beautiful!

[Heather]

She's a naughty wee minx. My ferrets each get turns at being overnight truants. Most of the time it's uneventful. After so many years of ferrets the house is more or less ferret proofed. Like you I did find out that my one wee minx figured out how to get up on my art table (love your water colours, beautiful work, I'm glad you were able to rescue it). Luckily, there was no work on my table at the time but she did empty my art case and stash all my tubes. She did see about puncturing a couple of them but must have decided they tasted foul because she only destroyed my cadmium and a burnt umber. Be very careful about your erasers and scrubs they're potential blockages if chewed and ingested. One of my biggest fears about doing artwork and having ferrets is that they will get hold of an eraser and eat it. This doesn't show up in an xray (it does show up in a barium) and it's a really expensive fix (surgery)
ciao

[Deleted]

Yes I know about the erasers! They are always up high where we think the ferrets can't get them. Thankfully Honey didn't chew them, just collected. If it was Zack up on the table with the erasers he would be getting the pumpkin, Vaseline, treatment immediately.

Even then I keep count of them all, so i know if any go missing.