One of the main reasons ferrets are turned into shelters is because people get so disgusted when they cannot control their ferret's 'potty' habits! A sad state of affairs and one that can be reversed with a little time and patience. Although it may seem a fruitless task sometimes, there are ways that you can make life easier for both you and your ferret.

Ferrets are very clean animals and therefore appreciate a clean environment that goes for their litter box also. Even though they seem to 'surf' in clean litter they will as time goes by, use it! Recycled newspaper litter is the best choice for ferrets, NEVER use scoopable litter, it contains 'bentonite' that causes it to clump and can do so in
the ferrets intestines.

When cleaning the bin, scoop out all the soiled litter, making sure to remove the urine soaked litter as this will give off ammonia (causes repertory problems) and then push remaining litter into the corners of the bin, add fresh to the remaining area.

If there is excrement on the bin you will need to remove it with a good disinfectant, such as Nolvasan, or hot soapy water. However you do not need to start with fresh litter each time, always use some of the remaining clean litter from the bin (before washing), since the ferret has added his odor to it, then he will be less likely to 'surf' in it.

INSIDE THE CAGE
You will find a litter bin that goes completely across the cage from side to side will work best, I designed the CUSTOM COMMODE after trying to work with so many ferrets who liked to re-arrange their bathroom area, especially if there was a space at the side the ferret would much rather use that than his litter bin.

Once the cage is fitted with the right size litter bin, then the trick is to fill all the remaining corners on each level with bedding, old Tshirts, blankets etc.. normally the ferret prefers NOT to use it's bedding for a litter bin.

OUTSIDE THE CAGE
This is a little more difficult, as now we have more space, but the same rule applies here, always fill every available corner and blank wall with T-shirts, bedding, toys and strategically place some litter bins for the ferret to use. Leaving the door open to the cage is also an invitation for the ferret to return to use his bin, I have many ferrets that do so, they seem to prefer their own 'potty'!

Always make sure that the ferret has used his litter bin inside his cage right before you let him out to play, this will give you at least half an hour before he should need to go again, at which time you will need to observe him to 'catch' him when he is
ready to go and gently guide him either to his bin in the cage, or a litter bin in the room.

Carpeting is not a good flooring for ferrets to play on, simply because it holds the smell of urine, from accidents. Also since the ferret has a 'musky' odor the smell tends to cling to the carpet fibers. Tile or linoleum is so much cleaner and sanitary, therefore you may want to exercise your ferret in a bathroom to begin with, until you are sure it is fully litter trained.

Patient and consistent training will produce a ferret with impeccable litter habits, which will in turn make less cleanup time for you as owner and more time for you to enjoy your boundless bundle, of energetic antics, known as the FERRET!

If you have specific questions on 'litter training' please email for help.

QUESTION:
I am trying to find something that repels ferrets and will prevent them from pooping all over my house. Could it be that the cat went into the ferrets cage and used the litter box that he is not using it anymore??? I have disinfected it - but does not seem to work. Please give me some advice also, how many times does a ferret have to be immunized or given shots??? Mine had shots 14 mos. ago. Fangs seem to be growing out of the sides of mouth - should these be trimmed??? Vet in small town here does not know too much about ferrets farming community....HELP!!!!!!

ANSWER:
It is very difficult to house train a ferret, he should be confined to a small area. Ferrets eat every 3-4 hours and eliminate twice as much. Before taking him out of the cage you need to make sure he has used his litter box, put him back in every half hour unless you have other litterbin's around the room. If you have carpet then it is impossible to remove the odor of where he has been. You can try cleaning with the vinegar solution, it helps. Lots of people use linoleum or plastic over areas that the ferrets seem to frequent. Newspaper will work also.

We have a ferret proof room for our ferrets with 2 litter bins (with low fronts) and our ferrets use those while out playing. We leave the doors open on cages and many of the ferrets go back in their cage to use the litter bin. Giving a ferret too much space is only encouraging them to go in the wrong places, as they most likely forget where they are when the urge arises! Plus ferrets need supervision when out.

Vaccines can be given once a year. There are precautions that you need to take. Go to this web site and read info on health, plus make copies on each subject, for your vet: www.miamiferret.org Click on HEALTHCARE, vaccinations, teeth etc.. The teeth protruding are canine teeth, ferrets are carnivores (meat eaters) and need those teeth for tearing flesh in the wild. DO NOT TRIM TEETH, they are not tusks! You can read more info on my site in FERRET SCHOOL, hope this helps.

QUESTION:
I just bought a baby female ferret and trying to litter train it. I got litter boxes in the corners but she will not use them instead she will just go on the bottom of the cage and ideas???

ANSWER:
Corner litter boxes rarely work! You need to get a litter box that goes completely across the cage (take a look at my CUSTOM COMMODES). You can make one from a rubbermaid container, by cutting down the front. Attach it to the back of the cage so she cannot move it around.

Place some old T-shirts where you do not want her to go. Weave the T-shirts through the wire so she can't move them, ferrets do not like to soil bedding. You have to remember that she most likely did not have a litter box at the pet store and was used to going anywhere, so her habits have to change.Make sure you scoop the box and use a recycled newsprint or something natural, do not use clay litter, or clumping clay litter. It may take a few days but she will learn quickly, if you keep the cage clean, you can wash T-shirts if she soils them.

QUESTION:
Hi my name is gracie and my husband and i just got 2 baby girls.Can you tell my the easy way to train them to use the litter box.

ANSWER:
The best way to train them is to confine them to a cage or small area. A cage is better to supervise them in until you make sure that your room/house is ferret proof (go to: DANGERS in FERRET SCHOOL). Make sure you have a litter box with a low front and use recycled newsprint, corn or wheat litter, do not use clay litters. Do not use corner litter pans, they rarely work, but a pan that goes from side to side of the cage will(take a look at our CUSTOM COMMODE, it works the best.

Before you let the ferrets out of the cage make sure they have used the litterbin and keep putting them back in about every half hour, or provide them with other litter boxes in corners of the room. Fill all the spaces that they can back up to with old T-shirts and then if they do go on them, you can throw them in the wash. Once they have established an area to go to in the cage, you can attach the litter pan there and weave T-shirts in and out of the wire in each corner so the ferrets do not go there(they usually do not like to soil bedding, however if they do, wash and replace with clean shirts.

QUESTION:
We have a male (Clyde) and a female (Bonny) ferret and have been having challenges with litter training. Reading through the Litter Training area at "For Ferrets Only" sooner would have been beneficial. As it is, we started with corner pans, which did not work. We have two Super Pet cages that are connected by tubes. The upper cage has two levels, which contains their food, water and bedding. They do not potty in the upper cage. The lower cage, three levels, had the two corner litter pans that our Bonny would move prior to pottying in the corner were the litter pan used to be. Clyde likes to back up the lower cage wall, on the second level, and potty out of the cage. He also likes to empty all the litter from the litter pans onto the cage floor.

If we use a full length litter box, then we can't take it out of the cage to clean it without taking the cage apart. The cage door is too small. So, I got a large critter carrier that has a removable top. It is 16" long, 8" wide and 12" high with solid walls but the whole top is vented. I cut a hole in its side and added a tube from the bottom cage to enter, then filled it with Yesterday's News litter. We added a small amount of soiled litter, and thoroughly cleaned the rest of the lower cage with Nature's Miracle. They both go in there often, but do not potty there. They dig around and go back to the same corner to potty. I fear that I've only created a nice play area for them.

Would you suggest not trying to pursue this idea further, or do you have any ideas for getting them to use this new potty for its intended purpose? If I have to go to a full length litter pan, is there any way to adapt a Super Pet cage to get to the litter pan to clean it?

ANSWER:
The new litterbin will not be successful as it is more like a hideaway for your ferrets, take out the litter and replace with blankets, this will be a comfortable spot for them to sleep. You will find having a litterbin that goes completely across the floor will work much better than corner bins, if you attach to cage the ferrets will not move it. We make 2 tiny holes on either side at the back of bin and then it can attached with pipe cleaners, all it takes is a twist, easy to remove when it comes time to clean!

What size are the openings of your doors as we sell our CUSTOM COMMODES to customers with Superpet Cages, so I am not sure why they would not fit your cage. The floor is 8" and the back is 6" and it would measure the width of your cage, all you do is slide in through door and then back to side of cage. Wherever you don't want ferrets to soil, put T-shirts or baby blankets and weave them partially through wire of cage so ferrets cannot move them. If they should soil them all you have to do is wash them, a lot easier than cleaning a whole cage.

QUESTION:
We have a one year old ferret and just got a baby one. At first we had the baby in a fish tank and she used only the litter box. We got a bigger cage for the 2 ferrets and now the baby goes anywhere but in the litter box. She goes in every corner and even on the sides of the cage. We tried putting 2 litter boxes in there and it doesn't help. Should we put her back in the fish tank for a while to see if it helps? She will go on the blankets and even one time in the food!! Any suggestions?? Please help!

ANSWER:
Sounds as if the baby is confused! Did you move her litter box into the new cage? What kind of litter boxes are you using, if they are corner ones they rarely work? Did you change the litter, or is it the same as in the aquarium?

If you can get a litter box that will go across the cage and is low at the front, she should be able to just back into it. You can put old T-shirts in the places you do not want her to use and even if she does go, it will be is easy to wash them.

Is your other ferret a male, as they urinate some distance in front of the poop and if she is having to walk in it, she may be avoiding the box altogether. If you can put a litter that soaks up the urine it will help, if not you will need to scoop quite often.

Please take a look at the litter bins on my site and if need be you can buy a rubbermaid container that will fit across the cage and if need be, cut down the front, make sure there will be no sharp edges.

DEFINITELY do NOT put the ferret in the aquarium, they are made for fish NOT ferrets, since a ferret's temperature is 102-104, you will be cooking the poor thing without air circulation! Plus the urine will give off ammonia and she could be gassed!

QUESTION:
Me and my girlfriend just got a ferret last night. He's a boy and full grown. The people at the pet sore said that he was litter trained but he peed and pooped on me in the car on the way home from the pet store, and then again when we were playing with him a little while after we got him all settled in to his new home. I was wondering if male ferrets are territorial and that's why he peed, or if he just had to go. I was also wondering if its just a male thing and if maybe a female would have been a better choice? please get back to me because though he soiled me I still love him and want to keep him, but not if he's going to continue doing it.

ANSWER:
He is very scared and that is why he went on you. It's a big world out there and ferrets are very sensitive to new people and places. It would be best for you to put him in his cage with his litter box and take him out AFTER HE HAS USED IT. Ferrets use the bathroom about 10-12 times in a 24 hour period, so after a period of play make sure you put him back in his cage to go.

Do not expect him to just find his way back to a litterbin, he is very small and it will take time to get used to his new surroundings. Please allow him to sleep and as soon as he wakes put him in the bin so he will go before taking him out. You might want to put several litter bins in corners of the room, make sure they are low at the front, as ferrets 'back' into their bins.

Try to keep him in his cage for the next few days in quiet surroundings so he can settle down and feel comfortable in his new home. Their is no difference in toilet habits between male or female, each ferret has his own personality as people do.

QUESTION:
My ferret was given to my boyfriend because the original owner could no longer care for him. The problem we are having with Lazee is he refuses to use his litter box. instead he will use the corner beside the box. we have tried everything possible. I changed his litter from kitty litter to ferret litter. I have moved the litter box to the oppsite corner where he goes, I've tried changing the litter, I've switched his cage completely around. Nothing I try seems to please him. can you please help me!!!!!!!!

ANSWER:
If you are using a corner litter bin, they never work, especially with male ferrets. It would be best to put a plastic container that goes right across the cage to cover both corners. Buy one with a low front or cut the front down, you can drill holes in the back and attach with pipe cleaners.

Take a look at the design of my CUSTOM COMMODE, none of the ferrets have a problem with it. You will need to throw old Tshirts in the areas where you do not want him to go, usually ferrets do not soil their bedding. If he does then a visit to the vet may be needed, to make sure he is healthy!

QUESTION:
Help!!! My daughter (16) was just given a female ferret. So cute! We only have a travel cage so I am shopping for the "right" stuff. She is using the light colored shavings (not cedar) and it gets EVERYWHERE!!! I am not finding really good info. yet...is this even necessary...I see you have the cage "liners"...is this and a litter box sufficient? What other items do people use to line their cages? Ideas?? She sure is fun.

ANSWER:
If you take a look at how my cages are set up, this is the best method! After having ferrets almost 25 years and running a shelter, I designed these cages to be comfortable for the ferret and easy to clean for the owner.

A litter box is all you need with a recycled newsprint litter ie: YESTERDAYS NEWS, all you do is scoop the poop, push the old litter into corners and replace with fresh litter. If poop gets on the bin, take out and wash!

Line the bottom of the cage with linoleum and give the ferret some old Tshirts, baby blankets etc.. to snuggle up in. Please read ALL ABOUT FERRETS, in my section of FERRET SCHOOL, also you might want to have your daughter read DANGERS TO FERRETS, since it is a new pet, you need to know all about her curiosity and the things she can get into and out of!

QUESTION:
I just recently got a male ferret and at the beginning when I first got him he went in his litter box no problem and now it seems that would be the last place he would go. Like when he looks like he's going to pee I pick him up and put him in his box, but nope, he keeps going in 3 different spots! so I was wondering is there was a certain smell ferrets don't like ( like cats don't like anything citrus) so maybe I could spray something in those 3 spots. What do you think??

ANSWER:
How old is he? Are you referring to the litter box in his cage? What kind of litter box do you have? What is the bottom of the cage made of? If it is plastic then you can wash in a solution of bleach, 10 parts water to 1 part bleach. If the cage is wire then scrub really well with vinegar and detergent. If you have a corner litter box then he most likely will not continue to use it. As he gets older because of his anatomy he will not want to back up over the area with cold urine in it. Take a look at the way our Custom Commodes are designed, they go across the cage and are low in front, so the ferret is able to back in and turn sideways if need be.

You can get a rubber maid container to fit your cage, cut down front, tape off sharp edge and make holes in back to attach to cage with pipe cleaners. if you have more questions, let me know.

QUESTION:
I just got a ferret and I have tried everything to get her to go in the litter. I sometimes sit there and wait for when she is ready to go so I can put her in the litter. She won't go & will wait til I leave and go next to the litter. I take it and dump it in the litter and make her smell it so she can see that it goes in the litter. Well, today, instead of going where she normally goes, she went somewhere else. Why? I don't understand. I know it is going to take some time, but is there something else I can do? I was thinking that maybe she won't go in tat litter B/C that is where the other one goes? Can you help?

ANSWER:
Is your other ferret male, if he pees right where she has to stand, it might be a cause for her going somewhere else! What kind of litter box do you have, as corner boxes are very rarely used by ferrets. You will need to put a box that goes completely across the cage, like the ones on our site.

Then you might want to throw a few old T-shirts/baby blankets all over the bottom of the cage, as a rule ferrets do not like to soil their bedding and even if she does, it will be easy for you to pick up the bedding and wash it.

It would be best to work with the ferret this way, than waiting for her to go. You are drawing too much attention to the problem and she is seeing this as spending time with you, rather then a learning experience. Ferrets are not like dogs, punishment or treats do not help teach them anything.