Improving on the dig box

[Yurei Avalon]

So, I'm trying to come up with a better dig box option for my kids as currently we are without one again.

I was using rice, which they love. However it a. gets everywhere and makes a huge mess and b. they use it for a litter box constantly. Even if I scoop the poop out frequently, the urine still soaks in and reeks to high heaven. 30-40 lbs of rice will last you maybe 4-5 weeks, tops before it has to be tossed.

I'd love to give them soil, I know they'd enjoy it immensely, but it would make a huge mess not to mention that they would probably still poop in it and I can't find untreated soil around here with no chemicals.

Sand is out for the same reasons.

What does that leave for options? I have a ping pong ball pit for them currently and while it's a great amount of fun, they can't really dig in it, just burrow. They specifically need the digging action regularly to keep those urges in line.

When the leaves finally fall here I'd like to grab a box full for them if I can get enough dry ones and let them play in some of those with super vision, but again it's not the same thing.

I've thought about dried beans, but I suspect Wheatley might try and eat them. He's got some weird oral fixation habits and likes putting inappropriate things in his mouth. (I'm afraid he'd eat the leaves too, hence the need to be supervised.)

I've seen someone on another forum use jigsaw puzzle pieces. If I could get enough of them cheaply enough, that might work? I'd be worried about dust and ink coming off of them potentially. I also don't know t hat it would give them enough digging action.

I've considered maybe seashells or some small, light rocks such as a pumice sort of gravel, if I can find some that's not real sharp. I figure it might help wear down claws too.

Another item considered was those glass fish tank baubles, dunno if we'd try eating them.

Suggestions very much welcome!

Edit: I thought I remember someone mentioning peat moss for ferret use. Is this safe for ferrets if it's not chemically treated with anything? From some online reviews I've read, it may be dusty?

[Heather]

Have you thought of using less rice? I use a 10 lbs bag. It costs me $10 to $20, so I don't mind pitching it after it's been "used". I also use navy beans (any larger bean will do) I even used a small box of split peas (different texture). They've got a drawer of those small decorative glass stones and they did have a drawer of marbles. They had a sand box, but it got disgusting and got pitched. I've never tried the whole jigsaw thing but the pictures are usually on there fairly good so unless they got wet I would think they'd be ok (correct me if I'm wrong, like I said I've never used it) I have been tempted to try some type of macaroni (I worry about ingestion but, if they don't eat the rice I can't they'd eat the macaroni) I would like to get them a box of ping pong balls but haven't found a good supplier yet (buying them by small boxes of 3 and 6 gets expensive really fast). My guys dig outside all the time, what about just some plain mud?
ciao

I use rice, I have it in a very large tote with a hole cut through the lid... so the rice is not tracked every where. It's worked out very well for us.
Though I don't have any currently that will use it as a box if they can get out to access the real litterbox. We did have an issue once when the exit was blocked.. poor weasel ran in circles before finally using the rice. Fortunately it was caught within moments and cleaned up before the entire box of rice was soiled.

[Yurei Avalon]

Heather, try buying ping pong balls in bulk by the gross. I get a gross from Amazon at about $13 per gross. I have 10 gross in the bottom level of a FN cage.

I give them plenty of litter boxes near by the rice bin... lazy buggers just refuse to go use it.

This is something we would be using inside and putting in the bottom level of a FN, we don't have a backyard so anything super messy or outside appropriate is a no go. :/

I assume things like mulch are out for the same reasons wood shavings are bad?

Anyone know if something like hay would be safe for them or if it'd be too dusty?

I'm currently thinking some pea sized like gravel would be good for them. Something they can dig and fling but it won't track around the house so bad... I could rake it up if it got on the floor. It's a lot heavier than rice though so it probably wouldn't fly so far. And maybe wear their nails down.

[Heather]

I had some natural stone gravel for fish tanks that they used for a time....note I did say "used" They didn't seem to enjoy it near as much as they did the rice and other lighter things. As far as hay.... a lot of ferrets have that as bedding when they live outdoors. I would make double sure that it's not mouldy. Horse hay would work.
ciao

[Sushi La Fuchi]

What if you made a remote litter box and attached it to your dig box by tunnel, that way they could get to the litter box more easily. And instead of filling the whole remote litter box tub with litter, just find an actual litter box that fits in there and fill that up. That way they don't associate all big tubs that are filled as litter boxes and learn to differentiate between the two. You'd just need a REALLY big tub so that a big litter box could fit but not take up all of the bottom of the tub, or just use the smaller litter boxes meant for cages (I don't mean the triangles of course). Just attach them, fill the litter box, place a few fresh poopies in there, and close the top of the tub off with the lid and hopefully they'll figure it out. Might even be easier for them when they have to potty to follow their nose to the other tub with the fresh poop. Just an idea.

[jacksmomma]

Mine have a dig box of the paper, easter backet stuffing. it's basically the same thing as shredded paper. They enjoy it and it's not too messy. They also have a huge box of wool scraps that I ordered on ebay that they love to wrestle in. But I haven't found anything that beats a rice dig box for Brady - except maybe the "dig box" full of World's Best Cat litter

[Sherry]

;D

[Yurei Avalon]

I already have a remote style litter box without the tunnel in a big tote. They have plenty of litter boxes in the cage where the dig box is. (It's in a cage, not out on the floor in the room.)

[Sushi La Fuchi]

Oct 2, 2012 5:52:57 GMT -5 Yurei Avalon said:

I already have a remote style litter box without the tunnel in a big tote. They have plenty of litter boxes in the cage where the dig box is. (It's in a cage, not out on the floor in the room.)

Oh, okay! I see. Well what stubborn little stinkers they are!

[bitbyter]

They are probably dominance poops. Trying to claim the dig box as "theirs" so that the less dominant fuzzies stay out.

[Yurei Avalon]

No idea, they all poop in there. ALL. I see them. 4 ferrets tend to live in that cage at a time and it rotates on occasion with the other group.

Oh yes, they also love stashing raw hunks of meat in the rice. This of courses causes rice to stick to the meat and them to end up ingesting rice, though they seem to pass it no problem I don't want to risk it.

I wish it would stop raining here so I could get them some leaves.

[candykittten]

haha that's weird.. mine have never pooped in their rice box. They all pooped in the sand box though :/ I have also used triangular cardboard packing pieces from the post office.

[halblingefrau]

I can't use rice in mine because someone's a rice eater. I find TONS of rice in the poops so I'm super paranoid about blockages. I'm going to try the larger dried beans because I don't think they can swallow them.

If you have poopers, ping pong balls might get gross too when someone decides to be territorial. I'd go with beans or shredded paper.

[Yurei Avalon]

Naw, we really don't poop in the ping pong ball pit. I put a little litter box up on the shelf above it and they all use it rather than spoiling their fun thing. There is poop on a couple of the balls, but I think it is from when they had accidents higher up in the cage along the back wall and things fell downward.

I cleaned out the entire pit so I could wash the pan cover and there were no poops on the bottom, which leads me to believe the above theory is probably true. When they pooped in the old ball pit it had poops on the bottom of the floor as well as smearing into the balls, because they were trying to get int oa corner to go.