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Post by Carla on Sept 8, 2013 5:29:43 GMT -5
Hi everyone I'm in need of some advice/tips. Littertraining outside the cage. My two ferrets have their own play room and I've resorted in putting 4 big litter trays in each corner as two just wasn't enough for them. They are little angels in their cages and always go in the litter box but not when it's play time outside the cage. I understand that they get a bit to excited during playtime and just go anywhere that's nearest but it's becoming a joke now. 4 litter trays in each corner yet they manage to do it in the most bizarre places. There favorite place to go is underneath their cage(I have UK version of the ferretnation) on the rack where i hold all their bedding and other bits. I tried filling in the bottom of the cage so they couldn't go on it but they were determined and will just pull the bits off just so they can go on it. They also like to jump on top of their pet carrier and wee on top of that. Most ferrets back into corners to go loo but not mine they've even done it in the middle of the floor. It's really frustrating as i have carpet and I'm going to have to replace the carpet now that the ferrets have damaged it too much. I've also tried to catch them before they do it but most of the time they've already done their business when i pick them up. I've also seen them walk over to the litter tray go in it then get out and go in another place so it isn't down to they couldn't find a littertray in time. Any tips would be appreciated. Thanks
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Post by Sherry on Sept 8, 2013 9:41:07 GMT -5
It might be an idea to do a deep clean of the carpet to begin with. Same with everything else to help get the smell out. If possible, just play with them in a very small area so you can closely supervise for now. Once they go you can increase it a bit, and so on. With your out of cage boxes- do they have low enough entrances, as some refuse to jump over an edge to get in. I gather the boxes are all large enough? The times you DO catch them about to go quickly put them in a box and then treat. Over time it will help them get the idea. Otherwise the ONLY thing I can think to suggest is to pick up a cheap lino and lay it over the carpet once it's cleaned. At least that will help with clean up if nothing else.
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Post by Carla on Sept 8, 2013 10:20:58 GMT -5
Hi yes i have the Marshall's high back litter pans which have a bit cut out on the side so they can just walk into it, I'm going to be getting rid of my carpet, have a big clean out and put wooden flooring out so that at least it will be easier to clean up as with my dark carpet it isn't always easy to spot if they've done a wee there. At first it was Just one of my ferrets and the other one was fine with using the litter trays but now he is doing the same as his brother. They are only 4 months old. Just no matter what i change around, clean they always find another place other than the litter trays. I never thought of keeping them in a smaller space until they learn. Will give that a go. Thanks for your help
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Post by Deleted on Sept 8, 2013 14:19:13 GMT -5
Hi Carla, I will share some of my experiences regarding your issue.
We used to live in apartment with carpets at some point and had 3 foster ferrets not knowing how to use a litter box. Training takes a while, but in a meantime you can help with smell and stain issue. Get some nice enzymatic cleaner for pet stain cleaning, preferably in a large 1 gallon bottle as it is cheaper. These are sold in large department pet stores. I find that cleaners containing "friendly bacteria" in ingredient list work best, they completely eliminate the urine smell. Then, poor some of the cleaner in spray bottle and spray your problematic spots. Make sure they are soaked through. This solution need some time to work, maybe 20-30 minutes. You can leave this spray as is, but it is best to wash you carpet at least once a week. I used to spray fresh urine spots, and leave the spray on. Then, about once a week I would spray, wait 30 minutes and follow with a carpet wash. You can get a nice detergent for a carpet washer that will help with smell in addition to bacterial spray. I did get my own carpet washer. Just a simple model in WalMart for about 200$. It is worth every penny. Now, that I don't have carpets, I still use it on my rugs and use upholstery tool on my furniture. I buy a simple Febreeze pet solutions detergent. It works great. These washing technique eliminate all the odor and stain issues.
As far as training. Ferrets tend to use a litter box as soon as they wake up. You can keep an eye on them and as soon as they wake up guide them to the right spot and give a treat as soon as they finish. This is time consuming and takes a while, but works for most ferrets. Also, it's not uncommon to have multiple litter boxes in one room, ferrets a lazy! However, dealing with multiple litter boxes is annoying and time consuming(for me anyways)and I therefore switched to dog pee/training pads. You can also put one under your cage as it will easily fit. I use plastic backing (like very shallow trays) under my pads and wash them once a week.
When you do decide to put a new flooring in, be very careful with you choice of wood (if you that is decide on wood), some wood will expand because of urine. I had this issue myself. Personally, I will choose nice tiles next time. There is a great selection of tiles, even for living rooms now and you can add some heating too! More expensive, but very durable and easy to clean.
Good luck!!!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 18, 2013 18:46:46 GMT -5
get pee pee pads!!! my boys are spoiled and they KNOW where they are suppose to go... but sometimes they are just like... "nah... im going infront of your door instead! i went away for a few days and i knew they would poop all over my upstairs ( they always have free roam of my room/ the upstairs)so i got a pack of wee wee pads, cut them in half (didnt need that big of a square) and put them where they usually go!
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