I thought they pooped in corners.

[daddywarbots]

My two girls have perfect litterbox use when they're shut in their cage. Outside things get a little weird.

Sometimes they use them. When they don't they are not even pooping in corners. They just drop poops in the open. Everything I read about ferrets before getting them went on and on about corners, so this seems odd to me.

I thought maybe I didn't have enough boxes for size of the room but today I found poop inches from a perfectly good box!

Does anyone have tips for improving this situation?

Either through training or ways to figure out what they want?

[Heather]

LOL...I'm sorry. Little girlies don't necessarily poop in corners, that's a male thing. Little girlies mark territory by dropping little poops in places most travelled or in front of litter boxes. I find my wee ones much more accurate in the winter than the summer. Catching them in the act and reinforcing that dropping poops in the box is the only way to get them to do what you want and even then sometimes they're just obstinate. Like yours, my guys are very good 100% in their cages....out and about, not so much. Persistence is the only way to win. That doesn't mean on days that you offend or they're feeling stressed that they won't leave you reminders that you've offended them
ciao

[abbeytheferret6]

Little girlies mark territory by dropping little poops in places most travelled or in front of litter boxes.

Read more: holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/20907/pooped-corners#ixzz48Qmm7


I guess I was right, I thought my little girl was marking---but meanie papa has been calling her a wardy(he gets ambushed by stray poops the most ).

Just cleaned a throw rug at front door. It has been hanging on front porch railing for a couple days, nice and clean esp after the rain. My little girl goes right in center of it and drops a wee little spot.

[Sherry]

Yep they are territorial wee things

[Blue]

Congrats on adopting Bella and Jasmine! I also have a territorial little girl, but putting litterboxes in the territorial spots helped (doors especially, which is pretty inconvenient). Having enough litterboxes, too. Maisie has 2-3 per room. And finally, I give her a treat every single time she uses the litterbox properly. Of course then you have to deal with her faking it to get a treat. It never ends... and we love it

[daddywarbots]

This is my life now:

Wake up fuzzybutts. Leave them in the cage for a few minutes. They don't poop

Let them out. Bring them to litterboxes several times. They don't poop.

Watch them like a hawk for 15 minutes waiting to swoop in and move them to a box if they start going on the floor. They don't poop.

Clean cage watching out of the corner of my eye. No poops.

Do clicker training session. Early phase, associating click with treat. Fuzzys end it blissed out on oil curled in my lap licking their chops and me.

Turn my back mere seconds to get the food scale. Jasmine is dropping a huge load on the carpet right in front of me.


Set food bin lid on an end table. Mix their kibble. Put kibble in cage. Turn around. THERE IS A POOP ON THE FOOD BIN LID ON TOP OF THE END TABLE.

Belle just squatted in a litterbox but didn't leave anything, then ran over and pooped on the floor on a different side of the room.

What are they doing to me? A couple days after I got them they were having perfect box use out of the cage. Now it seems to be rapidly deteriorating.

[Heather]

Welcome to the world of ferrets :pullhair: You're really doing very well
ciao

[abbeytheferret6]

I have got ooodles of potties in my house. My older ones are pretty good at using them, but my blaze is a marker and an avid stasher to boot.


However, I just pulled up spare bedroom carpet, because they were all going under the bed ----going to get linoleum. 

Once, I found one of my closets had become a big latrine:/, so I filled the floor space up with storage bins and glued a strip of wood on bottom of closet door with liquid nails. They can not go under door and if left open it will not matter. 



Anybody that oohs and ahhs my ferrets gets all the bad and the ugly first. I have never had anyone ask---where can I get a ferret )