My home has fallen into chaos...

[LindaM]

I need suggestions for a dirt dig pit. Below is the full reason for it and the story behind this post.

So, this evening, Ares has discovered something while his daddy was cleaning litter boxes and putting out fresh pads. He can jump... he can jump really, really far... and is really good at it. The goal of this ludicrous idea.. the potted plant basket sitting on a table (kitchen table-height) in the sitting/TV room.

I was happily in the study working on graphics when my husband called me over and tells me to hurry. When I got to him, he holds out the potted plant basket with an insanely happy and energetic Ares, bouncing around while looking us in the eyes as he dooks and laughs. This war weasel has had victory and the taste was sweet.. and full of dirt.

I immediately pulled him out of the basket, gave him a small shake to drop the dirt off and hauled him away as he frantically tried to go for the plant basket again. As my husband cleaned up the dirt messed onto the floor, we tried to puzzle out how the heck he had managed to get onto the table. Did he use the curtain? I'd never seen him climb that way, only Athena. But, as with all newly discovered things, ferrets are keen to share how they managed it.

The little snot jumped... and he jumps really, really well.. and really far. He got onto the couch ledge and jumped right onto the table with his entire upper body reaching over the ledge and just scoots his butt up. We moved things further apart right away, and I padded the floor between couch and table until he decided the distance was too far too make it again (this was 8 tries later). But the story doesn't end here.. all of a sudden, my other ferrets recalled something vague in the back of their minds... "I am ferret... I ...DIG!" And everyone went insane trying to dig things... Athena and Apollo would not let go of the idea that the cat's litter boxes are not dig pits.. Athena even dug out poop as my husband tried to shoo her away so he can clean the litter box. >

To remedy this fresh insanity in my home, I need suggestions of a safe dirt I can use for a dig pit. I have a ball pit and a bean box.. but those are not the same to them, and they will settle for no less it seems. Which types of dirt/sand can I safely use without causing any problems to my ferrets?

[Deleted]

Sometimes, these little monsters have "flash" ideas and do things that you never thought they could do. Observe...architect....design ...execute. LOL

[Sherry]

Some use play sand, and just keep it moist. Others I've seen use peat moss kept moist. Given many let them dig in the dirt of the garden etc, outside dirt brought in should be fine. Just avoid any that say potting mix, or include fertilizer.

[LindaM]

Thanks Sherry. I'll be getting to work on their dirt box and hopefully they'll take to it like white on rice.. I do not want Athena digging the cat's litter box like an idiot, even if the poor cat's horrified face was simply precious last night. I think these ferrets drive him insane.

vivi Oh, I know what they're capable of, the little cuddle buggers. Mine just in general are too busy with other things or just not motivated enough to try and go to such extents usually. And I gotta say, Ares, what for his body-type, ended up doing really amazing on his jumping skills (which up until now he'd had no interest in using or showing them to us).

[hiddenstars826]

The thought of your girl in the cat box makes me laugh, only because I have that same battle in my house. We use a piece of cardboard to "close up" the cat box while the boys are out. Dean doesn't really care about it. Sam, on the other hand, makes it his life goal to spend time in there. After the first few times I dragged him out of it, he went bouncing in there and backed up to poop. So I thought okay, he gets that the box is for pooping, I can handle that. Then a few times of using it for pooping later, I caught him go in there to poop and then proceed to DIG in it. That was NOT okay, because seriously who wants their ferret digging in cat poop?! And of course this is Sam, who despises water with all of his being, so it is great fun to try to give him a bath and clean the cat poop off of him. Thus, the restroom is not in service during their playtime. Which brings the next issue, of convincing him it's okay to poop in his NORMAL litter pan in the corner where everyone else potties. Oh Sam.

[LindaM]

hiddenstars826 Cardboard would've never worked with the issue I had, because my ferrets get free-roam of the place (morning till midnight), so I would've had to close up the boxes entirely, and give my cat nowhere to go. Lucikly, they only spazzed out like this the one night, with some minor violations from time to time of one wanting to see what happens in there, little idiots. But since we are also in the process of buying a house, they will get an entire large bedroom to themselves and only be allowed to wander the downstairs of the home where my art room/office will be (where I will spend most of my time), and hubby's office, etc. I plan to make their bedroom entirely ferret friendly by ripping up the carpet and replacing with tiles, and letting them have whatever the heck type and amount of dig boxes they want to have in there, lol.

As for your Sam not wanting to poop in his box where the others go, some fuzzies just don't like to share the litter box with others. So maybe give him a box of his own to see if he will take to it?

[hiddenstars826]

I think Sam just wanted to share with the cat. And it was convenient that it could be a play place too!

[unclejoe]

Use potting soil. They love it. Unfortunately it's probably the same stuff you use for plants.  But if they can get to it easy, they may leave your plants alone.   MAY...

[LindaM]

unclejoe We are currently buying a house, and if all goes well may be moving into it by end of the month. The fuzzards will get a bedroom of their own downstairs and I plan to tile it for easy clean-up, so they can make all the mess they want (and they will be allowed roaming of the lower level, with plants and such safe upstairs and the staircase blocked with a half door). We will also let them out into the backyard to play and dig (supervised for sure).