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Post by Val on Jun 20, 2012 9:04:39 GMT -5
Hi! I've got two approximately one year old ferrets, both males and marshall ferrets (boo! I know, but the hubby didn't want to spend the money on what one costs from the breeder *sigh* - but we love them to pieces anyways!). Neither of them like to use the litter box. I've tried since we got them. They seem more interested in playing in the litter box and pooping everywhere else in the cage. We have a 2 story ferret nation. They eat different varieties of taste of the wild. I was wondering if you have any good suggestions on how to get them to use the box? And is it too late if they're a year old? We have the high back litter boxes (the square ones, not the corner ones). I use pine pellets as the litter. They have bedding that they sleep in but still enjoy sleeping in the litter box too. Crazy things  Any and all advice would be much appreciated! Oh, also - is it too late to get them started on raw? I'd love to try that  |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2012 9:13:04 GMT -5
holisticferret60.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=training&action=display&thread=108Read through the above thread. Those who have tried it swear by it.  Another thing of note might be they may not like the litter. :/ Ainslie went through three before deciding her current litter was okay enough as long as its scooped out every other day. And its NEVER too late to switch them to raw! If you sign up for a mentor, somebody will try to get back to you as soon as its relatively possible, to get you and your fuzzy's needs met.
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Post by Sherry on Jun 20, 2012 9:40:43 GMT -5
Hi Val The thread Riley pointed you to will help tremendously! However- it may get worse just before getting better. They WILL protest it! But that will stop in a few days. Don't rush the steps, and they'll get there. One of our members had to do this for 3 months, now her girls are spot on in the cage  |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2012 9:40:56 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2012 9:52:25 GMT -5
If Raw isn't feasible in the end, Epigen 90 by Wysong may be. There's some brands that are just as good as Epigen 90, but i don't recall what they all are. We have a chart somewhere with a whole bunch of brands and the protein and fat they have, plus first three ingredients. This generally helps decide what brand would fit your ferrets need plus what you can afford. The cheaper they are, the worse they are for your pets.
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Post by kissmyhorse on Jun 20, 2012 12:26:49 GMT -5
Boot camp really is the way to go. I've got my two boys in it now on the bottom level of their FN with no shelf. Both are doing great and I'm in no rush to add the shelf.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2012 14:10:37 GMT -5
Take your time with the bootcamp. No rush. I was in boot camp for 3 months with my crew. It served us REALLY well. I also find that separating different areas helped my kids. For example, bottom level has litter box and sleepy spots (hammocks, etc). The top is just one big feeding area. They rarely poop where they eat (only if I made someone mad ;D)
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2012 14:55:58 GMT -5
Take your time with the bootcamp. No rush. I was in boot camp for 3 months with my crew. It served us REALLY well. I also find that separating different areas helped my kids. For example, bottom level has litter box and sleepy spots (hammocks, etc). The top is just one big feeding area. They rarely poop where they eat (only if I made someone mad ;D) Mine are oddballs. Artemis will poop where the food is, but he won't poop where he sleeps. I had a very hard time litter training him in the cage and he's still a nightmare in the bedroom. I finally managed to cage train him by burying everything but the litter box under mounds of fleece. He's a very smart ferret- I know he knows where he is supposed to go, he just hates using the box. I'm thinking he may not like the feel of litter on his precious feet, poor little snowflake. Tough cookies buster, I'm tired of you ruining my carpet.  |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2012 15:07:57 GMT -5
what litter do you use? Sawdust stuff?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2012 15:30:31 GMT -5
what litter do you use? Sawdust stuff? Yeah the hardwood pellets. Everything else is WAY too expensive for how many ferrets/cages I have. |
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Post by Val on Jul 4, 2012 14:53:19 GMT -5
We are starting ferret boot camp today! I've zip tied the litter box to one corner. LOTS of bedding. Food bowl in a corner, water bowl in a corner, and toy in the last corner. We'll see how it goes!
Seems to be on the right track though thus far, they're at least sleeping in the bedding and not the litter pan!
*crosses fingers!!*
:-D
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Post by Sherry on Jul 4, 2012 15:20:29 GMT -5
Hey- that's a good start! Let us know how it goes |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 5, 2012 22:24:25 GMT -5
Has anyone ever heard of putting vanilla extract on the litter box? I read in an article that it makes them go in the box because they love the smell but not sure I trust it.  |
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Post by Sherry on Jul 5, 2012 23:22:05 GMT -5
The idea is to put the extract on the bedding by putting some in the rinse cycle. Once they associate the smell with a sleep area you can then put it where ever you DON'T want them pottying.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 6, 2012 2:01:27 GMT -5
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