From:
Christopher
Date: 2001-06-01 05:34:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Pooping Problems
--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., Americangirle3@a... wrote:
> My kids, are 2 1/2 Years (male; Kujo) 8 months (female; Kodi) and 5
months
> (female; Klaire). And I really, really need to know how I can make
them poop
> in the litter box. My room is smelling sooo bad. I think I have
been using
> a whole bottle of Febreeze about every week. I mean what can I
do? I love
> my babies, and they have been able to run as they please, but they
are just
> not catching on to the potty training tricks... Please help.
>
<snip>
First, get rid of the febreeze. It's been observed by members of this
list and on other lists and in my house. Some ferrets are drawn to
febreeze sprayed fabric as a place to poop and dig. Of my six, 4
ignore febreeze..... two see it as an invitation.
Second, get a cage. If you want to be free roam when your babies are
potty trained that is terrific. Until they are potty trained your
best tool is to limit the space they have access to. Fill the cage
with nice soft ferret bedding and a litter pan. Keep the pan and the
bedding very clean. When the babies are out of the cage keep a sharp
eye out. I've found that scolding is just ignored, so why bother.
Better to catch them in the act of backing into a wrong corner..
relocate them immediately to the litter pan, lavish love and praise
the minute the job is done and they have all four feet out of the
litter pan. Angel was particularly difficult to litter train, most
ferrets won't go where they eat or sleep. So I used tshirts that I
had worn (dirty stinky tshirts cause they smelled like me) in every
corner of the cage. I at one time had four food bowls of food in
various places in the cage he had chosen instead of the litterpan..
eventually he had no where to go but the litter pan. That reinforced
by my eagle eye when he was out and about did the trick.
Puppy, kitten, ferret, anything you pick up on litter training any
animal just about, starts out with limiting the area they have access
to... it just logically gives you more you can control and less that
is beyond your control.
Hope some of this helps
Christopher.