Training Your Ferret To Use The Litter Box
Ferrets are very loyal and loving little critters, but you will have to litter train them, as when need to go, they have go - if you get my drift! Ferret litter training is actually very easy, once you know their natural habits.
First of all, you need to give your ferret access to open litter boxes - don’t get one with a cover!
The two best types of litter that you can get for your ferret is clumping litter or wood chip litter, both available from places where you buy cat supplies. You only need to cover the bottom of the litter tray with litter, don’t fill it up as you would for a cat.
Young ferrets are playful little mites and may start of thinking that the litter tray is their new playground! Don’t worry if your ferret does this, because as soon as it realizes what the litter tray is for - it will stop playing in it.
You may have noticed I mentioned litter trays in the plural earlier, this is because you are likely to need more than one! One will need to put in your ferret’s cage, and others will need to be strategically placed in corners of rooms, where your ferret roams free. Ferrets naturally go into to corners when they need to ‘go’.
You will know what your ferret is planning to do when he goes to a corner, because they will not walk straight up to it, but back into the corner. Ferrets do not dig a hole, or bury their messes, like cats do, so you will need to replace the litter on at least a daily basis, to keep smells at bay.
Now you know to look out for your ferret reversing into the corner, when it does it, pick the ferret up and pop them into the litter tray. Your ferret is an intelligent little critter, and will soon associate the litter tray with where it needs to ‘go’, and it will actively seek it out.
You must never tell off or discipline your ferret, if it does its business in the wrong place, because the sensitive little souls will think that them relieving themselves, is what angers you, resulting in them worrying that they will anger you every time they need to go about their business.
Another great hint in teaching your ferret use the litter tray is learning when your ferret is likely to need to ‘go’. When a ferret first wakes up, they will need to relieve themselves, so while you are training them, you need to put them in the litter tray, as soon as they wake up. The next trick is to keep them there until they have relieved themselves.
Ferrets have little digestive systems so what goes in (food or water) will come out relatively fast. So after it has ingested anything make sure there is a littler tray on hand nearby. A lot of excitement can also make a ferret want to go, but do not worry too much after just general playing.
As your ferret is very intelligent, the process of litter training should not take very long at all - just a few days. Your ferret will soon learn what a litter tray is for, and where it is expected to go, if it needs to relieve itself.
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