Litter Training nightmare

Question
I have had my ferret for about a month now. I have read several articles on the Internet about how to litter train ferrets. So far NO LUCK!!! My ferret seems to absolutely not want to use her litter pan. I have her litter pan in her cage and she uses every corner but the litter pan. I have tried covering all the corners with bedding and food and water, but she still refuses to use the litter pan. I cleaned out her cage and rearranged everything, and even put a small amount of her feces in the litter pan, and she preferred to use her food bowl as a litter pan. I can't seem to train her. Every time I put her in the litter pan when she wakes up, she refuses to go, so I just let her out to play, and then about 20 minutes later she has picked a random corner to go. I do not know how I can begin to train her, when she refuses to use the litter pan. Should I buy a larger pan? I could really use some advice as to how to train, since all my corners are getting ruined! As well, is there anything I can put on the corners she has already used to cover up the smell so she will not use them again?

Thank you,

Stephanie

Answer
Hello Stephanie!  It's so very difficult to litter train ferrets, but there are several things to try.  

First of all, positive reinforcement is the best method.  Use a treat and praise whenever she uses the box correctly.  She will eventually link the behavior with a treat and be more likely to do so in the future.  

There are other things that may help.  Perhaps she does not like the litter?  The best one I have found is called "Yesterday's News".  These pellets are absorbent and nontoxic and readily available in most pet stores.  

Here is more information on the product:
http://www.yesterdaysnews.com/

Remember, never use clay-based cat litter.  These can cause serious upper-respiratory problems.  Also, do not use any form of wood chips or care-fresh.  Some wood chips contain toxic chemicals and care fresh can be ingested and cause obstructions!!

You are correct, a larger litter box may help as well.  You can purchase medium sized cat boxes in most pet stores or look around for an appropriate plastic container.  Make sure the sides are not too tall, or she will have difficulty getting in/out of the box!  

It is also a good idea to sanitize the other areas in her cage to prevent her from smelling her urine there.  You can use very dilute warm bleach (about 1:30 mixture with water - so that the bleach is no longer "slimy" to the touch) or a product called "Nature's Miracle".  Both of these will work well in neutralizing and removing the scent.  Nature's Miracle can be found in most pet stores and is completely pet-safe.

More information:
http://www.companionschoice.co.uk/product_details_410.htm

One thing to remember is once you have her successfully using the litter box, clean it on a regular basis! Most ferrets will only use relatively clean boxes, and will go elsewhere if they feel it is too soiled!  This is very important in keeping her litter-box trained.  NEVER use Lysol or other such cleaners.  These can be VERY harmful.  Stick with nature's miracle or dilute bleach.

Below is perhaps the best online-manual I have found.  It contains plenty of information for new owners from diet to diseases.  There is a great section on potty-training your youngin'!

http://www.thechipster.com/fert-man.html

I hope this helps solve your problem!  Keep at it, and eventually she will learn.

-Cindy P.