Problems litter-training

Question
I've been having troubles trying to get my ferret to use his litter box.  We got
him about 4 months ago when he was 6 weeks old.  We've tried everything for
him - from putting a tiny bit of poop in his box so he knows where to go to
cutting the edge down on the side of his litterbox because he would have
trouble backing into it when he would seldom use it.  We even tried laying just
litter down in a corner but to no avail.  We've given him treats when he does
do good and let him out to play, but when he doesn't we don't let him out  
hoping that he will associate using his box to having some freedom.  We still
can't get him to use it properly though and if we put it in the corner he's
using, he will switch corners of his cage where he goes to the bathroom.  We
even tried to put him with our friends ferret who is successfully litter trained
in hopes that he will learn from her because I know in the pet store when
they had older ferrets left with the younger ferrets the younger ones would
learn from them, but no matter how hard we tried they just wouldn't get
along.
This is my first ferret so I'm trying to love and care for him the best I can.  I
feel like I've tried everything to the best of my abilities though, but maybe
you have some suggestions.  They would be greatly appreciated, and thank
you in advance.  =]

Answer
Hi Chrissy:

So sorry to hear you're having problems with litter training your little guy. Four months is a long time to be trying to train him and I'm sure you are frustrated. Keeping him in his cage for punishment will only cause MORE problems and in more areas than just litterbox training. In this first year of his life, it's so very important for him to learn all kinds of things that require him to be OUT of the cage and interracting with people. Hopefully we can get his situation remedied quickly.

Please, let me assure you - that little ferret has NO IDEA why you are not letting him out of his cage.  Your litterbox training method for ferrets make as much sense as putting ONE diaper on a newborn baby thinking if you don't change the diaper the child will stop pooping in his pants - "Surely he'll get sick of the mess & figure out how the toilet works eventually!"  Ferrets are SMART, but be reasonable -

If you look at this from his viewpoint....his day probably goes pretty much like this:  "MOMMY!! MOMMY....no??" <sad>...sleep...."MOMMY HOME!!! MOMMY MOMMY!!!??? MOMMY HERE!! MOMMY??...no?..please?..no..<sad>.....sleep...."MOMMY PLAY..MOMMY PLAY!! MOMMY!! MOMm...<sad>....sleep...Momm..no?..<sad>.....<darkness - nighttime>....<light outside...new day>...."MOMMY!! MOMMY!! MOMMY SEE ME?? MOMMY COME PLAY NOW??  SEE ME PLAY??? C'MON MOMMY? PLAY? no?...<sad>...sleep....etc....day after day after day - light after dark; nobody to break the boredom. He sees the family come and go, he hears laughter, but he's not part of it; he hopes and hopes and hopes some more that today will be different. He was 6-WEEKS old when you brought him home...from a place where he had other ferrets to play with all day and all night.  NOW, he has been IN YOUR HOME FOR THREE TIMES LONGER THAN THAT...3/4 of this little guy's life has been at your house WAITING and wondering if you were going to come play with him - wondering WHY and IF maybe today would be the day. I'm sorry, but that makes me want to cry. I hope & pray THIS is your wake up call.  I've had ferrets from kits to oldsters and let me assure you, when my ferrets have reached old age and the end is near, there is NO AMOUNT Of crying, begging or pleading that can get back even ONE DAY of healthy life for that ferret. ONE DAY to play ferret-y games, to run an slide and hop and giggle. It is THEN that you really really realize the value of ONE DAY in a ferret's life. Please trust me when I tell you that you really really should NOT waste even one more hour of this little guy's life. If you cannot/will not give him a loving home where he can get out to play EVERY DAY, then please give him to your friend or to someone who WILL play with him or at least where there are other ferrets for him to interract with. As it is, YOU are his whole world....and yet you shut him out and go about your life as if it's no big deal.  THIS is all the life he gets.....

All ferrets understand is PLAY, FOOD/DRINK, LOVE and SAD/BOREDOM/PAIN. I link sad, boredom and pain together because for a ferret, to be sad or bored is PAINFUL and will shorten a ferret's life! Their time on this earth is already so very short.  So, I BEG YOU - please....whatever you do, please don't leave this little guy in his cage anymore? If you are not willing to do what it takes to litterbox train him - HANDS ON for AT LEAST 3 HRS A DAY - HE WILL NOT TRAIN HIMSELF - then please give him to someone who will? He has time he needs to make up for already and he's just a little guy - please don't let any more of this little guy's life pass by.....I beg of you.

Okay, now that I've gotten you angry at me, I will try to help you know WHAT to do to help this little guy use the litterbox MORE OFTEN - no guarantees he will EVER be anywhere close to 'always'.  There is always the possibility that your ferret is deaf or working with other handicaps. Has he had a thorough vet checkup and all his vaccinations completed?  If not, I hope you'll get him in and complete those. If he has health problems, it will definitely make learning more difficult.

IN THE CAGE:  Since you've already had him blocked in the cage so much, I'm not sure what you've tried. For this to work, you must keep the cage IMMACULATELY CLEAN. Have separate eating/drinking, potty, and playing/sleeping areas. For the IN THE CAGE LITTERBOX TRAINING you will put CLEAN bedding (preferrably flannel baby receiving blankets - from any thrift store very reasonably priced) or you can even use cotton t-shirts or soft towels he would like to lay on/snuggle down into. With summer coming on, you will want to use lightweight fabrics inside the cage.  Remember this one fact: A FERRET WILL NOT PEE/POOP IN HIS BEDDING as long as the cage is clean. If he his used to a dirty cage, he is already used to sleeping in stinky bedding, so this might not be as effective - you MUST keep the cage clean for this to work. The ONLY stinky/poopy area MUST BE THE LITTERBOX for this to work.  You will cover all other surfaces with CLEAN BEDDING & TOYS....a ferret will NOT poop in clean bedding/toys/food (unless he is used to a filthy cage; in which case you must clean the cage thoroughly first, THEN put blankies/toys/food dishes where you don't want him to potty).He can have 3 or 4 little food bowls if necessary - it's only temporary. As soon as he gets used to using the litterbox (we don't care WHY he goes in in the beginning, just that he DOES), you can change back later.

REGARDLESS OF HOW HE DOES IN THE CAGE, he ALWAYS gets a MINIMUM Of 3-4 HOURS out to play EVERY DAY/NIGHT). You can break this up into two 2-hr playtimes; I think most folks do that because the fuzzies poop out after a couple of hours. They NEED to be out running, rolling around, chasing balls, climbing the couch and running thru clear plastic dryer flex-hose, have hard plastic balls with bells inside to chase; have a well=fitted "H" type harness with quick-release plastic closures and a lightweight leash so he can get outside AS LONG AS THE TEMPERATURE IS UNDER 80 degrees. Anything over 80-degrees and the ferret MUST go into an air conditioned environment (this includes in your home for the summer; ferrets cannot tolerate heat and will die at temperatures over 80 degrees). Have enough litterboxes around that he's never more than 6 feet from one - and ALWAYS keep your eye on him; you can easily and quickly pick him up, place him into the closest litterbox and say "GOOD BOY!" as soon as you see that he's starting to back up......turn it into A POSITIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCE - not a negative one.

Here's a great link with some more tips about litterbox training:  http://www.ferretcentral.org/for-others/litter2.html

I would also STRONGLY recommend the book: FERRETS FOR DUMMIES by Kim Schilling - it's every ferret owner's guide to how we can best take care of our little guys. EVERY ferret owner should have one of these and read it cover to cover. There is lots to be learned here, even for the experienced ferret owner.

START HERE FOR 'OUTSIDE THE CAGE' LITTERBOX TRAINING: Should start in a small room like the bathroom. Sit in there  WITH HIM and with a litterbox. PLAY, roll the ball, let him chase it, get a towel and let him wrestle it, roll him around, give him mini-magic carpet rides, etc. ANYTIME YOU SEE HIM BACKING UP.......gently put him in the litterbox - keep your hand on him and say "GOOD BOY - POTTY GOOD BOY!" Keep saying this until 1...he potties at which time you go into FULL BLOWN "GOOD BOY!!! YAYY GOOD BOY!!"  or he wiggles away and decides he doesn't need to go right now after all.  If you sit in there with him for two hours twice a day for just a couple days - he WILL BE TRAINED and probably WAAAAY sooner than that.  If you had done it when he was a kit, I would have said he would be trained in a day, but since you've basically been punishing/neglecting him for the past four months, he just may not be very receptive to learning. You MUST treat him well, be nice and kind and sweet to him IF you want this to work. Nobody can tell you whether it will tke an hour our 3 days....but I'm guessing it will be closer to 1 hour than 3 days.

After you have done this (placed him in the litterbox and told him 'good boy' a few times and had him actually follow that by going potty IN the box...followed by LOTS of fanfare and 'good boy' talk and hugs and kisses), you will be ready to graduate to a SMALL ROOM (a small bedroom is okay). BE SURE THIS ROOM IS FERRETPROOFED BEFORE YOU TAKE THE FERRET IN! NEVER let your ferret play in a room that's not ferretproofed; there are just too many dangers in a 'normal' room that can kill a ferret. YES, it is going to take a bit of effort, but it MUST be done before he can play safely. Here are some great links on ferretproofing:

FERRETPROOFING (do this BEFORE bringing a ferret home if possible):  
* http://www.ferretcentral.org/faq/part2.html#ferretproofing
* http://groups.msn.com/Ferret/yourwebpage10.msnw
* http://groups.msn.com/Ferret/ferretproofing2.msnw

In this room, you will need to place THREE LITTERBOXES, AND you will need to be IN THERE WITH HIM TO WATCH HIM AND PLAY WITH HIM. If you see him backing up, immediately and gently scoop him up, start telling him what a good boy he his and gently put his bottom in the litterbox and keep your hand GENTLY on him. If he struggles to get loose, release him. If he potties, again, give him the 'crazies praisies' (good boy! what a good boy you are! woo hoo good boy!! etc)

Any time the ferret goes into a larger room (with more litterboxes) and is NOT compliant with litterbox use, GO BACK to the smaller room UNTIL HE IS USING THE LITTERBOX ON HIS OWN IN THE SMALLER ROOM - go all the way back to the bathroom if you need to; it's IMPERATIVE that you NOT LOSE YOUR TEMPER and that all positive behavior be REINFORCED with positive feedback (good boy!! etc) and maybe even a small treat if you have one that has NO SUGAR and is healthy like Totally Ferret or just dried chicken bits. (NEVER anything with sugar or fruits/veggies or other people food ...EXCEPT meat - no spices - or eggs)

The ONLY chance a ferret has to adapt well is to build a really close bond with him (so he will WANT to please you) - POSITIVE reinforcement rather than negative. Unfortunately that's the exact thing that has NOT happened in the past, so you've no doubt made your job more difficult; I hope you will take this one last chance to save this little guy and put forth the energy and time required to turn this situation around. He's still young enough to learn, but it is going to take some HANDS ON love - rather than 'hands off'.  'Hands off' works just like neglect does.....not at all

REALLY ANXIOUS TO SEE RESULTS?? Want in on a real secret? You will need a well-fitted harness(try it in the house before using it outside - I've more than once had to quickly lift my ferret by his leash/harness out of the way of an oncoming dog, so do be careful) and leash, a zip baggie of his dry kibble food, a little container of fresh water.  YOU WILL BE KEEPING THE FERRET WITH YOU ALL DAY.....ALL DAY.  No matter where you go or what you do, take the ferret with you. You may want to get a large mesh handbag with zipper top (that's what I use anyway) and see-thru sides (and air can circulate too) so you don't actually have to hold him every second, i.e. while YOU're in the bathroom... he even goes in there WITH YOU.  I do this with my new ferrets to quickly form a bond with them. Don't let others hold the ferret - just YOU until the bonding time is completed - at least a couple of days. After just a couple days of this, the bond is inseparable and they want to please you (IF they are getting enough attention and time out of the cage; ANY ferret who doesn't get enough attention or OUT time from the cage will exhibit problem behavior - this is normal! I learn by having them with me all day, what their silent 'clues' are that they need to go potty, when they are hungry, when they are thirsty, etc. They usually wiggle around frantically wanting to be put down on the ground if they have to go potty. I've even taken my ferrets to work with me - your ferret WILL stay on your lap with just a little getting used to it. He'd rather be with you than home alone. When they wiggle, I take them outside, on a leash/harness ONLY - and let them sniff around in the grass just as I would with a dog. They usually choose a place like the side of a building and back into it (just as if it were in their own litterbox at home) to potty. I've been in such UNconvenient places that the only "wall" was the curb on the street LOL.  The really really important thing is to keep the ferret with you ALL DAY - eat with the ferret on your lap. Let him eat his kibbles from your hand. Don't forget to offer him food at least 3-4 times during the day and water every few hours. There just is NO feeling so wonderful as when the little one, finally completely confident and totally exhausted, leans up against your chest and his little chin gets heavy as his eyes close in slumber. It's the BEST feeling in the world. They are like kids - they will fight sleep as long as possible.

I hope you will give the 'taking your ferret EVERYWHERE with you' for a day (or more) a chance. I can't even begin to explain how awesome it is. You and your ferret will experience the ULTIMATE in bonding. You WILL definitely notice a difference in his behavior - he will be 'plugged in' to you and be anxious to please you.  Just do remember - that ferrets aren't mind readers, okay?  ANYTIME you are having a behavioral problem of ANY kind with a ferret, it can ALWAYS be fixed WITH MORE TIME and MORE LOVE - not less....never ever less.

Hope that helps.....sorry if I was a bit harsh on you. Thinking of that poor little guy as a young kit being kept in a cage day after day just struck me wrong. No doubt many other ferrets I've heard about are kept in their cages too much too - you were painfully honest, I suppose...so I should not be angry at you for your honesty. I do apologize - I hope you will someday understand fully what it is I'm trying so hard to help you learn.

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers