Stopped using litter box

Question
I have an adult ferret. I don't know for sure how old, no more   than a year and a half. He is on bio-odor which is suppose to help his smell but he's been on basically since the time he's came home. We've had him since August and just this last month he stopped using his litter box and started sleeping in it. We've moved the litter box into his new spots but he just finds a new spot. I put more litter boxes in his cage and he doesn't stop. I put his poop in his box and he stopped sleeping in his box but he still won't poop in the box. Let me know what you think I should do.

Answer
Hi Kimberly:

My first concern is that *something* is different than when you first got him.  Many ferrets get lots of attention when they are new and a novelty, but as the novelty wears off, they find themselves sitting in their cage too much and aren't spending enough time with their people.  This would definitely cause him to try to get your attention (his way of saying *something is wrong, mommy* to you.

The other thing - does he have a nice bed to sleep in?  Lots of soft baby blankets, tshirts, or even a small fleece blanket are great, especially in the wintertime. Ferrets LOVE a cozy bed, even in the summer - just use lighter weight fabrics and save sweatshirts and fleece for wintertime.

I would recommend that you cover all the areas around the litterbox with soft blankies and fluff them up like cozy bedding. Be sure theh previous pee and poops are well cleaned up, then put blankies in all the areas that he is currently pooping in.  Again, put a little poop in the litterbox so he continues to understand that is where they go. A ferret won't mess in his bedding, so if you cover all the places other than his litterbox with bedding, then it leaves him only the *right* place to go potty.

Since he's probably trying to send you a 'something's wrong' message, examine what has changed in the past few months that may be upsetting him. Spend more time with him - at least 2 to 3 hours every day with one-on-one supervised playtime. The more time you spend with him, the more anxious he will be to please you, so any behavior problem should always be answered with spending more time with him.

I wonder why you are using the Bi-Odor?  Have you tasted it?  I have and it's not good.  I suppose if the only water I could get to had it in it, then I'd drink it, but certainly wouldn't choose to drink it.  If your ferret has an odor (all ferrets have *mild* musky odor) you find offensive, the best secret is to change his bedding often, wash his toys often and keep the litterbox cleaned - especially be sure you are removing ALL litter that is wet (then replace removed litter with clean, dry litter). If you scoop the litterbox every morning and every night, change blankies at least once a week, and keep the toys clean, you will notice there is really no odor in a room with a ferret in it.  Bathing a ferret is usually counter-productive, as it makes them secrete more oils to try to keep their fur shiny.

The other thing that could cause a stinky ferret is food. You should be feeding a premium ferret food like Totally Ferret.  People who feed cat foods (and even dog foods! Blah!!) have ferrets who have a worse odor.....and in the long run they won't save any money by feeding cheap food. They will just pay it about 10 times over to the vet instead of just feeding the ferret well in the beginning.

Always be sure your ferret has clean, fresh water. If you give it to him in a bowl, be sure to freshen it twice a day (rinse the bowl and refill with fresh water).  If he uses a bottle, keep the bottle really clean and be sure to change the water at least every other day. Ferrets usually really appreciate a bowl of water; and only use the bottle so they have drinking water in case they spill the bowl - a bottle is a great 'back up' water source.

If you do all these things - including stop using the Bi-Odor - I think your ferret will be very happy, healthy and really won't stink.  I have my ferrets in the livingroom and people can sit on my couch - 4 feet from the ferret cage - and sometimes don't even notice that I have ferrets in there!  They are surprised when they ask and I say 'ferrets'.....they always reply "I always thought ferrets stink!"  It will work just as well for you as it does for me.  Same with the litterbox - it has worked for me for many years.

Best of luck - hugs to your little guy!  It sounds like he has a good mommy and that will help him live a long, healthy life! :-)

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers