Litter question

Question
Hi, I recently saw someone on here advising not to use the clumping clay for litter and I was wondering what I can use. I was using Mimi litter, which is crystal litter for cats. I ran out and bought clumping cat litter most recently and as much as I like it, I will dump it out right now if it is harming my ferrets.
My question is, is it okay to go back to the Mimi litter (I don't know if you've ever heard of it...?) , or if not, what would you recommend? Specific brands if you have any favorites?

Answer
Hello Mimi, and thank you for your concern about your ferrets.

We only recommend recycled newspaper litter or wood stove pellets. There is just about complete unanimity on this point within the ferret shelter world. If you check out the various ferret books (Ferrets For Dummies, The Simple Guide To Ferrets, etc.), you'll see that they all recommend recycled newspaper litter. Wood stove pellets are fine too and some shelters in rural areas use them because they cost next to nothing. Clay litter for cats is unacceptable for ferrets for a variety of reasons, although you will see municipal animal shelters use it because it's cheap, very easy to dump out and clean up after, and because the ferrets are rarely there more than a few weeks. But they really shouldn't be using it.  :)

The two brands that are readily available are Yesterday's News and Marshall's. They come in 10 lb. bags. However, I recommend you get the cat version of Yesterday's News. It's softer and "crumblier" than the ferret version, but I've never encountered a ferret who cared about the difference, and the cat version is a lot cheaper, especially if you buy it in bulk (I believe it comes in 20 lb. bags - check with your local animal supply store or online at places like www.theferretstore.com and www.petsmart.com).

Good luck,
DG