Baby ferret potty issues

Question
Good Morning,
I recently purchased two baby ferrets who are about 7-8 weeks of age. I am having a few issues with them and I have tried many things and nothing is working. They will not use the potty box, they refuse. they will not go on news paper either. they also sleep in the potty box. I read that if you keep a lil bit of dirty litter in there they will not sleep in it because of the smell. This is not the case, they move it to the side and sleep in it anyways. The poop also stinks extremely bad. This was not a problem until just recently. I also read that ferret poop doesnt stink? If you have any tips that may help me with my babies i would appriciate it!  

Answer
Dear Bobbi Jo,
Thank you for your question... Litter training ferrets is a difficult task, but it is worth it in the end.
Ferrets become more reliable with the litter pan as they grow older, so since your ferrets are under a year old, they will potty outside the litter pan occasionally, sleep in it, and play in it... Most outgrow these behaviors. BUT they DO HAVE TO BE TAUGHT to use a litter pan, it is not instinctual. First: If you don't have a cage, get one. It is very important that your ferret have a cage to go to, to sleep, to eat, and to used the litter pan. It really helps with the training.
Now, the litter pan...  I always used a DISH pan, or a small litter pan for a cat. It is larger, and covers a larger area.  The best one to use is one that "butts" up against the cage walls. This will prevent him from pottying along side of the litter pan.Also, it has deeper larger sides, so if he plays and digs in it, it won't spray litter everywhere. I found the commercial "ferret" litter pans for "ferrets" to be too shallow, and are triangular in shape, so that it leaves a lot of room for accidents, and are too easy for the ferret to flip over.
Some ferrets are a pain with moving around the litter box, and flipping it, etc., in the cage. The litter box can be attached a couple of ways.  You can buy LARGE black clips at your nearest office supply store. called "Paper clamps." Buy the largest ones and clamp the litter box to the cage bars with one on each side. Now, the litter: I use Clay litter like "Tidy Cat," but a lot of people use "Yesterday's News" which is newspaper and more hypoallergenic. I personally like the odor control, so I use Tidy Cat. Don't use scoopable, because a lot of ferrets "snorkel" when they are young, (before they figure out the litter box) and scoopable could clog their nose and mouth.
Also,  you may need to decrease Their play area, for instance, confine them to one small room, with litter pans in most corners of the room. If he starts to "back up" into a non-acceptable area, pick him up and put him in the litter pan.  If your ferret are pottying in a remote corner of the room, first, clean that area thoroughly to remove all scent, and sometimes it helps to spray the area with vinegar (as a deterrent). If she consistently uses one corner, put a pan there, and anchor it down so she cannot move it.
I used to have to teach mine to go potty before they left the cage to play, and it takes a lot of patience, with a ferret staring at you for 15 minutes waiting for you to let him out of the cage, and me saying "GO POTTY!!" FINALLY he would go!! Then they eventually learned "If I go potty, I get out to play," ... so that's your best bet, is to make sure he goes potty before you let him out of him cage to play.They always go potty right after their nap. So this is a great time to teach them.

The most important is to retrain them to use the litter pan IN THEIR CAGE every chance you get. For instance, and you notice him going to that corner to go potty, stop him (BEFORE he gets to the corner and "backs up" to go potty), with a firm "NO,"  and put him down in the litter pan IN HIS CAGE. And then you will have the "climb out, put him back" scenario again for a few minutes, and then eventually, he will go potty in the cage litter box, then the treat. Eventually, with patience, he will learn to use the litter box in his cage. Also, again, I emphasize his using the litter box before he is allowed out to play, and then again after eating, napping etc.
Also, a younger ferret will have to "go" more than an older ferret. Once he gets older than a year old, he will be very much easier to train to use the litter pan in her cage. When ferrets are young, they tend to go all the time, just like a puppy, so it is harder to "gage" when they need to go. Usually ferrets over a year old are more reliable about using the litter pan before they come out to play.

As far as their stools having a bad smell, they WILL have a pungent odor. But this is fairly easily remedied:  Check your ferret food. If your food has "fish oil" or "fish meal" it will tend to make your ferrets stools much more frequent and oily, and they will have a pungent odor. You may want to switch to a good quality cat/kitten food with poultry as the main ingredient, and one that does NOT contain fish oil. Nutro Holistic is a good cat/kitten food, but not fish flavor. Chicken would be best. But since they are young, a good quality kitten food would be best until they are about 6 months old, then graduate them to the cat food. Also, give them a couple of drops of Ferretone each week. Just a couple of drops on your finger.
Also, since these are your first ferrets, A GREAT A very good book is
"Ferrets for Dummies" by Kim Shilling. I highly recommend you read it, because it will help you with nipping training, and litter training, and the like.
Let me know if you have any more questions!
Good luck with your new babies!
amy