Have you ever potty trained a pet, such as a dog? How about a ferret? Some people somehow manage it easily, but my personal experience is different – ferrets aren’t very easy to handle at all. You need to have patience and consistency to get your ferret in the habit of going to the litter box. For most people, it is tougher than they first think, and if your pet ferret is especially stubborn, you are going to have extra difficulty when attempting to potty train it.
Before you start attempting to potty train a stubborn ferret, though, you first need to know why a ferret doesn’t naturally use a litter box.
Ferrets aren’t like kittens. Kittens are quite smart and comprehend how to use their litter boxes. However, ferrets normally don’t even know what a litter box is about. That’s why they have a problem with using one.
So, how do you start potty training a stubborn ferret?
Your first job is to teach them which spot is their poop area. Before this, ferrets will have no idea what the litter box is, and may even use it as an area for playing.
One of the best things you can do is to clean their entire cage but not the litter box. Even if their litter box is clean while you are cleaning their cage, put the fresh or used litter on the top of the litter box. When you keep on doing that for weeks, they start understanding where to go to the bathroom. They start using the litter box for litter instead of using it as a toy.
Ferrets don’t like to cover their litter like cats or dogs; it is not in their nature. This means their pee and poop will remain exposed, and they comfortably use the same dirty place again for littering. So you must ensure that you are using a very small amount of litter on top of their box so that they remember to use it and don’t simply start playing with it.
Stubborn ferrets are influenced by this method also. If you keep on showing them where their poop is, these hints about their litter spot will eventually get through to them.
Fortunately, after this main step, it is not as difficult.
A ferret is a latrine animal. If they see their litter on a specific spot time and time again, they don’t want to play in that area and use that for the waste only.
Using this one method can solve the ferret potty training problem.
Other Methods to Potty Train your Stubborn Ferret
But there are some other methods too that you can try to potty train your stubborn ferret. The below methods are also important because some ferrets have unusual personalities; you have to try more than one method with them to figure out which method they love and pick quickly.
- Place litter box(es) in those spots which ferret love to use for waste over and over again. As an owner, you must have a pretty good idea of which spots are mostly used for littering.
- Use the rise and shine method; it works quite well with most ferrets. When you see your pet waking from a nap, physically place him in the cage waste box. There is a possibility he may walk out, but the idea is to put him back there again until he has successfully ‘gone’ in the box. Do this for about a week, and he will learn to use this designated area each time.
- When you see him relieving in the box, it is time to give him a treat. This method is known as ‘Positive Reinforcement‘. This helps them know they have done the right thing.
Keep in mind, no ferret is a hundred percent trained.
Ferret Accidents
Even a well-trained ferret can have temporary accidents out of the box. This shouldn’t worry you at all. It often happens when they are under stress, because of healing issues, changing of the food, or loss of a companion. These situations affect their state of mind and bathroom behaviors.
Let’s say your ferret has an accident and he doesn’t use the box.
It is time for you to be patient and take him back to his litter box to remind him where he needs to go for waste.
In some unusual situations, a well-trained ferret can keep on going in the same spot and won’t use the litter box at all.
This means they want to change something and they are not comfortable with their waste box. You can either clean the waste box or buy a new one and put it there where they go for littering.
Why does my ferret sleep in the litter box?
This is actually very common and you shouldn’t feel any cause for concern. These pets like to have a quiet, dark place for sleep. A litter box looks to them differently and quite like a hammock. It has high walls and a high hip in the front that gives a sense of a bed. At first, it may be more comfortable for your pet ferret to do this.
But once you provide a good place to sleep, like a hammock, and potty train them well, they will stop using it for sleep. It can go back to being only a toilet, which will surely put your mind at ease as well.
Why is it so important to clean the accidents quickly?
This is important because you don’t want to give them the impression that they can use the same accidental spot again for relieving themselves.
After an accident, if you don’t clean it and allow the scents to remain, your ferret is more likely to evacuate its bowels there again. Ferrets feel a dirty or smelly spot is the right area to eliminate, and will develop a habit quickly at times. Furthermore, it is often out of the cage where these accidents occur, and since they don’t want to make their cage dirty, they adopt the scene of their crime as their new lavatory.
To prevent this, your main job is to be aware of where and when your pet ferret does go to the bathroom, and then clean up the accidents as soon as possible. Ensure that no stains are left. It is also good to thoroughly deodorize the area and spray something like apple or lemon on it because ferrets don’t like these smells.
Conclusion
Lastly, we want to highlight one important thing here.
People often use only one litter box in the cage and expect their ferret to eliminate on that. Especially when dealing with a stubborn pet ferret that you have yet to potty train, this is not a good strategy. It may even invite many unnecessary accidents. Ferrets spend a significant amount of the day outside of their cage and they love to play a lot in different rooms. If you want to potty train them well, and prevent accidents, I highly recommend placing a litter box in every room your ferret has access to.
Once they start associating the litter box with waste, no matter in which room they are, they always use the litter box for their pile of poop.
If you’re having other issues with your pet ferret, such as itchy skin or other odor issues, we’ve got you covered.