Experienced ferret owners only, please!?

Question

I adopted a ferret a year ago from a friend. The ferret was already litter trained when I received her. The ferret is now approximately 4 yrs old. I'd like to know, is it too late to teach her? Is she too old to be trained?

By training I mean, can I teach her where places are off limits without baraccading, blocking, etc? She likes to sleep inside my couch. At first I was ok with this until I discovered she wasnt always coming out in time to go potty. Now I can't break her from the desire to get inside the couch.

My couch has is slipcovered and she knows how to get inside the slip cover and between the cushions. There is a hole in the back of the sofa that she uses to enter the inside of the couch that I have been unsuccessful in patching to prevent her entry.

If no method of training possible, do you think upholstery tape will work to seal the slip cover to the upholstery of the sofa? It's a big job, but I don't know what else to try.

Answer 1

hey i had the same problem. What i did was i taped it off and on the bottom of the couch i put wood there. it is alot of work but it did work. and it is never to late to teach a ferret somthing.... but it is hard as they get older.

Answer 2

Unfortunately, owning ferrets for many years, I can tell you that this is an impossible feet.  You, as the owner, must take measures to 'ferret-proof' your home.  

Here is a good site to check out:  http://www.ferretuniverse.com  There are ferret-proofing tips here as well as other important information you should be privy to.

Your best bet is to keep your ferret confined to one room.  A spare room would be perfect.  If you opt for a bedroom keep in mind that your ferret will want to snuggle up in dresser drawers and may even possibly get into your mattress and/or box spring.  This is where you have to make the decision on what gets ruined and what doesn't and ultimately what is safest for your pet.

Answer 3

ferrets are the c**k roaches of the mammal world. they can get into almost any sized hole 50. cent pieces or bigger, plus they can chew holes in upholstery easily. it will be very hard to break that ferret from going in that couch now that she is accustomed to doing it especially if she has marked as you say. tape will not work, they are very intelligent and they will chew right through it or tear it off. i would get another couch, it sounds like you need another anyway from what you describe, just make sure it is one with no big cavity in the back. also try playing with the ferret in a different area in the house and keep her on a schedule. do not give her the run of the house un supervised. after you are done playing put her back into the cage. hope this helps.