I have a ferret and ive been trying to potty train him for about a year. im unsuccessful, any ideas?

Question

he poops in the floor whn hes out and is very stubborn but i give him lots of love .. i dont spank him because i read not to do that in many books and other sources. help!

Answer 1

Give up, or just let him p**p in his cage and then clean it up like a normal person...

Answer 2

ferrets in general aren't as careful about where they go potty as cats are, so don't expect him to be as well litter-trained as one. some are very easy to train and have excellent habits when it comes to where they go...some couldn't care less and will just go where they want no matter how much you try to show them otherwise. i've had ferrets at each end of the cleanliness scale, and while it would be nice if they were all as clean about this as one of mine was, it's just not going to happen. there are a few things you can do to help them focus on better habits, but you may just have one of those ferrets who isn't as fastidious about his bathroom habits. i don't know what you have and haven't tried, so i'll rattle off what's worked for me.

• discipline doesn't really work well with ferrets. they have the attention span of lime jell-o and don't usually understand what it is that's making you spaz out. so no punishment like spanking or rubbing their nose in it will work on them. being proactive and doing things to halt the behavior before it starts works best, so do what you can to prevent it from happening in the first place rather than trying to show him what he's doing wrong after.

• make sure he has time awake in the cage before letting him out. if you are waking him up to play, let him be in the cage for a good 10-15 mins before actually opening the door. this will give him time to realize he may need to go. if he's already awake when want to get him out, try putting him in the litter box a few times before letting him out.

• have several litter boxes available in the room he's playing in when he's out. they generally like corners, so put one in each corner to see if he'll go for it rather than the floor. limit the space he is playing in or make sure each room has several boxes available. with their speedy metabolisms, food goes thru these guys fast. that means that when he feels the urge to go, he has to go NOW. there is little time for him to wander around back to the cage to go potty.

• keep an eye on him at all times when he's out...see if you notice any particular signs that he's about to go. sometimes they'll start sniffing the floor intently, sometimes they'll start backing into a corner, see if he does anything consistently each time he's about to go, then interrupt it. if you see he's starting to do that, then pick him up & pop him in a nearby box. (don't swoop down on him screeching NO, since that will likely just surprise him, causing him to nip, and scaring the mess right out of him anyway, lol. just get him quickly and carefully.)

• keep the litter boxes very clean and use a light cleaner. some ferrets don't like messes and will avoid a box if it's too dirty or has a strong cleaning solution smell to it.

• if the worst happens and he goes on the floor, let a solid mess dry a little before cleaning it up. it will be easier to get off the floor and will cause less mess if it's allowed to sit for a little bit. then use a good enzyme-breaker to lean the area so he doesn't associate it with where he's supposed to go. Nature's Miracle works well for this.

good luck with him. like i said, some ferrets just aren't as careful about where they do their business as others, so you may have to resign yourself to having a messy pet. it's a good thing they're so darn  cute...it helps make up for the frustrating moments. :-)