Litter and Litter Box Training

It is so cool to see newborns at about 3 weeks. With eyes-closed, they will back away from the mom, instinctively backing into a corner to go. So for the most part ferrets teach themselves and usually always seek out a corner. Therefore place litter pans in corners. A high-backed litter pan will keep your ferret from decorating your walls.

Now once in a while you get a fuzzy that just breaks all the rules and insists on doing it their way. It they go in a corner where you do not have a litter pan, reconfigure the corner so that it is no longer a corner. Put a rock or a piece of pvc in the corner; use your imagination, just make it safe and “not” functional for them to use as their depository. A ferret has to poo when they wake up. So if you want to assist him in his training, upon waking him immediately place him in the litter pan and keep him there until he goes. This repeated, creates a habit that will make you both happy.

Litter - Let’s start with the “Do Nots”

Do not use clay litter. Not only can ferrets respiratory systems be damaged by the dust, it sticks to their rectums and immediately dries their coats out.

Do not use clumping litter; for all the reasons mentioned in clay litter plus this stuff can kill your ferret. When moist it hardens. When ingested will harden in the mouth, throat, stomach and digestive tract.

There are some very effective litters for ferrets. Some of these are great for absorption and ferret excretion de parfume suppression.

For example; wood pellets, wood pellets and alfalfa pellets (rabbit pellets) mixed (ratio 2:1), pine pellets (with aromatics and tar removed), recycled paper. Forget using the various chips and shavings made from cedar and pine. The aromatics can adversely affect the respiratory system and the wood slivers, when ingested, can kill. Aspen has been approved for ferrets, however, it is our experience they want to lay in it rather than functionally use it as intended.