Hello!!!! I really really want ferrets, but one of my biggest concerns is that I don’t want to leave them in a cage (other than when I sleep or leave the house) but my worry is them using the bathroom all over the house. So my question is, did you potty train your ferrets? And if so, how? Have a great day!!!💞💓
My ferrets are litter box and puppy pad trained, but they’re ferrets, so they still have occasional accidents in the wrong place. Ferrets are never going to have a 100% litter box success rate, but they still absolutely need adequate playtime outside the cage. That doesn’t mean the cage is bad, though. For my ferrets, their cage is like their den.
I’ve only let my ferrets 100% free-roam when they were elderly and sick, and they had too many mobility issues to comfortably get around a cage, and I knew they were also too immobile to get into trouble outside the cage without supervision. Keeping the house clean during those times was kind of a nightmare, though. Elderly ferrets often can’t even get to a proper corner to go to the bathroom.
For younger ferrets, it’s really not a detriment to have them caged several hours a day, because they sleep for 19 hours a day anyway. I let mine play around the house, but if they fall asleep while they’re out, I put them to bed inside the cage. Most ferrets want to go to the bathroom as soon as they wake up, so having them wake up and do their business in the cage is a big help. They’ll often wake up from sleep just to go to the bathroom, and then go right back to sleep. So it helps when they do that in the cage, but I also have litter boxes in the house near their preferred sleep spots.
Having them in a cage during sleep time minimizes the amount that they’ll go to the bathroom around the house, but there will still be a lot of cleanup. I’d also recommend limiting the number of rooms they have access to, because they will go to the bathroom in every single room. For me, I don’t normally allow them into bedrooms (FORBIDDEN ROOM) or rooms that can’t be adequately ferret-proofed.
Just be sure to protect any hardwood or carpet, put litter boxes and/or puppy pads in every corner you can, and clean any accidents ASAP.
For thorough litter box training how-tos, I highly recommend the book Ferrets for Dummies. It’s a good overall resource for ferret care that I would recommend for all ferret owners anyway. But here are the basics that I follow:
Put litter boxes/floor protectors/puppy pads in every corner, and gradually weed out the ones that don’t get used. If it’s a place that can’t withstand an accident, keep it protected even if it isn’t used regularly, because ferrets like to surprise you. -_-
If a ferret is looking for a place to go to the bathroom, put them in the litter box. They might use it, or they might jump out. Put them back in. Rinse and repeat. If they just won’t stay, give up until next time. They might not have to go that bad.
Clean the litter boxes every day, because if they get dirty, the ferret will seek out a different place to go.
Ferrets are naturally inclined to go in corners or along secluded walls, so keep that in mind when placing litter boxes, and always go with their instincts instead of fighting against them.
If they choose a corner you really don’t want them to use, find a way to make that corner less appealing as a bathroom spot. Like, throw down some temporary clutter, and if you catch them trying to use the spot, relocate them to the closest litter box.
Don’t use litter boxes that are too small to comfortably fit an entire ferret, or they won’t want to use them. (Triangular litter boxes are often bad this way.)
Litter box capabilities decline with old age, so be prepared to accommodate that as your ferrets grow old. Puppy pads/reusable flat mats are great for this because there’s no climbing involved, and it’s easier to stand on than litter.
Ferret litter box questions have come up occasionally before, so you can find more info by browsing my ferret info tag!
