A few questions from a new owner

Hi all I am a new Ferret owner of 5 days. Fergal is his name and he is a three month old Kit. I have a few questions which I would appreciate answering please: 1. Litter training - He hasn't picked it up yet and on advice of others I am putting his mess into the tray wherever possible so he gets it. However, he continues to go in the wrong corner. Is this just a case of keep doing what I am doing? It is difficult to catch him and put him into the box. He has a three story cage but I have blocked off two levels until he gets it. However, I don't like keeping him on one level and would rather not do it for much longer. 2. Nipping - He has a habit for this, always playful and never aggressive. He hasn't drawn blood. I am spraying my hands and using a cat carrier as a naughty step. He nips more when it's the end of playtime rather than when I let him out. Again, should I continue to do more of the same? 3. I plan to get him neutered. Is three months too early? I'll also get him the distemper vaccine. I am hoping that you guys will tell me that he will grow out of the bad toilet training and nipping. It is proving hard work to clean up after him all of the time! Thanks in advance and I look forward to contributing more to the forum

Fergal


: 1. Litter training - He hasn't picked it up yet and on advice of others I am putting his mess into the tray wherever possible so he gets it. However, he continues to go in the wrong corner. Is this just a case of keep doing what I am doing? It is difficult to catch him and put him into the box. He has a three story cage but I have blocked off two levels until he gets it. However, I don't like keeping him on one level and would rather not do it for much longer.


I bring my kits down to one level.  I cover all the corners with something, usually water and food bowl in one corner.   I have a high back, large litter box that covers the other two covers.  I place a hammock just above the litter box.  My kits are in that cage for about month or two.  I don't rush the litter training, as I want them to learn to use the potty area.  Makes it much easier on mom.




 2. Nipping - He has a habit for this, always playful and never aggressive. He hasn't drawn blood. I am spraying my hands and using a cat carrier as a naughty step. He nips more when it's the end of playtime rather than when I let him out. Again, should I continue to do more of the same?


Normal kit behavior.  I usually use a stuff animals to block the bit.  THen I would roll them over on their tummy....making a game out of it.
They will figure out that mom is fun to play with.  Make it a positive not negative.






 3. I plan to get him neutered. Is three months too early? I'll also get him the distemper vaccine. I am hoping that you guys will tell me that he will grow out of the bad toilet training and nipping. It is proving hard work to clean up after him all of the time! Thanks in advance and I look forward to contributing more to the forum


My hobs were neutered either after they went thru a season or  9 - 10 months old.  It depend on how much of pest they were.

Thank you :) I love the names you picked by the way!

thank you

Hello and Welcome to the forum! Be sure and post pics of your baby.

 
Fuzzbutts Rule!

Hi and welcome.  keep at it.  ferrets are good at teaching us patience.  Or you could try putting the litter box in the corner he picked...

THE DOOKS OF HAZARD

He has picked all 4 corners! Haha. Hopefully he will catch on to it but I am worried that he will continue as I have newspaper on every corner to catch what I can!He is also being naughty and burrowing into his food bowl, thus throwing it everywhere! Not sure how to stop this, any ideas?

I will post a photo later today :) Thanks to all of you for your replies.

A good way to stop the burrowing into the food dish is to make him a digging box, which is just an ordinary card board box filled with shredded news paper or bedding or stirafoam(sp) peanuts. And front playtime you can put him in there and let him dig to his hearts content. Or you can put a significant amount of bedding on the floor of his age so he can burrow in there. Ferrets love to burrow so that's what he's looking to do.

Thank you I will do that :)

I'm new to ferrenthood too, my boy Mushu is a burrower as well and he loves his digging box

Sometimes a lock-on crock food dish placed up a little higher will discourage digging, but not always.

THE DOOKS OF HAZARD

Progress report... Litter pan training is getting better thanks to putting clothes into corners. However, I really need to secure the pan to the side of the cage.

As I couldn't let him out last night for his full 4 hours I put his bedding food and water into my hallway (now the ferret gym) and went to bed. I thought he would tire himself out and go to bed himself but no such luck! I had to get him back into his cage at 3am as he was keeping me awake!

It is all fun and games!

Don't worry so much if he gets a short time out occasionally.  As long as he is getting exercise daily he'll get over it.  

THE DOOKS OF HAZARD

As promised, here is Fergal sleeping after an intense play session. Normally he makes it to his sleep box but he preferred to use a shoe as his pillow this time!

http://imgur.com/iIlF30W

2 weeks of ownership now. :)

awwww.

THE DOOKS OF HAZARD

Litter training question. He is almost perfect on using the litter tra now. The only accident for a few days is when it got very dirty so he chose elsewhere. Been all good since with me cleaning up twice a day. As a result I am temptedto open up the other levels of the cage. What do you think? Too early? What is the best way to go about it or should I wait longer?

Sorry to chase but can someone help me with my question above? I have no one else to ask :( thanks!

Sometimes ferrets are perfect in the cage and not so perfect outside.  Go head and open er up.  I don't know if you have room for a second litter box, and I know you'd rather not have one, but we have a ferret nation cage and 3 litter boxes in it.  (We have 6 ferrets in it)  Sometimes they're too lazy to climb ladders in the middle of te night.  You may have to put a  second litter box in  there.  

THE DOOKS OF HAZARD

I would also open it up but definitely do another box. I find, as unclejoe said, that my ferrets are extremely lazy when it comes to  middle of the night potty breaks. This is to the point where I have a litterbox right next to the one sleeping spot that my one boy likes to sleep in, haha.

Thanks for your replies :) Unfortunately I got home last night and he had gone in the wrong place (litter pan was relatively clean so no idea why). It has made me thnk it is too early but I may give it a go.

My curent cage has three levels. The bottom level has no door so he is at the top which is blocked off. The second level has a door but it is very small and I would not fit a pan through the door so that isn't really an option. i will just have to take a chance I guess! I was sold a rubbish cage in hindsight. Will have to get a new one! 

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