At 00:49 5/22/00 -0400, Jaime L. Naugle wrote:
>My one ferret keeps getting up at around 5am and digging and scratching
>at anything that will make a lot of noise, especially her litter box.  She
>likes to flip it over and dig at it.  I have no idea why she keeps doing
>this, and I can't get her to stop.  She is driving me crazy and I haven't
>slept though the night in quite a while.  Can someone please help me?!
 
Assuming she has plenty of food, water, soft warm bedding and a few toys
to amuse her... fasten the litterbox to the cage wall by whatever means it
takes so she can't dump it.  Move the cage to another room farther from
your bedroom so you can't hear the noise, and stop getting up and looking
in on her if you do hear her scratching.  If the beginning of daylight
seems to be her trigger, close the drapes or shades before you go to bed
or move her to another area or close the drapes or shades.  If she doesn't
have a hammock and a toy or two, get them.  She may be bored.  Give her a
variety of places to sleep and things to attract her attention and maybe
she'll lose interest in the litter box and in scratching.
 
Think in terms of "Why could she possibly be doing this?" and do whatever
you can to remove those reasons.  Do nothing to reinforce or reward the
behavior.  If you appear every time she scratches she probably won't stop.
 
--
Jim H
[Posted in FML issue 3060]