Hi, I have recently acquired a ferret because a friend who owned it was in
a serious car accident and might not make it.  If he survives he probably
will not be able to care for the ferret any longer due to the extent of
his injuries.
 
I have 4 dogs, 1 cat, and 2 rats but have no real good idea of how to care
for a ferret.  This particular ferret seems really laid back and does not
nip ever.  The main problem I'm experiencing is that it relieves itself an
alarming number of times during the day.  Is this normal?  It seems that
every 30-45 minutes it has to pee and poop.  Unless it's sleeping then it
goes longer.  It is not particular as to where it goes either.  It will
not use a litter pan, I've tried cleaning up a few of it's messes and
putting it in the litter pan thinking it would follow the scent and go
in that spot but it doesn't.  Right now I have put newspaper down in the
favorite spot and that seems to help since I can roll it up easily, but
we would like to have the ferret able to run around the house but I don't
want it going on my carpet,(right now he/she is on linoleum) Can a ferret
learn to hold it and go to it's designated spot.  this one just seems to
go wherever it is when the urge hits.  Also how would I tell if it is a
boy or girl?  And how can I control the odor, I am not used to such an
odorous pet.  It was said to be descented but still has a musky odor to
it.  I would appreciate any tips on the care of this animal you might
have for me so I can take proper care of it.
 
Thanks,
Alicia
[Posted in FML issue 3578]