I finally got a ferret!!  His name is Wompa and he's a year old gib
(neutered male, right?).  And of course, I have some questions now.  I've
read through the FAQ and that's helped a bunch, but there are still some
unanswered questions.  First, in his old place, the was given run of the
apartment 24 hours a day and wasn't litter box trained.  I've got him in a
nice, big, two level ferret cage while I'm at work now and he hates it, go
figure.  There's a litter box in there, but he'll use any corner but that
one.  When he goes someplace else, I'll move the stuff to his litter box,
hoping he'll get the idea.  So my first question is, what's an average time
frame for him to get the clue about the litter box and is this the right
thing to do?  When I'm home, I've been giving him the run of the dining area
and the kitchen (relatively small area in an apartment) and watching him
closely.  If he seems about to go to the bathroom, I put him in his litter
box, he'll look at me like I'm crazy, then jump out and keep scouting
around.  When he does go to the bathroom, he seems to have slightly loose
poops, not like diarhea though.  Is this normal, or are they supposed to be
firm?  I plan on widening his romp area as he gets better box trained, and
placing a couple boxes around the apartment.  Another question I have is,
about how long does it take for ferrets to get aquainted with their new
owners?
 
And my last question (for this post anyway <G>) is about harnesses and
leashes.  I got him the H-type harness and I put it on him this morning,
just to see what he'd do.  He didn't seem to really notice it for a bit,
then he tugged at it for about a minute, then continued his scouting.  I
left it on him for a bit, then put the leash on and let him drag it around
for a while.  When I put any sort of strain on the leash (like holding it)
he just about went crazy, getting all tangled up.  Then he managed to get
the harness all around his tummy, not before his front feet and right after
them, like it's supposed to be.  So, the question here is, how tight does
the front loop have to be so he doesn't do that without choking him?  And
what's been the average time to leash train them?  Ok, sorry, that was two
questions.  ;)
 
Thank you in advance for all the wonderful advice I know I'll get and I'm
really glad to have this list around!!  (that was sappy, I know, but it's
true)
 
Beth Bieber
Austin, TX
[Posted in FML issue 1558]