>From:    Stilleto <[log in to unmask]>
>I got a new six week old feret named whiskey....He is my little monster
>and I have many questions.
 
hee.
 
>First of all I was given pine bedding from the pet store...I removed it
>and now there is just a steel bare floor, but he sleeps on a hammock and
>only leaves when he is hungry or has to go to the bathroom?  what should
>I put on the floor..(i've been using dish rags(clean).
 
You might want to get some linoleum and cut it to size just so the floor is
easy to wipe clean, but otherwise, the rags are a *great* floor bedding.
just remember to swap 'em out once or twice a week and toss them in the
laundry.  This helps control the smell.  He'll probably sleep *lots* right
now, so his spending so much time in the hammock is normal.  He'll also
sleep the sleep of the comatose.  :) Not much wakes up exhausted baby
ferrets.
 
>Second he doesn't chuckle or make any noses, will he ever, when he gots
>older?
 
Maybe.  Maybe not.  Mine have had only their original pink and brown noses
since i've gotten them, except when they try to steal mine by biting it
off...oh, you meant NOISES.  Again, maybe, maybe not.  I have one ferret who
visits who constantly mutters to himself, but my four are usually quiet
except when playing pretty hard.
 
>Third(very common) How the heck you get them to use the litter box?
 
Confine them to a small space for a while - make the litter box the only
option for bathroom use.  As they seem to return to the box to go while in a
small playspace, slowly widen the play area.  If they start to go somewhere
else, having a small playspace means that you can quickly plop them back in
the box.  Praise them when they go in the box.  Also, ferrets reliably need
to poop shortly after waking up - remember this, and encourage him to go to
the bathroom before you let him out.  I used to do this to Potpie, and she'd
pretend to use the bathroom so i'd let her out.  :)
 
>Fourth My little furry likes to play and grabs my finger(constantly, he
>even swings around and does the spring nip on me..He won't hurt me and
>has once or twice got me hard and was diciplined with a pickup, look in
>the eye, a loud NO!, and a back in the cage you go for ten minutes..  If
>he doesn't hurt me should I still not allow him to grab my finger, will
>it eventually turn to painful ones when he gets older?
 
It sounds like you're doing this *just* right.  Keep up the good work - if
he starts to bite too hard, spray some Bitter Apple on your fingers.  Cage
time-outs are the most effective punishment for my four, i've found..
 
Melissa
 
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
      Melissa Litwicki                              "Is it ... atomic?"
      [log in to unmask]                             "Yes! VERY atomic!"
[Posted in FML issue 1712]