Hello all ferret lovers.  I am an animal lover and a newborn ferret
fanatic, but I am having some difficulty.  First let me introduce you to
my ferrets:
 
Loki, a 7 month old sable male, is very sweet and my first ferret.  For the
first few months we had him, he stayed mainly in his cage (PLEASE NO FLAMES.
I am a new owner, and was misinformed by both the pet shop owner and our
veterinarian, whom we have recently discovered knows nearly nothing about
ferrets.) We (Rick, my fiance and I) played with him when we could and
tried, halfheartedly, to train him to come and to know his name.  We used
Ferretone, but did not know until recently that ferrets need constant
positive reinforcement, so he is not at all well-trained, and Loki only
uses the litterbox (always kept clean, except one or two marking poops)
when he feels like it, about 1/2 the time.
 
Balder, our second ferret, is a 1 1/2 yr old sable male, and a good
playmate for Loki.  However, the family we took him from (they were going
to put him down!!!!!!!!) mistreated him and DIDN'T EVEN NAME HIM!!  In
spite of that, he is much sweeter and more mild-tempered than Loki (who
pounces playfully on Balder constantly), although Rick and I have had to
gain his trust slowly.
 
My problem is that now that I have learned more and am trying to now train
them correctly and expand their living space, they are both proving to be
difficult to train.  Balder has somewhat learned to come when I snap my
fingers, always so far to be rewarded with Ferretone, but Loki seems to
completely ignore me.  Also, Loki refuses to use his litterbox when he is
out of the cage, and the room he runs around in right now is big, but not
big enough to justify another litterbox, especially not right in front of
the door like he wants it.  WHAT DO I DO?????  Please help me!
 
Sincerely, Carrie Moore and Rick O'Connell
Loki (But I LIKE pooping on the floor!)
Balder (Ferretone. . . I NEED MORE FERRETONE)
[Posted in FML issue 2372]