Hi Bill and Everyone,
Here is an e-mail I just sent to Melinda about carpet digging.  For what
it's worth, it worked great for us.
 
I read the post about carpet digging by Melinda's ferrets and here are two
solutions that have worked for us (one of our babies never did dig; Clyde,
our male, digs all the time).
 
1. We put a carpet remnant folded under each bed in the house--he loves
that and leaves our wall to walls alone.  He'll go digcrazy, roll around in
the carpet remnant and then is happy as a clam to have achieved his goal of
making a bed in his cave and often as not will just go about his business of
checking out toy stashes and so on.  Or stay in the folded up carpet remnant
for a snooze.
 
2. There is one bedroom we like to keep Clyde out of as we use that for
guests and don't want any "surprises" for them to find.  He'll have none of
that and would dig and dig and dig under the door to try and get in.  Well,
I found out that it took very little to train him to "scratch" at the door
when he wanted in to check out his territory there or hide a toy or
whatever.
 
Here's how to do it: Just wait til next time he digs at the door; say "NO"
very emphatically, lift him to "standing" position and rub his paws on the
door.  Keep repeating that.  The VERY FIRST TIME he rubs on his own, open
the door and let him rummage around a bit.  Then repeat this a few times
and he'll learn to do it all on his own.  It took Clyde three training
sessions to "get" this.  Clyde now sits patiently in front of the door
leaning up on it or rubbing it repeatedly with his front paws until someone
notices and then is let in to always reinforce the behavior.  He never digs
at carpets around doors anymore.  He's transferred what he learned to any
door he wants opened, including cabinet doors where we keep goodies and
also oil for hairballs and so on.
 
Ferrets really are very smart but need incentive to learn.  They never give
up when they want something, but can be trained to use more productive
behaviors to get their way.  The trick is to be able to understand what it
is they want.  They instinctively need to dig, carpets happen to be really
good material to dig in/on.  I could not get mine to use a cat scratch pole,
but others have success with that also, except I'd put it sideways rather
than upright.
 
RE FOODS: I have a problem right now.  We've tried over the years to get
Clyde (nearing 6) to eat Kaytee or one of the other "proper" ferret foods.
He simply would not tolerate it and lost more than half his body weight
before WE gave up.  I did try mixing small amounts and he ate around it or
would back away from his food dish.  Well, the worst has happened.  I'm
pretty sure that the high protein kitten food we always used has changed
its formulation and he won't touch the newest batch.  Not any, not one
piece, never, no!  I've coated it with A/D (which he is eating), Ferretone,
Pettinic, and peanut butter.  I've ground it up and mixed it with A/D in
varying "concentrations".  One whiff and he KNOWS its there and won't eat
it or will spit out the tiniest grains left in it.  HELP.  He is barely
maintaining weight, is in sleep mode most of the time and is driving me
nuts.  Any really yummy foods out there?  I can't afford to buy multiple
brands to find one and this is a real problem.  (BTW: checked his teeth,
gums, mouth etc.  and are as pink and healthy as can be and Clyde never did
develop plaque like our Bonnie did; his stools are not green; we gave him
pepto bismol in case of some bowel etc.  irritation; he is not running a
fever; he plays, runs, etc.  but poops out unless we feed him four times a
day by hand with the A/D).  What now?
 
Thanks for any suggestions and Merry Christmas!
Gail and Bob and Clyde and Bonnie-in-Memory (who passed over the Rainbow
Bridge in April)
[Posted in FML issue 2534]