There've been a couple of cage/free roam questions lately.
 
The litterbox problem:
Ferrets are, very literally, creatures of habit.  What you're dealing with
here is the fact that the litterbox is in the wrong corner (even though
there's a box in every room corner).  Think "Virtual Corners".  Notice
where the ferret is sleeping when caged and where the litterbox is in
relation to the sleep spot AND the "door" of the cage or cage level.
That's where the ferret expects to find a litterbox in the free roam
situation, too.  With several ferrets expecting to find a litterbox in
different locations, free roam training can become a logistical nightmare.
The more ferrets you're dealing with the harder the problem.
 
Virtual corners are formed by furniture against or near a wall, or even
furniture in the middle of the room that is close to another item that
creates an angle with "walls" (ferrets are very short and short-sighted...
a wall and a dresser are of equal height as far as they can see).  "Under"
places, under tables, beds, dressers, etc.  are equal to the litterbox
under the low ceiling of their cage or level.  (And instinct nudges them
to find a "secure" place to poop.)
 
And... poop places slowly expand.  Once the carpet in front a box has the
"latrine" odor, it's ok to poop a little farther away from the box... in
other words, the bathroom is anywhere within six inches of the bathroom.
The only prevention is COMPLETE deodorization of accidents.  That means
soaking the carpet & padding below with white vinegar & water mixed 50/50.
One quart of solution... yes... that's very wet... per accident.  Soak it
up with a carpet shampooer or lots of towels and rinse 4 or 5 times with a
quart of water each time to get the vinegar out.  All the "latrine" odor
must be eliminated and there is NOTHING that can simply be sprayed on top
of the carpet that will do this.  The spot must be wet soaked with vinegar
to chemically neutralize the odor.  There are enzyme cleaners (read $$$)
that chemically neutralize odor... STILL the area MUST be completely
saturated.
 
Solutions:
In all cases, carpet/flooring must be completely deodorized before
"redecorating" the areas they are illegally pooping in.
 
For now, put plastic down around the boxes AFTER cleaning & drying the
carpet.  Carpet protector works best.  Use a non-toxic cleaner to clean
accidents on the plastic (a cleaner that does not turn water white when
mixed).
 
Often, a particular ferret "owns" a particular box and some of the other
ferrets are not "allowed" to use that box.  Frequently (2 or 3 times a day
for starters) wiping the inside and outside sides of the box and top edge
with a babywipe will "erase" the dominant ferret's "mark" and allow the
other ferrets to feel safe to use the box.
 
Put litterboxes where they're expecting them to be.  If it's a place you
don't want an unsightly litterbox, cut entry holes on two sides (at least
an inch above the bottom) of a plastic storage box with a lid and put
litter and fresh poop in it.  You can even get creative and sew cloth
covers for the box for an even more "discreet" litterbox.  Works great in
dining and kitchen areas where you don't want guests to notice poop.
 
Put sleep spots there.  A shoebox sized sealed box with a mousehole for
entry stuffed with an unlaundered sleep blanket.  Or, often, just a sleep
blanket in the clean spot is enough.
 
Place food and water bowls in the areas.
 
Under bed/dressers: the only real fix is to box in the bed frame or
openings at bottoms of dressers with plywood.  Sand & stain, paint, or
cover with cloth to match your decor and simply prevent the problem rather
than try to cure it.
 
Keep a bottle of ferretone handy. Reward "hits" whenever possible.
 
To teach free roaming to a number a ferrets.... teach one at a time, even
if there's two to a cage.  Give each ferret at least a month of fairly
consistent "hits" before adding a new free roamer.  There WILL be
regressions that have to be dealt with each time.  Just because one ferret
of a caged pair is dominant to the curent free roamer, doesn't mean the
second of the caged pair is dominant.
 
Be consistent.  It takes time and repetition FOR THE DURATION OF THAT
TIME.  A couple of weeks ain't gonna cut it.  Think in terms of months to
avoid disappointment and frustration.
 
ABOVE ALL, remember that you are dealing with an instinctive behavior that
cannot be unlearned.  The best you can hope for is to MODIFY the behavior
to fit your preferences a little better and still satisfy the ferret's
instinctive needs.  Pooping in a corner is instinctive.  Pooping in the
corner to the left of the "door" across the "den" from the sleep spot, is
a learned habitual response to that instinct.  THAT'S what you're
modifying.
 
Finally, a note on "training" ferrets.  Discipline is a alien concept to
ferrets.  They are not capable of understanding it.  The closest they get
to understanding discipline is "pecking order" (the reason they poop in
front of a box another ferret "owns").  That's NOT discipline, it's
survival instinct, and it applies to that one ferret (or that one human)
only, any other ferret (or human) must establish his own place in the
order.  Conversely, ferrets DO understand rewards.  They do understand
that pooping in the box gets ferretone.  They STILL don't understand why
they DON'T get ferretone when they DON'T poop IN the box.  Pooping IN the
box becomes a contrived way to get a treat... pooping OUT of the box is...
NOT trying to get a treat.  Animal logic is MUCH simpler than human logic
that has all those, "if this is this way, then the opposite is... "
conditions.  That's a human abstract thought.  Ferrets can't do that.
 
Linda Iroff pretty much said it all concerning caging free roam ferrets at
night.  The only thing I'd add to her post is that free roam areas should
be completely ferretproofed for daytime roaming as well.  (Which I'm sure
that's what Linda actually meant.  Areas that aren't "completely
ferretproofed"... which we all know is probably an oxymoron anyway... must
be supervised and you're seldom going to supervise all day long.) With
free roaming ferrets it's very easy to forget they're there... especially
when you're in a hurry.  I always recommend that free roam areas be
separated from areas with exterior doors by a barrier that MUST be stepped
over... not opened like "easy access" baby gates.  This is imperative in
households with children and teenagers, bless 'em, who have other things
on their minds as they and their friends come & go.
 
If you only have two or three fuzzies and they all consistently sleep in
the same place everynight, all night long, a cage is probably not
necessary.  Often, if the cage is left open and on the floor, ferrets
will voluntarily return to their "den" to sleep, anyway.
 
Debi Christy
Ferrets First Foster Home
http://www.geocities.com/ferretsfirst/
[Posted in FML issue 3601]