Have been ferretsitting for two that use pellets.  THe best way I have
found to clean the box is to first remove the stools from the box using a
slotted cat litter scoop.  This leaves saw dust and the pellets.  Then I
use a deep fry basket to sift out the saw dust by pouring the pellets in
small heaps into the deep fry basket held over a waste can.  THen put the
sifted pellets into a spare container till the whole pan is clean where
the sifted pellets are returned for reuse.
 
On the ferts, I clip the fur under the tail closely.  This prevents the
inevitable 'dingle pellets' from gathering on the fert.
 
Gordon, Byte-me, Nibble-ed, Kodo, But, Pamba, Kepri and Diz
[Posted in FML issue 3637]