hello everyone-
 
i'm a rather new weezil owner, having had my baby Rigatoni for only about
6-7 months now (she's ~10 months old), & i was hoping to get some advice
on the matter of litter training (or the lack thereof)... when i first got
my little one, i stupidly followed the word of the woman @ the pet store &
bought clumping clay litter- as soon as i learned this could be harmful
to my wee one i discontinued using it & switched her to
pelleted-plant-material litter.
 
unfortunately, the switch in litter reversed the potty training Rigatoni
had accomplished, & despite the fact that i've been going patiently
through the same training process i did w/ the clay litter, she's
stubbornly resisting using the box whenever possible.  a
 
s an added difficulty, i recently moved into a space (read: teeny tiny
dorm room) that i could ferret proof, so i've been adjusting her to
spending most of her time roaming & not caged up- i'm really happy i can
give her more space & playtime now, but because we're sharing this little
bitty undivided room her lack of litter training is really becoming an
issue!
 
since she is my first ferret, my only tactics for litter training (&
negative reinforcement for "going" other places) are those that worked w/
my cats in the past: ie, if i catch her in the act of pooping on my floor
i hold her head near it & verbally scold her, which is usually followed
by a caged "time out" period.  if i see her backing into an unacceptable
corner i move her into her litter box, & put her back in it as many times
as necessary until she uses it- this is followed by much petting &
cuddling, & occasionally little treats.  now, this is the part i'm looking
for input about: when my cats peed in a corner we would go through all the
usual scoldings & whatnot, but we then also doused the peed upon area w/
white vinegar- the cats wouldnt pee there again once that was done.  i'm
wondering if there is an equivalent olfactory deterrent i could use to let
her know "this is not your bathroom area"?  i didnt just want to start
w/ the vinegar because she's so much closer to the ground than my cats
were, & if it irritated her eyes or nose @ all i'd feel really awful...
 
has anybody got any suggestions??  might extremely diluted vinegar be ok?
advice/info would be greatly appreciated...
 
thanks a lot!
 
-ferret kisses-
 
Alexis & Rigatoni
[Posted in FML issue 3615]