Well, I never thought *I'd* be asking for litter box training advice.
I've always prided myself on having 'perfect' ferrets in that area --
even two adults I adopted in November who'd never seen a litter box in
their lives, took right to my 'house rules' with no problem.  Not one
accident outside the box, from day one.
 
Until... I went on vacation for xmas and took the ferrets, and their
cage, to my friend's house.  (It's a four-level superpet cage, and I use
the giant Marshall Farms litter box on the floor/ground level).  From the
time they've come home, they've been pooping mostly in the box, but also
on the floor of the second level.
 
I'm so disappointed that that happened.  I wonder what would make them
suddenly stop using the box?  Maybe my friend didn't clean it as often
as I do.  I knew that something was wrong when she brought the ferrets
home, and their cage had dried poop encrusted on the second level.  I
was hoping it was just one mistake, but they'd probably been at it for
awhile.
 
So, here is my plan of attack: Put all three of them in my bathroom (aka
the ferret playroom) for at least two days, maybe three.  Scrub the cage
with hot water and soap, then white vinegar (that's safe, right?).  Then,
put them back in one at a time, confining them to levels one and two.  If
nobody poops on level 2 (where, presumably, they'll all be sleeping...
litter box, food, and water is on level 1) for at least two days, then
they can have the run of the whole cage again.
 
I hope it works!  I am quite miffed about this, because 1) unlike some
people, I *do* care if they go outside the litter box and I like to keep
everything meticulously clean, and 2) I can't put another big litter box
on level two, because the openings on level two and four are small and
inconveniently placed.
 
I'm really thinking twice about taking them back to my friend's house
next month, when we go on another week-long trip out of town.  It's
the best thing for us as far as peace of mind (she's a wonderful animal
care-taker, and would never miss their medication) and cost (so
reasonable, I feel guilty).  I'm thinking maybe I will buy another cage
(a used, two-level one, if I can find one on eBay or something) and take
them there in that instead of their regular home.  Could that work?
 
I really don't want to go through this retraining process again!  Not
only do I get really stressed out over stuff like this, but I can tell
the ferrets are NOT happy being confined to the bathroom.  They want to
be back home, in the bedroom with me and my husband and everybody (the
bedroom is where everybody -- people, cats, ferrets -- congregate, and I
do everything in there -- read, eat, watch TV, work).
 
Any advice would appreciated -- remember, this is a NEW problem.  They
never disregarded the litter box before they went to stay with my friend
for a week.
 
Many thanks!
Staci
[Posted in FML issue 4022]