I've been lurking on the FML for a few weeks now, trying to educate myself
and my fiance on ferrets before we got one.  Well, I finally convinced her,
and we are now the proud owners of a furry, four-legged, fuzzy ferret who we
named Kit Kat.  He's 11 weeks old, with dark brown guard hairs and a
creamish beige undercoat and face, and a splash of brown across his eyes
(kinda reminds us of a kit kat bar, with a chocolate colored outside and
cookie colored middle, hence his name).  =^o_o^= (a ferret smiley)
 
He's amazingly well behaved, doesn't bite hard that often (except when we
get him too excited from playing and finger wrestling), and so far seems to
enjoy his huge cage and furnishings.  He nips when he plays, but most of
them are gentle, and none of the nips or bites has ever broken skin.
 
The funny thing is, he has no problem when it comes to using the litter
for his solid wastes (it's been near perfect since we first got him), but
for some reason uses a DIFFERENT (the one with no litter pan) CORNER when
he urinates.  WEIRD!!  So what should I do?  I've tried smearing his
urine on the sides of the litter pan, so he associates it as a place to
urinate, but sometimes he still goes in the other corner.  What else
should I do?  Any other suggestions?
 
Another question: I've read in the FERRET FAQ of ways to train your ferret,
and they all envolve classical conditioning techniques with rewards for
accomplishment.  The problem I am coming up with is what rewards should I
use?  I have a tube of nutrical, but he doesn't seem to fancy it that much,
and I'm having a hard time finding ferretone or linatone in my area (metro
St.  Louis).  Any suggestions on good, healthy rewards to use, or where I
can get a hold of some linatone or ferretone?  Also, I'd like to find a
local store where I can get a hold of a soft-sided pet carrier or pet duffel
with a mesh window.  They seem to be as scarce as ferretone/linatone here as
well.
 
Finally, if there are any othe FML subscribers in the St.  Louis area, I'd
love to get in contact with you people.  I've always wanted a ferret, but I
lived in California until recently, and it would be nice to talk to and
learn from other ferret owners.  TIA!!
 
* Rexfelis Shadowcat              | "The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, *
* Catlord of the Shadows          | but I have promises to keep, and miles *
* [log in to unmask]              | to go before I sleep... and miles to   *
* "No light is without Shadows"   | go before I sleep..."  -Robert Frost-  *
[Posted in FML issue 1511]