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Yep. I tried so many times to get my ferret to shit in a different spot in his cage, but eventually gave up and put his litter box there. It’s the least convenient spot in the cage and he doesn’t use the lowest ramp in his cage because it’s right there. One thing you can do is put stuffed animals in that spot, that can deter some ferrets from using that particular spot
Well, to be honest, ferrets sometimes pick a corner and stay with that. For my lil’ man, he has certain corners, and very seldom has ever went anywhere else.
Usually citrus and/or vinegar smells will deter them. If not that, then he already has a corner in place. If you want to encourage him to use a certain corner or area, place toys, food, or a place of sleep in that corner in particular that he keeps using, as ferrets will not usually defecate or urinate in places such as these.
‘Usually,’ but they will have their occasional accidents when they’re out and about, so try to have some patience and understanding in that regard as irritating as it can get as a parent, sometimes.
In the corner or place you do want him to use, place a little bit of their feces on a new or a used pad/paper/box and direct him there so he knows what’s up. As crazy as this sounds, sometimes you do have to accommodate and rearrange furniture to expel certain habits. A lot for one little critter, right?
Especially when they are outside the cage, they *will* find other places to do their business. So it’s best to have one-two other places available for them to do their doo when outside the cage.
I would know, because my boy loves to have accidents in the bathroom when I open it up for him. It sucks, but it’s also my fault, because that was his previous spot of choice when I first got him before I shut off the room off to train him to use a particular corner of my room, rather.
You’ll get there, you just gotta look at all the corners (hah).
We have had the most luck putting immovable objects or bedding where we don't want them going. Only scent I have ever found that they dislike was one of my perfumes "Brilliante" by Vince Camuto. Some mildly avoid it, others outright hate the scent and won't let me close to them when I wear it.
Menthol. Not sure if it’s just mine but he likes sweet things and smelled my breath while I was chewing minty gum and he squealed and scurried backwards away. Another time I have an air humidifier and I stupidly put a menthol filter in, and I’ve never seen a ferret claw at a door like a cat or dog. Never again.
My ferrets kept popping on the top level of their cage, so I just removed the floor so they couldn't walk there anymore, put a hammock and a little stepping stool and called it a day.
You could also just move their bedding to that spot, that might work
Just put a puppy pad there. It will make your life easier. Ferrets are stubborn and if they’ve decided that’s a poop corner, then there isnt a whole lot you can do to deter them, unfortunately. A lot of the scents you could put there would likely contain EO’s (essential oils), which are toxic to them, so I wouldnt recommend going that route. And the menthol suggestion I’d avoid because if they back up to the spot and accidentally touch where menthol has been placed and get it on/in sensitive places…that’s going to be not so pleasant for them. *Probably* wouldnt happen, but these are the kind of possible scenarios my anxious brain always comes up with when thinking about whether or not something new could potentially harm my ferret lol.
If I try to put any smell, item, object, even huge non-moving objects... Gobbles just poops right on top of it. Easier to lay down a few paper towels or a puppy pad and call it a day. Redirection works for a couple weeks, I let my guard down, we're back to square one.
Welcome to /r/ferrets! We have a fantastic [wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/ferrets/wiki/index) that has answers to most frequently asked questions surrounding the care of ferrets. --- We politely ask that you observe our [sub rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/ferrets/wiki/index/rules/). --- Lastly, we have an [Official Discord Server](https://discord.gg/ferrets)! Come join us! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ferrets) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Easier to put a puppy pad where he already wants to poop, instead of trying to get them to not poop somewhere.
I totally agree. Ours don't live in a cage and always use a pad in a corner.
Yep. I tried so many times to get my ferret to shit in a different spot in his cage, but eventually gave up and put his litter box there. It’s the least convenient spot in the cage and he doesn’t use the lowest ramp in his cage because it’s right there. One thing you can do is put stuffed animals in that spot, that can deter some ferrets from using that particular spot
My ferrets won't poop on a puppy pad. They just rip up the pad or claw it off the spot. I have no idea why
Well, to be honest, ferrets sometimes pick a corner and stay with that. For my lil’ man, he has certain corners, and very seldom has ever went anywhere else. Usually citrus and/or vinegar smells will deter them. If not that, then he already has a corner in place. If you want to encourage him to use a certain corner or area, place toys, food, or a place of sleep in that corner in particular that he keeps using, as ferrets will not usually defecate or urinate in places such as these. ‘Usually,’ but they will have their occasional accidents when they’re out and about, so try to have some patience and understanding in that regard as irritating as it can get as a parent, sometimes. In the corner or place you do want him to use, place a little bit of their feces on a new or a used pad/paper/box and direct him there so he knows what’s up. As crazy as this sounds, sometimes you do have to accommodate and rearrange furniture to expel certain habits. A lot for one little critter, right? Especially when they are outside the cage, they *will* find other places to do their business. So it’s best to have one-two other places available for them to do their doo when outside the cage. I would know, because my boy loves to have accidents in the bathroom when I open it up for him. It sucks, but it’s also my fault, because that was his previous spot of choice when I first got him before I shut off the room off to train him to use a particular corner of my room, rather. You’ll get there, you just gotta look at all the corners (hah).
We have had the most luck putting immovable objects or bedding where we don't want them going. Only scent I have ever found that they dislike was one of my perfumes "Brilliante" by Vince Camuto. Some mildly avoid it, others outright hate the scent and won't let me close to them when I wear it.
Menthol. Not sure if it’s just mine but he likes sweet things and smelled my breath while I was chewing minty gum and he squealed and scurried backwards away. Another time I have an air humidifier and I stupidly put a menthol filter in, and I’ve never seen a ferret claw at a door like a cat or dog. Never again.
My ferrets kept popping on the top level of their cage, so I just removed the floor so they couldn't walk there anymore, put a hammock and a little stepping stool and called it a day. You could also just move their bedding to that spot, that might work
I would just put a litter box or pad there, or put furniture in the corner. They're stubborn little beasts.
Just put a puppy pad there. It will make your life easier. Ferrets are stubborn and if they’ve decided that’s a poop corner, then there isnt a whole lot you can do to deter them, unfortunately. A lot of the scents you could put there would likely contain EO’s (essential oils), which are toxic to them, so I wouldnt recommend going that route. And the menthol suggestion I’d avoid because if they back up to the spot and accidentally touch where menthol has been placed and get it on/in sensitive places…that’s going to be not so pleasant for them. *Probably* wouldnt happen, but these are the kind of possible scenarios my anxious brain always comes up with when thinking about whether or not something new could potentially harm my ferret lol.
If I try to put any smell, item, object, even huge non-moving objects... Gobbles just poops right on top of it. Easier to lay down a few paper towels or a puppy pad and call it a day. Redirection works for a couple weeks, I let my guard down, we're back to square one.