Category: Articles

“Help! My ferret is rolling, snorkeling and digging in his litter!” Ever had that problem? Most anyone who has had a baby ferret has witnessed litter snorkeling. Baby ferrets are notorious for this, and don’t care if it’s clean or dirty, either!

Most of the time, young ferrets will grow out of snorkeling in dirty litter boxes. One of the biggest mistakes new owners make is to assume it’s a lost cause and take the litterbox out. Your ferret can’t become litter-trained if there IS no litterbox!

You can wet down the litter with a little water, you can leave it a little dirty, you can give them something else to dig in — but mostly you just have to wait it out. It seems once they get a little older (and maybe have a little less energy to burn) they usually stop making such a huge mess. Sometimes changing the type of litter stops the behavior. Snorkeling in the litterbox isn’t actually going to hurt the ferret as long as you’re not using any of the “Bad” litters.

A dig box is a big plastic box filled with something they’re allowed to dig in. Some people use white rice (NOT instant, the regular stuff that takes 25 minutes to cook), cornstarch peanuts (NO Styrofoam!), slightly moistened potting soil, play sand (the special kind that has had the dust rinsed out of it), plastic balls, and so on. The theory is, if they have something to dig in and they get that urge satisfied, they won’t dig in the litterbox. It seems to work pretty well for most ferrets.

My ferrets will roll around in the litterbox when I put in new litter. They seem to like the smell of the wood pellets, and I think they like the texture, too. But then someone uses it for its intended purpose and the others get a look that says: “Aw, shucks! You ruined it!” Mine also enjoy digging in the big bucket where I store my litter. Some just snorkel a little, others dig for China, and still others circle around and around and around, thinking they’re going to empty it!

Aren’t ferrets fun?

— Barb Carlson

Believe it or not, what litter you use can make a big difference in how happy you and your family will be living with ferrets. The wrong litter (the Bad) will stink up your house. Dangerous litter (the Ugly) could kill your ferret! But good litter can make your life easier, encourage your ferret to use the litter pan, and keep your house smelling fine.

Okay, let’s start with what NOT to use: clumping litter. That’s definitely in the “Ugly” category. Clumping litter can plug up a ferret’s nose (they’ll snorkel in most anything), its anus (as they “wipe” after pooping) or worst of all, their intestine (an intestinal blockage can kill a ferret if emergency treatment is not obtained immediately). There are reports of entire litters of kittens dying from clumping litter, so it’s not just a ferret thing.

“The Bad” includes litters that have excessive dust, perfumes, wood oils or other chemicals. Wood shavings with any of the aromatic oils left in (especially cedar!) are bad for any small pet’s lungs. Too much dust or perfume is not good, either.

Also included in my “Bad” list is regular clay cat litter. Okay, it might not have that much dust. It might have not perfumes. It’s not going to *hurt* your ferret, but YOU will not be happy after the ferret has urinated in the same corner for a day or two. Clay litter does nothing at all to minimize ammonia production and since the ferret almost always goes in the same corner, they have this problem much more often than cats. It STINKS!

So what’s “Good”? Safe litter for ferrets include newspaper pellets, wood pellets (that have had the oils removed) and corncob or similar products. Some work better than others and everyone has an opinion. My opinion is that the compressed wood pellets are best as far as reducing odors. Be warned, though, some ferrets are allergic to the wood. Not many, but if your ferret’s feet (or skin) turn red after walking on the wood litter, take out the litter immediately and look for something else to use. If, god forbid, your ferret should have trouble breathing, rush it to a vet. Now that I’ve scared you, I’ve only heard of 3 ferrets (in all the hundreds I’ve met over the years) who were allergic, and only one of those was seriously allergic.

I use Feline Pine mixed with a pelleted wood-burning stove fuel (like Stove Chow) in my litter boxes. I don’t like the smell of wet newspaper pellets, although some of my friends swear by them.

There are other kinds of litter out there — just stay away from anything that clumps. I’d be leery of anything that was billed as “super absorbent” too, for fear of what would happen if they swallowed a piece (Litter Pearls come to mind, but I’ve never actually heard of problems with them). Just read the labels and keep an eye on your ferret at first.

— Barb Carlson

Here are a few things I’ve learned in the last few days…

Slipping a travel-sized bottle of Ferretone in your jacket pocket prior to a vet visit is a good idea–you can use it to distract a ferret while it is being weighed, having blood taken, etc.

When you get home, you should take the Ferretone bottle back out of your jacket pocket.

Travel bottles of Ferretone and the bottle of artificial tears I keep in my jacket pocket are remarkably similar in shape.

No matter how itchy your eye is, even if it is the middle of the night, you should check the bottle before opening and using it.

When you unscrew the cap of an eyedrops bottle, there is an itty-bitty hole that only lets out a drop or two at a time. When you unscrew a travel bottle (of Ferretone, for instance), there is a hole almost as big as the neck of the bottle that lets out quite a bit at a time. Especially if you squeeze it to get an extra few eye drops out.

Ferretone is not at all irritating to the eyes.

Ferretone would make an excellent night cream–it leaves the skin silky-soft.

Rubbing your hair with a washcloth will not get out all the Ferretone.

Ferrets are very sympathetic when their humans have had a Ferretone mishap, and will give lots of kisses.

A sleeping ferret can realize that another ferret is dining on a Ferretone-coated human and wake up to get in on the action.

If ferrets free-roam in your bedroom, you will have to get up and take a shower after a Ferretone mishap to get any sleep.

— Kimberly Eklund