Your New Ferret
You have done your research and decided to get new ferret. They are an endearing addition to anyone’s life and to your home. These amazing creatures can be trained to use a litter box just like cats.
You’ll have to take a few safety precautions before you allow your new ferret to run around your home.
Of course you should never allow a new animal to run loose in your home. Let it get used to its new surroundings from the protection and comfort of its cage for as long as it takes before you consider letting it roam around your home.
You will also need to litter box train your ferret as well. Depending on your ferret and how much time you devote to litter training most ferrets end up using the litter box about 75% of the time. There are ferrets that will use the litter box every time but, with most, you might find a “present” in the house from time to time.
Litter box training can take several hours a day for several months. The more attention you devote to it, the more likely you will have a litter box trained ferret.
Typically, ferrets will go shortly after after eating or waking up. So, put your ferret in the litter box when it first wakes up. Don’t let it out until it has gone to the bathroom. After it goes, give it a treat immediately. The object is to try to get it associating receiving a treat and going to the litter box.
You should never physically punish a ferret for any reason, especially if they have an accident in the house. Physical punishment will only make them fear you and will not help to correct their behavior. If you would like your ferret to be able to run around the house, you will have to be prepared to do a little cleaning up after them as well.
Something else you will need to do before your pet is allowed to run free is to “ferret proof” your home. Ferret-proofing involves removing any hazards and making your home safe for a ferret. They are small and very curious creatures. They will soon find their way into small spaces. A good rule of thumb is that if their head will fit into a space, their bodies will too.
Start to ferret-proof by first crawling around your home on your hands and knees to look for small holes, crevices, loose ventilation covers, etc. You need to check every room your ferret will soon be exploring themselves.
Don’t forget to include your appliances when you look for places that ferrets can get inside of. Because ferrets are excellent climbers and very curious, anyplace can become a “play area” for them.
Ferrets will be able to get up into some types of refrigerators and could potentially get hurt on the fan. The dryer tubing looks really interesting to them. They can rip a hole in it and get outside through the vent. Couches are also a possible danger for ferrets. They can easily get through the fabric lining and up inside some couches.
Some new ferret owners would love to have their ferrets to be able to run around their homes for exercise, but the most important thing is to give your ferret a safe place to run.
