by Jaime Roxann Wright

Created on: April 16, 2008   Last Updated: March 06, 2009

Ferret Care Information: Tips for Training a Ferret

You walk into the pet store and your little one spies the ferret corral. "Yikes!" you think. But not to worrythese little beasties are very trainable, and they even use the litter box like a cat. After owning three of them, I now know that the Egyptians knew what they were doing when they chose to domesticate and train them as companions.

The first tip in ferret training: do not buy a ferret to teach a child responsibility. Buy a ferret for a responsible child. Children like to grab at small animals, pick things up by their tails, and tend to make sudden movements around them. These are not acceptable behaviors when dealing with an often-skittish animal. Training a ferret first begins with you. Once you have trained yourself in observance of their behavior then you can begin to train them. It never hurts to read a book or two on their behavior.

The second tip is to derail the tendency to nip or bite. Some ferrets nip, some do not. However, all have very sharp teeth that you wish to avoid. Like dogs, ferrets main communication tool is their mouths. Nipping can be a reaction to fear, it can be playful, or it may think that your pink finger is its next meal. It is up to you to "nip" it in the bud. Ferrets never respond well to being hit, therefore never hit a ferret. The best method of discipline is to grasp the scruff of the neck much like a puppy. Couple this with a loud and firm "NO!" and that should work. Another useful method that works for stubborn ferrets is to flick them quickly on the end of the nose. Be sure that it is done without the intent to harm, because the nose is their most sensitive area. Just a quick flick usually deters bad behavior of any kind.

The tip of tips is how to avoid the smelly cage. You may have already noticed that ferrets have a musky odor. They are de-scented officially by the time that they get to you. However, their urine is strong with ammonia and the smell can be quite pungent. Ferrets can be litter box trained very easily. Ferrets "back up" into a corner to relieve themselves. In the wild, this assures them that they are safe during their most vulnerable moments. I have often caught a wayward ferret "while their pants were down". Litter box training requires a litter box that has one side cut down for easy entrance. Litter boxes have the required corners that ferrets love. Make sure in the beginning you leave a few of the feces in the box so they remember that this is where

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