Friendly and naturally inquisitive, ferrets make fun pets but are harder to train than, for example, dogs.
Pet ferrets are intelligent creatures, take longer to socialize and it's not easy to do, but they can be trained given time and patience and the rewards make it worthwhile.
Use Natural Ferret Behavior To Advantage
Build on, rather than work against, the animal's natural traits in order to succeed. There is hope from the outset when one considers that ferrets are trained for use in some engineering activities, taking wires down tunnels to act as the lead for cables, etc.
Ferret Litter Training
Ferrets can be trained to use litter boxes despite their normal initial reaction of playing in them. Watching for them hunching their back, which signals they are ready to go, then quickly moving them to the litter box will get the message across. Food and water for the pet ferret should be well kept away from the litter box. Any accidents away from the litter box, and especially near their food, should be cleaned immediately, as any remaining scent can encourage them to use the same spot.
Ferret Biting
Training ferrets not to bite involves the repeated and persistent application of techniques and tools. With patience it can be achieved relatively quickly.
Holding the back of the ferret's neck and its snout lightly, with a firm "No" and lightly dragging it a short distance along the floor is the recipe for success. This technique is known as "scruffing," using the scruff of the neck. In ferrets, it signifies dominance and through repetition will succeed in many cases.
Using toys and sparingly using rewards if necessary are the other acceptable physical methods, before using, for example, bitter apple sprays on fingers or applying to the ferret's tongue if needed. This last method only works in some of the more difficult cases. Other physical methods are both cruel and counter-productive and should not be considered.
New Ferret Introduction
Ferrets enjoy and need companionship. If introducing a new one to an existing pet ferret, it is best to introduce similarly-aged ferrets to each other and ideally within a month of getting your first as it helps them bond better. Their sense of smell is important and can be used to help ease the introduction by placing them in separate cages near to each other. Despite the occasional hissing, they will acclimatise, especially if some of their bedding is switched after two days.
When ready they can be introduced to each other. This is best done on harnesses and wearing gloves as there may well be some initial tussling and if it gets too violent then they should be separated again.
If this continues after a few attempts, two other techniques usually bring eventual success with some persistence. Bathing them together, which can be quite a challenge and usually needs a person for each ferret, and eventually a bite deterrent spray used on the neck discourages aggression. After this they should eventually become playmates.
These steps will help train a pet ferret and lead to enjoyable times with these amusing creatures.
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