Please help me with litter training my ferret outside his cage!?

Sounds like a lazy ferret to me! He just can't be bothered getting into the box to poop!

You are doing all the right things; taking him to the box when he needs to go, leaving a little bit of mess in there so it smells like the poop area to him, praising him for using the box.

There is just one thing left for you to do: Persevere! Sooner or later he'll figure out what you want him to do. Some ferrets are fast learners, some just aren't, but they all get there eventually.

The only other tips I can offer are:

- Make the area he plays in smaller. There less distance he has to travel to poop, the more likely he'll use the spot. The more you notice him going to the spot and ensuring he uses the box, the closer he'll get to figuring out he's supposed to do it in there. Once he's got that down pat, give him a larger area to roam.

- If he doesn't do it in the box, be sure not to punish him. The only discouragement that will work is what you are already doing - moving the poop to the poop area.

Keep working at him! Good luck!

Most ferrets (okay, most boys!) do not like small boxes. They like to poop in the vicinty of the box but sometimes not in it. If he is at least a foot or so within it, just put down puppy pee pads, or a plastic runner when he's out. If he's only choosing that area to do his business in, count yourself lucky.

How old is he? He may just need some time. Consider making your own larger box for him to go into that you can line with newspaper. We made some with signboard (Coroplast) a while back. You can make big areas that they feel like walking onto. Ferrets are very clean despite the messes they make - they hate going near other areas they have already pottied, so that's why they have aversions to the boxes sometimes. Also, you can sometimes line the area with sheets crumpled up to disourrage him from pooping in that area, making him climb over them to the box.

If you keep doing what you are doing you should see some success. All my tips are pretty much for when you don't get that success. I'm a firm believer that ferret behavior is anti-box if they have ample room for going elsewhere. Yes, many will be box trained, and that's great, but I know ones who are so adamant on not doing it, they'll fake a poop in the box and go poop somewhere else. I don't know why :P

I had/have this same problem. Mine like to go in any and every corner while they are out playing. I cut some kitty litter boxes diagonally and place them in all four corners of their play room and they back up and don't even realize they are in there. To them it is still the corner of the room because they dont have to climb over anything to go in there. I also put newspaper in and underneath the box, and mine have found that paper is what they go to the potty on (in their cage, too) so that helps.