How to Make a Ferret Litter Box

Litter pans come in a variety of shapes, and most are made from standard nontoxic plastic. Ferrets prefer litter pans with a low front entrance and tall back and sides. Having extra litter pans throughout the house or in a multiple ferret home makes litter pan training easier and reduces odors. Homemade litter pans can be constructed using household items that are inexpensive, easy to obtain and easy to keep clean.

Things You'll Need

  • Standard plastic dish tub 15 inches long and 13 inches wide with 6-inch tall sides
  • Cardboard box 16 inches long, 14 inches wide and 12 inches tall
  • Utility knife
  • 2 strips of fabric from T-shirt, 6 inches by 1 inch
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Instructions

    • 1

      Cut out the front side of the box, leaving a 1-inch lip at the bottom of the front side. Trim the backside and two shorter ends to prevent litter from leaving the pan. This now serves as a litter screen.

    • 2

      Poke two holes 2 inches apart in the back of the box just a few inches below the top edge of the box. These holes serve as the upper cage-mounting holes for the litter screen.

    • 3

      Thread each end of one strip of material through the two upper cage-mounting holes. This now becomes the upper cage-mounting strips.

    • 4

      Poke two holes 2 inches apart about 4 inches from the bottom of the box. These holes now serve as the lower cage-mounting holes for the litter screen.

    • 5

      Trim down one of the long sides of the pan, leaving a 2-inch lip at the bottom of the pan for the ferret to use to enter and leave the pan. Leave the other three sides of the pan at their original height. This construction serves as the litter pan itself.

    • 6

      Poke two holes near the top edge of the backside of the dishpan. These holes should be even with the lower cage-mounting holes in the litter screen.

    • 7

      Thread one end of a piece of T-shirt material through each of the two holes in the litter pan. The material now serves as the lower cage-mounting strip.

    • 8

      Place the dishpan inside the box. Thread each end of the lower cage-mounting strip through each one of the two lower cage-mounting holes in the litter screen. These strips hold the litter pan and screen in place while the ferret is using the pan.

    • 9

      Place the screen and pan in the appropriate location (playpen, room of the house or inside the habitat). Secure the pan in place using the upper and lower cage-mounting strips and fill with ferret-safe litter.