>From:    "D. Elliott" <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Yes, I will thump her nose
>I believe a few of you are guilty of "selective reading."  I do believe I
>clearly state I WOULD NEVER PUT MY FERRET IN ANY DANGER.  I have tried
>EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING AND EVERYTHING, ok.
 
You endanger your ferret physically and/or mentally every time you use
physical punishment to force a ferret to mold itself to you will.  The
truth is that you haven't tried everything - you went for a quick, anger
and frustration induced fix.  You never tried patience.  And sometimes,
that does take a long time when dealing with problem biter.  When dealing
with ferrets, or any other small animal companion, there is only one
inflexible rule that should always, always be followed: The hands that
provide care should be used only for demonstrating love and never to
inflict punitive pain.  Hitting a ferret will do one of two things - it
will either turn them into a fear biter, or break them of biting by
breaking their spirit.  Either way, the ferret has learned one lesson that
will be hard - if not impossible - for it to unlearn; and that is, that you
are not to be trusted.
 
>I have been to the Problem Ferrets site, I have read the books, the
>magazines, and the posts.  Every other avenue had been exhausted and none
>of it worked.
 
That's not really true.  You certainly didn't read my earlier posts on
dealing with problem biters (and I have posted on that topic to the FML in
the past).  If you had, you would have known that it can take a long time
to socialize a problem biter.  The longest it took here was 18 months.
You obviously didn't try the suggestions I've made in the past.
 
There are many reasons some ferrets exhibit signs of being a problem biter.
One of the most common reasons is fear biting.  That is almost always
caused as a direct reaction to physical abuse on the part of the human
caregiver.  Another common cause of problem biting is that the ferret isn't
properly socialized to humans.  It simply hasn't learned that human skin is
more delicate than its own.  There is no malice, no desire on the part of
the ferret to cause harm.  The ferret just wants attention or to play and
seeks to draw attention to him/herself in the only way he/she knows how -
by biting.  Screaming and hitting on the part of the human only serves to
confuse and frighten the ferret.  All bite incidents should be dealt with
in the same manner - calmly and patiently.  It is a little hard to do, but
it can be done.  Gently, but firmly tell the ferret "No Bite.  Bite Bad.",
and disengage the offending teeth from your flesh.  Gently stroke the
ferret and speak in a calm, reassuring voice.  Say things like, "Kisses
good.  Be a good boy/girl." If you do manage to get a ferret kiss,
immediately reward the ferret with some Ferretone and praise the ferret for
being a good boy or girl and stopping the biting.  In most cases, the
ferrets will learn that not biting is a desirable trait and become
socialized to humans.
 
Of course, there are some ferrets for whom that method doesn't work.  Time
outs have been successful for some people.  The best thing I have found
for difficult biters is "sending them to Coventry" -- ignoring them during
Ferretone or KittyMalt treat time.  I make a production of giving everyone
else an extra taste of the Ferretone and praising them for being good, all
the while saying in a friendly voice "Good boys get treats, yes they do."
Ferrets aren't stupid.  They will eventually put two and two together and
want the extra praise and treat.  The problem biter will copy the
activities of the non-biters and learn to behave themselves.
 
>Yes, it is harsh, but in this case it is the only thing that worked.  And
>yes, I would do it again if necessary because she is MY ferret, I have to
>endure the scabs, and I'm just not damaging the ferret by punishing her.
 
Why is a harsh method better than patience and love?  You provided the
answer - you don't want to endure the pain and scabs.  The bite angers you
and you want immediate revenge to make it stop.  It is Pavlovian training
at its worst - cause enough pain and the ferret will stop biting.  Of
course, as I pointed out before, and as Pavlov demonstrated with the dogs
and bell, trust is lost.  You want a fast fix, and refuse to accept that
harsh methods of physical punishment can endanger a ferret physically or
mentally unless you see an immediate reaction.
 
There is another serious problem to the way you view your relationship with
your ferrets - you refer to the ferret as "MY ferret."  The truth is, she
isn't YOUR ferret.  YOU are HER caregiver.  It may be a subtle difference,
but it is profound.  Like children, the ferrets we care for may well be in
our possession, but they are not objects that are owned.  They are living
creatures with complex feelings and emotions.  As caregivers, we have an
obligation to provide them with a loving environment and the knowledge that
never, never, never will the hands that provide gentle caresses, food, and
water cause them any intentional harm.
 
>This is absolutely the last time I will address it on the FML, so don't
>waste your time (or BIG's) by trying to debate it anymore.
 
Frankly, I really don't care if YOU want to debate it anymore or not.  You
opened a line of discussion that should be visited regularly.  I do think
that anything said by myself or others is unlikely to effect any kind of
change in your attitude, but a new ferret caregiver may learn something
from the discussion.  And that will be a good thing.
 
FSG
[Posted in FML issue 3060]