I just thought I would share my experience with breaking Persephone of the
biting habit. She would bite my forearms or try to haul my feet or hand
off to one of her hiding places. It took time to get her to stop. I
usually flicked her nose, and I would also scruff her. I never tried
whisker tugs- some people swear by that method, but you have to be careful
not to remove a whisker. The point I want to stress is time. Persephone
was two and half when I got her, and she had had little exercise or
contact with people in her first life (the breeder was very ill). After
two months, Persephone still bit, but less frequently. After six months, she
would bite maybe once a week at the most. Since she was sick last month,
she hasn't bitten me once. She is much more of a lap weasel than she was
before- but she is still energetic and playful. She now licks my face
regularly. This is after I had to forcefeed with a syringe every two hours
because she wasn't eating plus give her nasty medicine. I realize this
isn't the most useful advice for biting (nurse your sick carpet shark back
to health), but even a determined biter who was poorly socialized will
come around with a little patience. I was afraid she would hate me after
all the forcefeeding, and it was great to see that she is now such a
little sweetheart.
 
Paula
Persephone and Pandora
 
 
[Posted in FML issue 0548]