Everyone I know thinks they bite when in reality they are nipping or
teething.  The ones you buy at the store are so young, they are probably
teething or about to teethe, so I can imagine an uneducated person (about
ferrets, mind you) would think that they are biting.  NO, I know what a
real ferret bite is like, its nothing like a nip!!  Those cute little
pet store ferrets seldomly ever draw blood!  *Thats* a bite!  Believe
me, I am sure those babies just want a good home, I dont think they
would be clamping down on anyone unless they were severely abused or
blind/deaf...or had an attitude problem.  The store employees would know
about it, though.  Dont worry, it wasnt my ferret that bit me, btw...
 
My mom saw that happen to me and after my Satinka settled in to life with
me, she started to love her.  She was knawing on my mom's knuckles (I
have no idea why she does this) and I said, "Just scruff her and tell
her not to bite you".  My mom said, "She is NOT biting me, she is barely
nipping!"  Bites are from scared or defensive animals.  A nip is from a
playful animal.  And knuckle sucking is...weird.
 
I have seen a lot of people in the pet stores staring at the ferrets and
asking, "Do they bite?" Well, some of the employees have handled it well,
while others...eh.  Most people want to know if the animal they are about
to bring home will be in any way agressive, especially if there are
children.  And...a ferret in a pet store laid back enough not to nip and
to be around a bunch of nippy ones is a find, I suppose.  I wouldnt know,
mine loves the taste of flesh!  lol
 
So, the moral of the story, I guess, is that once you *really* know what
a bite is like, you can think anything is a bite.  But they should use
the word "nip", it is infinitely less scary.
[Posted in FML issue 5118]