Behavior modification for a biting ferret depends a lot on why the
ferret is biting, as several have already mentioned.  I've reformed
biters simply by providing security and quality food.  They were
basically starving.  Easiest of all to fix.
 
With others, it's a trust issue.  Again, providing security and love over
time is the answer.  Like a couple of other posters mentioned, for some,
it's a game.
 
I know of at least one incurable serious biter that had health problems,
which we could never fix -neither the health issue nor the toothy feeding
frenzies.
 
I recall one FML member sticking it's ferret's head into their mouth to
discourage biting with satisfactory results, although I could never quite
bring myself to do that.
 
One method I've read about, which I haven't seen mentioned yet is to
scruff the ferret, drag it across the floor (like mama would) and HISS at
it.  Just don't let anyone see you doing this!  They'll never look at you
the same way again!  Neither does the ferret, though.  It's another way
to establish dominance.  You have to talk a language they understand -and
they know what a hiss and being dragged means.
 
In the spring of 1998, my ferret Duchess had a litter.  She raised 6
beautiful babies.  The largest of the litter was a huge albino male.
When Sherman was about 8 weeks old, he was larger than his petite but
full grown mother.  One day, I found Duchess with Sherman in tow,
frantically dragging him up the ramp, around the second floor of the
cage, down the ramp, bumpity bump, around the bottom floor, up the ramp,
around the upper floor, down the ramp, hissing the whole time.  This went
on for probably five minutes before she let poor Sherman go.  I didn't
intervene.  I didn't see what he did to deserve this 'correction' but she
sure got the message across.  Don't mess with me she told her offspring.
I never saw her do it to any of the others, so maybe the siblings watched
and realized you don't mess with Mom.
 
I've made peace with a number of biters by gently but firmly pinching
them by the scruff, and dragging them across the floor and hissing at
the same time.  Get in their face.  It's a last resort if food, love,
time and bitter apple won't work.
 
And if the biting is a game, you may just have to play by their rules.
 
BTW, Alex, did you forget some of Puma's stash at the old address? : )
 
Julie
 
Julie Fossa
FL (772)228-9067 winters
OH (419)225-8383 summers
West Central Ohio Ferret Shelter
http://www.wcofs.org
International Ferret Congress
http://ferretcongress.org/
[Posted in FML issue 5349]