Howdy Y'all,
 From deep in the Alameda Ca. FFZ me and my mustelid bid you well. This
is mac from berkeley yet again with for the benefit of ye who own the
 intractable, unstoppable, unteachable vicious bastard horrible hob. I
was just reading the procedes of the '89 Madison conference on rabbit and
ferret medicine, an someone presented evidence to the effect that
castration may eliminate inter male aggression, it doesn't do much for
interspecific aggression, but socialization does. Handle 'em often,
handle 'em nicely, and be swift and consistant with the terrible flicking
finger of justice. Don't out and out swat as you might hurt the lil'
stinker and or provoke the dreaded "death blossom" ferret survival
frenzy. One handbook for animal lab tech suggested doping with valium and
then handling until an association is formed between being stoned and
being cuddled. Other than that, they do mellow a bit as they age, and
sometimes can be made to understand that bad play gets them ignored,
while good play gets them malt extract, ferret treats, cat treats, stout,
a teeny bit of chocolate,  or even your neighbor's annoying collection of
exotic birds (with bells on!). If need be, spray the tastiest parts of
your person with bitter apple or other pet deterrent. Ultimately, of
course, there are those suits that dudes from the bomb squad wear...
 Best of luck,
    MAC
[Posted in FML issue 1028]