Pssst, hi!
 
I know that biting ferrets are, for political reasons, a no-no topic to go
on and on about in public.  But as many of you know, nipping IS a big
problem for some ferrets (like mine) and I would appreciate any comments,
advice, suggestions, etc.  from all you seasoned Ferreteers out there.
 
I bought my first ferret two weeks ago from a PJs Pet Store in Toronto,
Canada.  Wills is an adorable black-eyed white and is now about 10 weeks
old.  Being a naive first-time pet owner who thought that all animals from
pet stores must be healthy and well-adjusted (why else would they be so damn
expensive?), imagine my surprise when I discovered that Wills (and many
other ferrets in Canadian pet stores) came from a Manitoba breeder that
often overbreed ferrets and do not give them the kind of handling and
treatment that they need.  So although I used to think that the reason Wills
nips so hard is because he hasn't been taught any better, now I'm not so
sure.
 
I've tried everything I know with him - scruffing him and yelling "No!",
thumping his nose, not thumping his nose, implementing time-out, pushing my
finger into the back of his mouth, pressing on his cheeks so he can't chomp
down, giving him treats for good behaviour - all with no real success.  I
put up with the first few bites with good humour, but after he bit my finger
so hard it drew blood (while I was actually giving him Ferretone!), I became
so fed up that I've been handling him with thick leather gloves on ever
since.  He goes absolutely nuts if I'm doing something he does not like (eg.
cleaning his ears, dragging him away from plants, etc.) and the way he comes
after me made me realize that, my god, the little guy is really angry at me.
When I took him to get his distemper shot last week, he actually bit the
vet.  It took three people to hold him.  Even when he is scruffed, he twists
and turns with his teeth bared and basically acts as if this was a life or
death situation.
 
I'm at a complete and total loss.  I feel absolutely criminal handling him
with gloves all the time (can you imagine not touching your child unless you
have gloves on?) as if he had some horrible contagious disease.  I don't
know if I'm doing all the right things anymore (eg. making the discipline
consistent, not turning him against me, etc.) I've been told that Wills is
still a baby, that I have to be patient, but for selfish reasons, I'd at
least like to know if what I'm doing is making the situation better and not
worse!
 
Many people here have already given me advice and encouragement (a million
thanks to Randy Belair, Judith Emery, Sukie Crandall, and Patricia Curtis).
If anyone else has gone through a similar situation (esp. all you shelter
operators), PLEASE share your experiences with me.  I think compiling a
Ferret Nip-training FAQ is a GREAT idea.  After all, biting is not the real
problem (dogs bite, cats bite, hamsters bite, humans bite) - not being able
to train an animal not to bite is.  A Ferret Nip-training FAQ is an obvious
statement to the anti-ferret population that ferrets are smart and
domesticated enough to be taught not to bite!  Please help by posting on
the FML or emailing me directly ([log in to unmask]).  Thanks!
 
Sincerely,
 
Carolyn Chu
& Wills
[Posted in FML issue 2077]