OK, my turn.  With all the discussion lately about whether or not all
ferrets bite, I'd like to tell you how we present the issue.  We all know
what the first few questions about ferrets are, & "Does it bite?" is always
one of the 1st.
 
The first thing I always tell people is that it has teeth, & anything that
has teeth *can* bite - even a 2 year old child.  The next point that is
driven home is that ferrets are no more likely to bite than a cat or dog.  I
always make the distinction between pets that have been well socialized &
cared for, to those that have been neglected or abused, because the greatest
influence on a pet's personality is how its been treated & what it's had to
endure.  Most people can relate to how a tortured creature will lash out in
self defense, understandably so.
 
So now they understand that anything with teeth has the potential to bite,
but not necessarily the propensity.  With that said, how exactly do you
define a bite?  I define a *bite* as a deliberate attempt to inflict
injury/pain by sinking teeth deep into flesh - for whatever reason -
justified or not.  A creature in pain will bite in an attempt to eliminate
the source of the pain.  It will also bite in an attempt to prevent what it
perceives as a threat.  In cases like these is a bite deliberate?  Yes, but
in my consideration it's also justified.
 
I do not consider my woozle running over & pinching my foot with its mouth
to get my attention because he wants to play... *biting.* And neither does
my husband as he endures my little jill sitting contentedly on his shoulder
chewing on his ear lobe.  We use a more gentle terminology like nipping or
tasting, & describe them as being mouthy.
 
It occurs to me that this entire debate about biting may be a matter of
semantics.  It's such a sensitive issue because we are owned by ferrets &
have to be concerned about negative publicity.  Reality is that some ferrets
never bite under any circumstances (I've been owned by quite a few), while
others will never be broken of the unacceptable habit.  I think we can all
agree that most well-adjusted fritters fall somewhere in between.
 
It really is as unrealistic to say that all ferrets bite, as it is to say
that they never do - even if yours never do.  We are fuzzy embassadors to
the rest of the unenlightened ferretless world.  We have to be as honest &
accurate as we expect them to be.
 
LONG LIVE KODO
 
Juliana
Frodo, Rocks, Anola Gay, SNAFU, FUBAR, Tabu,
Chaos, Tuxedo, Bijou, Fiasco, & Dazzle
[Posted in FML issue 2189]