>From:    Todd Collins <[log in to unmask]>
>[...] Now realize I've only had this guy 48 hours, but I would really
>like to make some headway on the nipping.  I get the feeling that at times
>he thinks I'm just a big ferret, and other times he is trying to just get
>his way.  He does not bite hard, unless I flick his nose/side of head with
>a "NO".  He then comes pouncing back jaws open bouncing away looking mighty
>fierce and chomping away (still not hard, I would gather that even at this
>age if he wanted to hurt me he could remove a piece of me).  And when I
>hold him, trying to socialize etc, he bites, nibbles, chews, etc, and the
>No's don't work at all and the flicking leads to him chomping down pretty
>hard as he gets all riled up.  [...]
 
I can relate, as I began with 5 kits spread out over a period of about a
year.  What worked for me (after I just about broke Felisa's nose flicking
it) was to pinch their ear between my finger nails and say NO!  before
setting them down when they bit too hard.  The breeder who sold me Isabel
explained that's how the mothers train them to use the litter box, etc.
Given that kits are just prone to chewing activities and that they bite
while playing with each other, I felt honored to be included as one of
the gang.  But I do distinguish between a social 'nip' and the
quivering-bodied, hit-and-run, blood-producing chomp.  The ferrets are very
sensitive to my tone of voice, and now if they start to bite too hard, an
OW! will usually get them to change their minds.  They can also learn the
difference between my pain threshold and my wife's.  But I must admit that
our oldest, Pedro, was totally cured of biting as a kit when my wife, who
was ill at the time and spent a lot of time in bed, would put him in his
cage as soon as he attacked her toes.  Whether it was his personality or
the training method, for the rest of his life (5 years) he never even
play-bit.  A month or so ago, there were a number of posts by people who
used the timeout method with success.  It sounds a bit more gentle (if
unnatural,) but it was too late for me.  As my ferrets continue to age,
and if I can talk my wife into getting more, I'll try it out.
 
In relation to the early/late neutering discussion, Isabel is my only
non-Marshall Farms animal.  She was spayed at six months after being
brought out of heat by the vet.  She's 6 years old now, and has been on
prednisone since 8/96.  She doesn't have much hair, but is going strong on
0.8 ml/day divided into 3 doses.  It's hard to do good statistics with 3
degrees of freedom, but it looks like early vs.  late spay is a tossup.
 
Steve Haag
Felisa (I wish that adrenal surgery had gone better),
Isabel (pass the pediapred),
Tony (does your balding head need grooming?),
and Blackie (a good chomp never hurt anyone)
[Posted in FML issue 2616]