Anna and Martin, Like Dick and several other folks here we have a good deal
of rehab experience, and like them we just plain DON"T purposely insert foul
tastes into the mouth (though we will put Bitter Apple on socks with a new
one), or hit, or otherwise use primate punishment strategies (though we DO
use ferret correction techniques such as scruffing and hissing).  Have you
considered that:
1.  The animal may be in discomfort.  Meeteetse was abused before we got her
because she was "a biter".  It turned out that she was in dental pain; a
baby tooth had tilted sideways and instead of being shed normally became
lodged between two other teeth once it left the gums.  She was trying to
work it out and she was always sore.  A little painless forceps work getting
out the offending shed tooth and she never used her mouth for anything but
kisses again.  Pain anywhere will affect a little one's behavior.
 
2.  So will abuse.  Do NOT hit her or force foul tastes into her mouth.
Sure, you might break her spirit and afterward set off to foster the trust
you need, but you may never be completely accepted by her if you are too
well recalled for inflicting discomfort.  Just because that has worked now
and then does not make it optimal.  One BIG thing to remember is that
ferrets are really good at becoming stubborn, and your types of approaches
could just result in more stubborness.  You need to find some method which
helps you control your own emotional responses.  Try deep breathing or some
other meditation technique before you interact with her.  If you are
nervous, or over-reacting, or very emotional she will be, too -- after all,
she relies on you and anything which indicates that you feel danger will
make her wonder if she is in danger directly or indirectly.  (I know this
sounds like a strange approach, but I used to work daily with animals which
were able to kill me, and I can tell you that it works; so does pretending
that you are an actor who must exude confidence no matter what happens.)
 
3.  Baby ferrets play roughly, and a young one which has not been handled
regularly is unlikely to understand that human skin is thinner and more
sensitive.  So, what you need to do is to teach her that biting will REDUCE
play, which is the opposite of what she encountered with her littermates.
You need to do so WITHOUT making her associate hands with pain.  Try first
scruffing and hissing as the mother would do with a kit which had
misbehaved.  Then place her in the cage for a short while until she has
calmed down.  Once she has calmed down bring her out, and when she cuddles
PRAISE her well.  Ferrets will practically jump between you and a truck if
they think they will be praised to the skies for doing so.  Praise, time
out, and ferret correction techniques are your best tools.  Some folks have
trouble trying to act like a ferret, but face it, if they can learn the
signals of our Order shouldn't we be able to learn their's?
 
Re: Lysodren: It has been a while, but isn't one of the rules with this med
to NOT give it with water because part of the reaction will occur
prematurely?  As I recall, we ground, measured the volumes of powder, and
mixed it with Nutrical at which point it was accepted happily with very good
results in Hjalmar for over a year.  Could some of the poor results seen by
some vets be due to water being given with it?
 
David, Go to the Animal Medical Center on the east side of Manhatten.  Their
exotics specialists are among the world's best.  (When Helix was ill we
decided to be the first to try chemo in a ferret there.  Talk about an area
which has changed in only a decade!!!  Just ask Katie Fritz!!  (Bill, does
Katie -- as opposed to Kathy -- still lurk here?) Their Bandit was CURED of
lympho -- what... 4 or 5 years ago -- by following a protocol modified from
one originally developed for cats by a vet who is nicknamed Dr. Lympho for
all the great treatments she has created.  I wish I could recall her name.
In their case as well the AMC got involved.  This is a PROVEN case of lympho
with biopsies, BTW, NOT a suspected case.)
 
Of course, ferrets learn their names.  In fact, if you constantly use
simple sentences (including conditionals)  and a set vocab you will see a
word knowledge of about 20 to 50 words if your experience is like our's.
Here are two of the more extreme examples we have seen:  Hjalmar had hidden
his fruitcake.  Fritter was half asleep.  Said to Hjalmie was something
like,  "Hjalmer, you stashed your fruitcake".  Frit got up and check
HJALMAR's favorite stash places, rather than her own, and found it on first
try.  In the other, Warp had fallen asleep somewhere and it was time to put
her back in the cage.  Our guys regularly play hiding games with us so
"where?" is well known.  We have also slowly taught "then".  Steve said to
her, "Meltdown, where Warp?  Meltdown get Warp, then Meltdown get treat."
Meltie climbed under our platform bed, then dragged Warp over the platform
and out, dropped her on Steve's foot, then licked her chops at Steve.
 
        The Crandall Place  (No, our WEASL 1 licence plate has
        nothing to do with that e-mail sensual letter case.)
 
[Moderator's note: I haven't heard from Katie for a while... maybe time
to give her a call.  I think the name of the vet you are trying to think
of is K. Ann Jeglum, VMD.  BIG]
[Posted in FML issue 1478]