>From:    Kim Wolf <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: dangerous ferrets and other animals
>
>I've had a ferret who would bite me and latch on, and shake.  He was a
>rescue.  You never knew when he would be that way.  but it was usually
>around bath time, or nail trimming time.  Other than that he was usually
>okay.  Turns out he was a man's ferret.  hated women.  And especially
>women who cut his nails or try to bathe him!
 
Hi--
 
The rest of Pepper's story.  Pepper came to me as a biter from a closed
shelter.  6 biters came in with that group.  Kim had some empty cages.  I
sent Pepper and another boy over to her.  The other boy rehabbed well and
went to a wonderful home.
 
Pepper remained a random biter and completely unadoptable.  I took him
back.  I placed in my "biter cage" with the other unadoptable ferrets.  He
integrated quickly and well with the other ferrets.  He remained a random
biter.  While I was sick, my husband took over cage cleaning duties and
started handling Pepper more often.  Pepper loves him, and quit biting
altogether.  We learned completely by accident that Pepper's problem was
women.  I have to ask, but Pepper may never have bitten Dan at all.
 
We used that learning curve, and have found two other ferrets are also
"men's ferrets".  Salt, still bites me, but never so much as nips Dan.  I
have never figured out the cause/motivation for her biting.  Whodat was
simply an older animal who lost his home.  He shivered in my arms and
always went to Dan as soon as he could get away from me.  He has settled
in, and we'll be his last home.  While he still prefers Dan, he will
settle for sitting in my arms when he looks for a bit of attention before
taking off to do ferrety things.  Out late boy, Loki, was a man's ferret,
and followed Dan, and my son Teddy through the house.  It took him 4
months to settle into our house, and we lost him at age 3 to prostate
cancer.
 
KG
[Posted in FML issue 3670]