This is in response to the article about nipping, in which the (so
far unsuccessful) solution has been to 'wap' the ferret when she
bites.
 
In my experience, admittedly limited, I have found the following
method to be very successful.  It involves applying ferret
psychology.
 
What do ferrets hate?  My ferrets do not hate being 'wap'ped.  In
fact, they *love* to play rough with each other, and they love to
fight with us as well - it's only one of the ways they play.  ("I bit
you -- you hit me -- fair enough, let's keep playing!" - Carl Clarke,
Ottawa Ferret Association )  On top of that, I think that it's simply
unkind to 'wap' an animal, especially if there are other solutions.
 
Ferrets hate boredom.  In fact, I think they hate boredom far worse
than any other thing I've been able to think up.  So, when our ferret
Adhemar nips, I bore him as a punishment.  Some simply take the
ferret and put him/her in the cage after nipping - certainly this is
boring and frustrating.  However, I found that it is difficult to do
this immediately enough to be sure that the ferret is connecting the
two incidents - nipping and then being placed in the cage - to be
successful.
 
So what I do when the ferret nips is I take him right away and scruff
him by the neck, exactly in the same way that I do when his toenails
need clipping.  Then I hold him up, and don't do anything for a slow
count to sixty.  Meanwhile, his friend Idefix is free to roam about,
getting a good head start on the playing.  Adhemar *hates* this
punishment, and since I can grab him right away, I'm sure he
associates it with the nipping.
 
 
The good news is, it worked!  I haven't had to do this for months,
and we saw results - less nipping - in less than a week.  It took two
or three until I didn't have to do it anymore.
 
In any case, I recommend this as a valuable alternative to 'wap'ping.
Remember, punish with something you know the ferret hates -- and
ferrets hate boredom more than anything else.
 
Paul and Kathy, Adhemar & Idefix
[Posted in FML issue 1081]