I've seen lots of posts in lots of forums that describe biting ferrets and
wys to train them out of it.  I think that's terrific, but what about the
ferret that won't let go?  The post about ferret-legging and putting the
ferret under scalding water was disgusting.  It's really easy to make a
ferret let go when he doesn't want to.
 
Just take your thumb and forefinger and place each on either side of the
ferret's mouth, right at the back of their jaws.  Now squeeze, and squeeze
fairly hard.  Their little mouths just *pop* open right away.  Never fails.
 
Our Hagen ferret, Big Tunk, has developed a strong antipathy to other
ferrets (excluding his 7 cage mates).  He runs around the house chomping
breeders and rescues through the cage bars, usually a foot or a tail, and
won't let go.  I tried everything, from screaming and bitter apple to crying
and scruffing.  But he's an absolute jerk and won't be removed for anything.
So my friend Tom (who makes harnesses and collars with flashing lights so
that they can be easily spotted) suggested the jaw pop, and it works every
time.
 
I had a rescue try to take 2 of my fingers and a thumb with a raisin the
other day.  After lots of painful experiences, I finally learned that
pulling away (my natural reaction) is not only stupid, but more painful, and
now when I get chomped I don't move so that the teeth have no opportunity to
tear my skin or work their way in deeper.  I couldn't do the jaw pop on her,
because she had so many of my digits in her mouth that it couldn't open all
that much wider anyway.  A carefully manouvered spoon handle did the trick
that time :-)
 
Sheena - [log in to unmask]  | "To Err is Ferret ... To Forgive|
VP - Ferret Association     | "... Well, That's Our Job"      |
     of Greater Vancouver   (The Wherret Shelter is temp. closed)
  We're on the Web! http://www2.portal.ca/~cmc/ferrets/fagv/
[Posted in FML issue 1763]