Three years or so ago, my husband and I came upon a ferret in a pet store
in Louisiana that was absolutely vicious.  She was the littlest in the
cage, and would run from the opposite side just to bite any hand that
went in.  Hard.  Hard enough to draw blood.  Even the pet store employees
refused to touch her.
 
So, like the crazy ferret lovers we are, we bought her and brought her
home.
 
We tried Bitter Apple, but we found that it ended up EVERYWHERE;
especially on our hands, where it doesn't come off.  And it tastes
terrible!
 
The best results came with patience, lots of attention, lots of treats
and time-outs when she bit.  She got the "No" and a tap on the nose, then
placed in the cage for a few minutes.
 
I can proudly say she hasn't done more than nip playfully in about two
and a half years.  We came to decide that she simply felt ignored in the
pet store, and took to biting to get whatever attention she could.  Once
she started getting attention regardless, she stopped.  How strange that
she behaved just as human children do at times...
[Posted in FML issue 5366]