The other day I mentioned neurological biting in my post about biting
ferrets. I have had a few discussions ablut this over the past few
days, so I thought I would post a followup to my coming out notice.
When my first ferret, Sammy, was nearing the end of his life, he suddenly
became a biter (this was in 1995). When we scratched his head, or in
some other way stimulated *something* he would clamp down and hold on for
dear life. Sammy was diagnosed with lymphosarcoma and it was believed
that the disease had invaded his spine, then his brain. In order to get
Sammy to release his hold, it was necessary to pry his jaws apart. On
more than one occasion I had to pry him off of other people because he
was not able to stop biting himself.
So what is a neurological biter? It is an animal who has a disease or
some other problem in the nervous system that prevents him from
controlling his actions. No matter how hard he tries, the animal is
unable to release his hold. There is nothing that can be used to make
him stop.
There are other things that may prevent a ferret from turning loose once
he bites. Fear is one thing. Sometimes when a ferret bites it is out of
fear. Our response can cause the ferret to continue to bite or to stop.
If you raise your voice to the ferret, it may be counterproductive.
Yelling at the ferret is not a good idea because a ferret will hold on
out of fear, even if he is not a neurological biter. He is afraid that
if he turns loose, whatever is making that noise will hurt him! Instead,
just talk to him in a normal tone, and use visual cues as well.
(Remember a deaf ferret may be afraid because of some reason you don't
know!)
Let me give you an example. If you are afraid of something, you get
tense. When you tense up you have difficulty moving, including turning
loose of anything you may be holding on to. That is a physical response
to a an emotion. Once you are able to relax, you will be able to release
your hold.
If there is a physical cause for the biting, you clamp down and are
unable to release your hold even if you try. The ferret could have a
disease that invades the nervous system - something like lymphoma or
other cancer. If a ferret is healthy, has not had seizures or been
diagnosed with a disease, I would be less inclined to think it is
neurological. If you think your ferret may be a neurological biter - due
to disease or injury - it is best to have your vet examine the animal.
This is a very simplified versiojn. For additional information, you may
want to check with your vet!
--
renee :)
It's amazing how much can be accomplished if nobody cares who gets the
credit!
Ferret Emergency Response, Rescue & Evacuation Team (F.E.R.R.E.T.)
http://www.ferretemergency.org
International Ferret Congress
http://www.ferretcongress.org
American Red Cross
http://www.redcross.org
--
renee :)
It's amazing how much can be accomplished if nobody cares who gets the
credit!
Ferret Emergency Response, Rescue & Evacuation Team (F.E.R.R.E.T.)
http://www.ferretemergency.org
International Ferret Congress
http://www.ferretcongress.org
American Red Cross
http://www.redcross.org
[Posted in FML issue 5366]
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