Dear FML,
 
I'm not sure where to start, so I'll start at the beginning.  I had many
ferrets (7) about a year ago.  I gave them up, to a good home, because I
anticipated some changes in my life that would cause me to be unable to
keep them.  Some of those changes did not come to pass.  When I contacted
this "good home" to try and bring my babies home I was first ignored, and
then admonished as being a bad ferret-mom, for giving them up.  O.K.  So,
I survived the pain of losing my babies, and the guilt that I bought into
for awhile.  Over the last year I passed by lots of adorable babies at pet
shops, 1.  Because I don't think pet shops should sell ferrets, and I don't
like their practices, and 2.  Because I felt so guilty for giving mine
up.
 
For the last several months I have visited a ferret at a pet shop where
I buy mice for our snake.  Every time I saw him he was bigger, and more
aggressive.  Monday I finally spoke to the store manager and told her that
he needed to have a better cage (he was in an aquarium with wood chips).
She offerred him to me for $25.  I spoke to my SO, and my landlord, and
brought him home.  The pet shop told me that he is from a canadian breeder,
and he is 3-4 months old.  This is a big boy, has got to be about 2 lbs.
already.  He has been neutered, and de-scented, and he had his first
distemper shot.
 
I made an appointment to take him to a good ferret vet on monday.  He will
start the distemper series over, and give the rabies shot.  I want the vet
to check his mouth etc.  to determine if he has any problems that may be
contributing to the tendency to bite (hard).
 
He is clearly afraid of hands.  If I hold him with with a piece of fabric
covering my hands (a t-shirt or something) he is a nice boy.  I can pet
him if I dodge his teeth and he doesn't see my hands.  Against my better
judgement my SO wears leather gloves when holding him, but the ferret seems
to know that those gloves are just hands in disguise.
 
He runs away when approached, but constantly follows us, and is curious
about us.  He obviously has not been allowed to run.  He is so happy to
play, and run.  He approaches us, but then tries to bite, hands, and feet.
I can see that he wants to be a friend, but doesn't know how.  If I hold
him with bare hands he bites over and over, deep bloody bites, and he cries
when scruffed.  Last night I held him with my dress, and gave him some
ferretone, and talked gently to him.  It was so nice to hold him, and he
did not try to bite me.  That is the first and only time we have made that
much progress.
 
Please post any information you have on similar experiences.  I posted
anonymously because certain people from the local ferret community condemn
me for my previous experience with the ferrets I gave away.  Thanks for
your help.
 
[GB]
[Posted in FML issue 3085]