To Barbara and Jean:
 
What you describe is all pretty normal baby behavior.  You gave it away
when you said your previous ferret was adopted already GROWN.  Baby
ferrets are a lot of work - and totally different than most older ferrets.
 
I couldn't help but smile as I read your post - biting the dog and hanging
there :)  yes, that's what baby ferrets do.  My dogs are good w/my ferrets
but they try to stay out of the way of babies when I'm raising a litter!!
 
The squawking you describe is a "baby sound" - although I think it sounds
more like a "honking" noise - you only have one......do you have any idea
what it sounds like when you have a whole litter of "honking" babies??@!!
It sounds like a "gaggle of geese"!! (I *think* that's what you call a
bunch of geese!!)  Personally, I *love* that noise, but it's a sound they
generally outgrow around 3 - 4 months of age, although I've had a couple
of babies who kept it a bit longer.
 
These are the formative weeks - babies need lots of love, attention, and
firm discipline.  Ferrets have *very* tough skin (ask anybody who has
vaccinated a ferret!) and they *know* they can bite harder on their own
kind and it doesn't hurt.  They have to *learn* that our skin is not as
tough as theirs and they aren't supposed to bite as hard (I'm talking
play bite).  And they will learn eventually, although some faster than
others.  They need a lot of handling and you need to EXPECT to get
bitten for now.  Someone said keep bandaids on hand.  An excellent idea.
 
Those teeny tiny teeth marks in your finger may not look bad, but given
them 24 hrs and they *feel* bad.  However, it you treat them immediately
with any good over-the-counter topical ointment and a bandaid, you can
save yourself alot of agony and pain.
 
Involved in rescue as I am, I get tons of phone calls.  I can get a
feeling now of who might do better w/ an older ferret and who can deal
with a baby ok.  Oftentimes I've recommended going w/an older ferret
just because unless you're dedicated, having babies can be tough.
 
Another recommendation I make is to buy a MF ferret.  Say what you want
about MF, but they have the sweetest, nicest, gentlest ferrets, and I
have never had a MFF that was a biter - even as kits they're nice.  This
is not a slam against PV - my experience w/PV is very limited, so I can't
say too much about them.  However, I have had much more experience w/MF
and they have spent many years breeding for temperment - and I for one,
feel they have succeeded.
 
Another ferret could help, or you could have 2 honking babies banging
on the cage - it depends on the ferret.  But, this baby needs to be
handled alot.  I carry my babies around the house all the time to get
them used to be handled.  They struggle at first, but that's their job -
eventually they should settle down.
 
Remember - you get out of it what you put into it.  If you spend a lot
of time w/ your baby, you will gets tons of love and affection.....if
you keep the baby in a cage all the time w/out training or touching
or attention, you will have a maladjusted adult that will probably bite.
 
Debbie Riccio
WNYFLFA
[Posted in FML issue 1164]