Okay no flames please because I am doing the best that I can.  One month
ago we got a call from a couple who were getting ready to have a baby and
they wanted us to come and pick up their two little fuzz butts.  The lady
said that the male was a little sweetheart and would kiss you to pieces and
she said that the female bit a little too hard during play and she didn't
know how to teach her to stop.  Besides they didn't want ferrets around the
new baby.  Anyway before we made the drive up to rescue these two sweeties,
I asked the lady if gloves were needed for this female ferret and she
responded "no, she doesn't bite that hard or anything".  Well so we went
without the gloves!!!
 
Well when we arrived at the couples house the lady brought out the female
(Rosie) in a pillowcase which right away indicated to me that they did not
do much handling of this biter female over the three years they have had
them.  Well I was right because when we went to leave, this couple gave
goodbye kisses to the male and they didn't come anywhere near the female.
My hubby carried the female out to the truck and in just that 30 second
time period this female attacked and bit him a half dozen times which
caused much pain for him and lots of blood.  It looked as though a few of
those puncture wounds were very deep down.  Well my hubby tried to be a
"man" and pretend that those bites didn't really hurt but I could just
tell he was ready to cry.
 
Well now after a month of handling Rosie a lot and talking sweetly and
offering her treats for good behavior....I believe that she is getting
worse.  I have tried several different methods to try to get her to quit
biting and to get her to see that we are here to love and care for her,
but she just doesn't see it I guess.  She has never bitten me because I am
always on my fastest guard and I have managed to move just a hair quicker
with my hand then she can with her mouth *WHEW*!
 
I have a ten year old daughter that just loves little Rosie to pieces, but
she knows to stay clear of her at all times unless she is wearing gloves.
Yes, I let my daughter handle Rosie with gloves on that go almost to her
elbows.  This is my big concern now as of today.  Rosie for some reason
seems to seek human skin out just for a bite.  I am serious!  If I handle
her with gloves on she takes one sniff and never, ever, ever, ever attempts
to bite me, but once the gloves come off....she is out to kill!!!  She will
even bite your head, leg, thigh, back or anything if she can smell that
these aren't just clothes but clothes with skin under them.  She wants to
bite to the bone no doubt!!  (Was this damn lady crazy?  No I don't need no
stinkin' gloves with her....no!!!) Then when I get to her house she won't
even touch Rosie herself!!!!  I am so pissed off!  I know it is not Rosie's
fault, but I am at a loss on what to do?  Rosie just loves the taste of
Bitter Lime and Bitter Apple!  Well anyway this is what has really taken
the cake>>>>
 
Yesterday during Rosie's free roam time I was on the couch and my daughter
was on the couch too.  We sit with our feet up and gloves on just in case
Rosie figures out how to get up on the couch.  Well I got up and went into
the computer room (which is open and connected with the room I had just
left) to get my pop off the table and all of the sudden I heard a series of
blood gurgling screams that I had never in my life heard before and I
looked up over the computer desk to see Rosie on the couch attached to my
daughter's arm!!  I ran in and had to pry Rosie off of her arm.  Rosie had
jumped on the couch and went straight for blood!  Rosie had gotten her 6 or
more times on a 5 inch area of her arm in a split second!  Her arm was
bleeding and had several deep puncture wounds up and down.  This is not the
first time that Rosie has tried to do this with me and my hubby, but this
is the first time she got to my daughter so quick that she couldn't even
put her gloved hand out in time to stop the attack!  What can I do????
This is crazy!  I have never in my life seen a ferret just flat run across
a room, jump on a couch, and just totally bare teeth and then go *Strike*
*Strike* *Strike* so fast that nobody even had time to think!  Sorry this
is so long, but I just don't know what to do?  I have had one other biter
here and he only bit too hard because he thought that was how you played
with humans.  He learned really quick with bitter apple and he turned out
wonderful, but Rosie I am sure is not trying to play when she does this.
She doesn't bite and then dook or war dance and run off ...she bites and
then bites and then bites!  HELP NOW PLEASE!!!!!
 
Signed
At Wits End
[Posted in FML issue 2728]