Frederico asked about a ferret that would bite severely when he was picked
up and put back in his cage.
 
It's really hard to diagnose why the ferret is biting without actually
observing him.  There may be hundreds of reasons a ferret will bite.  The
trick is to find out why your ferret is biting in those particular
circumstances, then work to correct it.
 
From your brief description, I might guess that he occasionally bites the
person holding him, because that is how he learned to ask to get down.  If
possible, never set a ferret down immediately after he bites or nips.  It
could be that he fears that his nose will be 'flicked' and hasn't associated
the flicking with any action on his part.  To him it could seem a random
event, and the longer he is held, the more nervous he gets about an upcoming
nose flick.  (I'm one of those against any corporal punishment, if you
couldn't guess.  We've seen more problems caused by that than we've seen it
cure.) One question I'd ask is how long is he out at any one time?  It could
be that he REALLY isn't ready to be put back in his cage, and is letting you
know it when you try to pull him out of, wherever.  Maybe you could try
putting a little Ferretone on your hand when you reach to pick him up so
that he associates getting a treat with getting picked up, rather than
associating it with getting put in his cage.
 
Your particular ferret (they are all different as to how they react to any
"punishment") has associated his cage with being punished.
 
These are just guesses on my part.  You're much closer to the ferret and
it'll be you who will have to firure out why he's biting and what you can do
to correct it.  In general, I'd recommend considering:
 
  - Have a small treat ready when you pick him up
  - Don't put him down if he does nip (unless it's to save you from severe
    bites
  - Don't use physical punishment, use reward for appropriate behavior.
  - Be very consistant.
  - Perhaps, in this case, don't use the cage to punish him.
  - Make sure he gets lots of time out of his cage to play.
 
Remember, free advice is worth exactly what you pay for it.  Good luck.
 
Dick B.
[Posted in FML issue 1700]