Here are some of my own experiences with biters, hopefully, they will help
some of you with your little "nippers".
 
I have worked with several biters, it seems that each ferret I have worked
with had a different reason for biting.  That is the tough part, thinking
like a ferret and figuring out *why* they bite, then fixing it.
 
One kid was just really a "happy-go-lucky" guy at heart who never realized
that "it hurt" when he bit me/other people.  (He was never properly trained
not to nip when he was a kit.) I won't hit a ferret for any reason, so we
spent lots of time togethter figuring out what to do about this "problem".
When he bit (always in playing, never aggressively), I began scruffing him,
saying NO firmly, and closing his mouth with my fingers, all at the same
time.  After a few days of this, he figured out that "no" was supposed to
mean something.  He began to connect "no" to what his mouth was doing.
Finally, if he bit and I said "no", he would hesitate and think for a
second, then release his grip or not bite hard.  THEN I *HAD* SOMETHING!!!!
At that point I began **praising** him and petting and loving on him, and
telling him what a *good* boy he was.  Well he just *loved* that.  THAT
worked like a charm.  It only took a few more times of this and he *stopped*
biting hard completely.  His name is Devadander and he is a great kid!!  We
get along wonderfully now.  I am very certain that I got farther with a
little praise for *good* behavior in a short time, than I could have in
months of spanking or mistreating him for *bad* behavior.
 
Another was a horrible biter who had been through 6 homes and was on his way
to be euthanized because no one could handle him.  He had been severely
abused.  I did not hesitate to take him as soon as I was told about him,
even though I was strictly caustioned by several people saying "we have
already tried to work with this boy, he will chew your arm off".  Once I got
him here I started working with him that very afternoon, he needed to get to
know me and that I was *different* from all the humans he had known before.
I figured out that he believed that all humans were bad and that all humans
would hit him, so he tried to bite them *before* they got a whack at him.
This was so sad to realize for me.
 
So the first afternoon we sat on the floor and he bit me repeatedly, about 6
times total.  I NEVER hit him back, instead, when he bit I decided to
immediately pick him up and (carefully holding his jaws closed) I kissed and
loved on him and told him he was a good boy and that I loved him.  When I
did this, he looked at me like I was from outer space!  That was sort of
funny.  Like I said, we did this six times the first afternoon.  I
constantly praised him and loved on him.  This poor boy had been so abused
that he was afraid of "hands", and when you opened his cage door, instead of
charging out like normal ferrets, he immediately backed up and waited to be
smacked.  He would finally venture forward and peek around the cage seeing
if it was safe, jerking his head and body back inside if I made the
slightest movement.
 
On the second day here, he bit me one time, lightly, on the lip.  I just sat
there frozen and said "ouch" softly, and he let go and has never bitten me
since.  I do have to watch with other people as it seems that everyone has
to individually win his trust before he will accept them, he still believes
all humans are mean and bad, but he knows *I* won't hurt him and I am his
special human and we are great friends.  I see more attachment and love for
me in his eyes than all my other ferrets combined!!!
 
Watching this transformation is the reason I am so "hooked" on working with
biters.  The transformation is the greatest thing in the world to me to be a
part of.  This kid was named Itchy because he was kept on cedar shavings
before I got him and developed skin problems that make his back itch.  So
every morning we go through a routine.  I walk into the livingroom where he
is and before I do anything else, I have to open his cage and pick him up
and scratch his back while he gives me kisses.  We are *best buddies* now!!
 
I have worked with the nip and run kids too, like my Trouble (her name).
She can be the sweetest gal and would never nip hands or faces, but if I
ignore her she nips my feet (especially if I am barefoot) and immediately
turns and runs away.  She has never gotten more in the way of discipline for
this, than what I did with Devadander (closing her mouth and saying "no").
I have decided this is a "game" with her!  She sounds like she is laughing
when running away, and saying 'ha, ha, you can't catch me', as a child
would.  This form of biting is not a big deal to me and it really does not
hurt, and she has never broken the skin.  It is not mean or malicious, only
playing to her.  So I don't do anything but try to "goose" her and pretend I
am going to chase her.  She loves that.  Well, she is *my* ferret, and I
would rather live with her silly game than try to discipline her, I *love*
that little stinkbug, and her actions are kinda funny to me.  She has been
like this for the entire two years I have had her, so I accept it as just
part of her personality.
 
We have to understand that ferrets are as individual as people, they all
have their own reasons for their behavior, some we can change, some we
cannot, regardless...LOVE is the only way to handle any of them :)
 
Kisses to the fuzzies (very "careful" kisses to the biters, though).
Trish
[Posted in FML issue 1752]