Constantly I am asked, "Does he bite?" and I have to stop to consider
what to say.  Gracie doesn't bite at all.  Never.  Not even when I have
accidentally scared her and completely deserve to be bitten.  George bites
when he needs attention, thinks I need to be saved from the bubble bath,
and when he feels the urge to really groom me.  Wikkit rough house bites.
When we play with him we cover our hands with our shirts or use a towel.
Even so, he "pulls" his bites.  Occasionally one of us will misjudge and
he'll catch a finger, but has only broken the skin once -- I had stepped
partially down on his tail and was so afraid I'd hurt him I picked him up
too quickly and scared him.  Up to that point I actually believed that
ferrets couldn't bite very hard!
 
I tell people that ferrets are like any other animal: If you "teach" them
to bite, intentionally or not, they will.  If you are always careful of
them and give them no reason to mistrust you, they don't.
 
I just wondered how others deal with this question, because I know you
all do.
 
charlie
[Posted in FML issue 3018]