I've seen many references to problems with nipping/biting ferrets in the FML
and elsewhere and felt that maybe it was time to add my input.  Having
worked with small animals (rodents, rabbits, dogs, & cats for 25 years and
ferrets for 7), I am concerned about some of the advice given.
 
Many people advocate some sort of "corporal punishment" when dealing with
ill-mannered ferrets.  "Corporal punishment" being nose-thumping, bitter
apple in the mouth, neck-biting on the part of the owner, etc.  While many
of these approaches may work and solve the problem, I feel that it may just
"prolong the agony", so to speak.  What I mean is, if a ferret is scared (as
mentioned in a recent post), none of these approaches will work to end the
biting.  If any of you have ever had to work with a dog who is a fear-biter
you know what I mean.  Fear-biting animals lash out at anything that causes
them to be scared.  It's a kind of blind-panic - they're not thinking
clearly - just reacting.
 
One of our adoptees was a potential fear-biter.  We got Mandy in March 1995.
She was about 12 weeks old at the time.  The first two months in her foster
home were sheer terror for her.  She would jump out of her skin over
everything.  Popping her nose or screaming in her face if she bit would have
accomplished nothing.  Everything was done in gradual steps.  Our approach
was to first confine her to her cage.  Sounds cruel, but in reality it
wasn't.  Our reasoning was that if she only had one area to feel very safe
and secure in she would start to calm down and show interest in the activity
going on around her.  If you've ever worked with wild animals, you've
probably used a similar approach.  Her cage was also elevated off the floor
so she didn't have to feel threatened by the "giants".  This made it easy to
sit on a chair next to her cage and have quiet conversation with her.
Nutrical (very small tastes) were offered through the sides of the cage
every time her foster mom walked by and she was always talked to in very
soft and calm tones.
 
Before long, Linda (the foster mom) could open the door to the cage when
offering Nutrical and Mandy stopped running to the back of the cage in fear.
Soon, Linda was able to pick her up when giving a treat.  As soon as Mandy
appeared to be comfortable with this approach her cage was lowered to floor
level.  Everything else remained the same for a while.  When she again
appeared to be comfortable, Mandy was allowed to come out for some
supervised play time.  By now she had started to trust Linda and was a
confirmed Nutricalaholic.  Linda always talked to her calmly and
reassuringly.  At first, Mandy wouldn't venture very far from her "room".
This was her main security and she knew she could always return to her home
if something frightened her.  It became easier to work with her using the
Nutrical and a reassuring voice.  She became very dependent on Linda.
 
The time came when Mandy acted almost exactly like any other ferret.  She
played with other ferrets very nicely and would even stop occasionally to go
"touch base" with Linda.  At the end of July 1995, we decided that Mandy was
ready for a public outting and Linda brought Mandy to the August meeting.
Mandy did very well, although she was somewhat nervous at first.  I held her
for about 15 minutes just stroking her belly and talking softly to her.
When she was handed back to Linda you could see her relax - she was back
with the one person she knew the best.  That was the big turning point for
Mandy.  Back at home she began to always come when Linda called her.  Mandy
has been in a ferret show, been to several meetings and has even gone to
visit another ferret at his house.  She took it all in stride.
 
The point of this is to ask that any time there is a problem with a
nipping/biting ferret please, for the sake of everyone involved, especially
the ferret try to tailor the training/discipline to the individual animal.
Knowing the animal's history will help.  Mandy was a petshop baby who went
to a home with a small child and two other larger male ferrets.  No offense
to anyone with children, but children have very high-pitched, shrill voices.
The two other ferrets were understandably rough with her - they were a good
bit older and bigger.  All this made for one very scared little girl ferret.
I shudder to think what would have happened if we hadn't gotten Mandy.  She
probably would have been dead a long time ago.  She's been in foster care
for a year now and has been ready for adoption for several months - but,
she gets to pick her new Mom or Dad.  If anybody is interested, please
contact me.
 
There's just one other thing I want to address.  I've seen recommendations
to treat "bad" ferrets in a manner similar to the way their mothers would.
There's just one problem with that approach.  We are not ferrets.  Anybody
who has ever hand-raised a baby animal knows that trying to "be like mom" is
often a dismal failure.  I know because I've raised my fair share of
squirrels, 'possums, and birds over the years.  All I could ever hope for
was to raise the baby to the best of my ability and hope I didn't damage his
little psyche so much that he/she could not return to the wild.  My
suggestion, assuming you all haven't skipped to another post by now, is to
treat your ferrets the best way you know how - as a human.  Understanding
their behaviors is important, but we can't be them and they can't be us.
 
Jan M. Lovell - Secretary
Georgia Domestic Ferret Association
Dedicated to a Better Life for Domestic Ferrets Through Knowledge and
Understanding
770-442-5917
[Posted in FML issue 1502]