We have a wide range of biter-nonbiter ferrets. Mookie (my first) was
about 16 weeks old, unfixed, and had been living alone in a petstore cell
until my brother got tired of my "I'm thinking of getting a ferret" and
got him for me. His wife immediately got a new place to put an earring,
and my hands got slashed up a bit for the first month, but with "no!" ,
some snaps to the nose, and some finger-down-the-throat he finally got
the point and is now our main face-licker. He still likes bare ankles
in the morning, though.
 
Cecil came to us as a 7-week old petstore special and did the usual baby
nipping, but soon stopped, and can be trusted anywhere, except, of course,
bare ankles in the morning. He looks up to Mookie as a role model.
 
We then got Psycho from an acquaintance who had to give him up because
his cat was terrorizing him. First time I picked him up he
twisted back and took a chunk out of my lip, but since then he hasn't put
a tooth to anyone, except when he gets in that mood that got him his
name. (He has imaginary friends. I'd put him up against any other ferret
for sheer weirdness. He's also deaf.)
 
Finally, Cocoa, our little female, is the dangerous one, and she'll
immediately grab ahold of anyone outside the family, and even Terrie
has to be careful, although Cocoa never, ever bites me. All four of our
darlings were treated about the same, but they all have different
behaviors when it comes to biting, or anything else, for that matter.
 
I guess you pays your money and you takes your chances. :)
 
FFZ - I just found out last month that I live in a no-ferret zone. Metro
Toronto is divided up into 6 "cities", of which 4 allow ferrets, and 2
don't. Unfortunately, we live in the city of York, which had a bylaw
that prohibits "any other animals" other than dogs, cats, rabbits and
pigeons. (The other is East York.) I was in at the city Animal Shelter the
other day and pointed out to one of the workers there that the bylaw also
prohibits hamsters, mice, gerbils, rats, guiniea pigs, canaries, budgies,
turtles, and so on, and she wasn't even aware of that!
 
Anyways, there's apparently some pending legislation on the animal control
bylaws, and I've contacted my councillor, and the shelter people are putting
in some suggestions, so I'm hoping for some progress on this matter.
 
Stan,Terrie & Jen, Mookie, Cecil, Psycho & Cocoa (get outta there!)
[Posted in FML issue 1242]