Q: "Bob! Please answer this ASAP! PLEASE! Can you use a binder clip to
scuff a ferret??? I read a recommendation of using them on the FML...
is it dangerous?"

A: It is if you binder clip a ticked-off ferret to your lip.

I've been visiting my granddaughters and only just returned home, so
have not read a lot of FMLs lately and have not read the thread. I
apologize if my answer duplicates any other answer.

I've never heard of anyone using a binder clip to scruff a ferret, but
I am sure it would work to some degree. Still, to me the advantages of
using an independent scruff would be outweighed by the risk of injury
or discomfort.

I help keep the binder clip people in business, using them in
zooarchaeology, paper control, photography, and even in my kitchen
to close bags of chips. I also use binder clips all the time with my
ferrets. I tie dangling toys to them so that I can clip it to table
edges. Medium size ones are helpful to clip cage doors open (or
locked), or to attach cage blankets to the outside of the cage. I use
them to hold the rolled-up part of a plastic tube dispenser to keep
the goodies near the front end. Once, when my harness ring broke while
walking a ferret, I used a binder clip to attach the leash to the
harness. I use them for hundreds of other temporary applications, but I
have to admit, having pinched my fingers with them from time to time,
that I have never thought of using them for ferret scruffing.

I HAVE used wooden clothespins for scruffing small rodents and have
tried them on ferrets and they sometimes work, BUT I have always
modified them before use. I heat the spring to reduce the "pinch"
power, and cover the pinching end with moleskin. Ultimately, I removed
the metal spring, replaced it with a short section of 3/16th wood
dowel, and held the clothespin together with rubber bands to have
better control of pinch pressure. With small rodents this works like
magic; if you have ever had to take lots of caudal blood samples on
hundreds of mice by yourself, a bit of magic works wonders if for
nothing else than reducing the number of bites to the fingers. However,
I have had unpredictable results with ferrets. It always seemed to me
that if I reduced the pinch power to I could guarantee not to hurt the
ferret, the scruff power was also reduced, so it became ineffective in
many cases.

As for the neck anatomy of the ferret, I doubt if even a binder clip
with a lot of pinching pressure would equal the intensity of a ferret
biting another ferret's neck in play, much less than when in sexual
congress. That doesn't mean there isn't a risk of injury, but it would
probably be somewhat small (any estimate would be conjectural, but
considering sex and play, it wouldn't be a high risk).

Still, I am not sure that risk of injury is the most important point.
While I am sure the actual risks of permanent injury would be small,
I am equally positive that the pinch would be somewhat painful,
especially if the skin pinch was narrow or the binder was slipping off.
I just don't think I would want my ferret to experience pain each time
I had to do a bit of grooming or first aid. It would be stressful and
perhaps might teach them to struggle against scruffing and make giving
various treatments all the harder. The last thing I need when trying to
remove a tick or splinter, object from an eye, or when cleaning a would
is for the ferret to struggle, or to fear bite me. I think the "pain
potential" would be a far greater worry than injury.

If the use of binder clips necessary, I wouldn't use them without
changing them a bit. Binder clips can be modified to reduced pinching
pressure simply by pulling the ends apart to create a gap. A couple of
layers of moleskin can be applied to both sides of the clip to help
spread the pressure and soften the pinch. I would try it on the base of
my fingernail first; if it hurts, I would pull the ends further apart.

There are probably better solutions. A bit of Ferrettone or Nutri-cal
placed on the belly makes nail clipping a cinch. Place the treats on
the counter top or on a plate and you can do a lot to the ferret,
including giving shots or sub-q fluids, with little reaction. I've
changed bandages while a ferret was sucking down a bit of Bob's Chicken
Gravy. Give a favored treat and you can do a lot to a ferret with
little reaction.

Nutri-cal contains a sizable amount of molasses (SUGAR!!) and some
vitamins in the commercial products are unnecessary. Both are
expensive. I make my own oil treat and the ferrets love it once they
get used to it. I just skim off some chicken oil when boiling chicken,
and mix it with pure virgin olive oil at a 1:3 ratio. Only make up a
few ounces at a time and keep in in a dark bottle in your refrigerator
because it will turn rancid if kept warm in the light. Toss out what
you haven't used after a month if stored in a refrigerator, or in a
week if stored on a shelf. The olive oil helps keep the chicken oil
liquid, but it the mix may solidify a bit when cold. Just warm the oil
bottle in a glass of hot tap water and shake before dispensing.

Personally, I try to use healthy treats instead of scruffing, but when
I have to scruff, I use my hands so that I know exactly how hard I am
holding or if the scruff is slipping. In a pinch, I suppose I wouldn't
turn down a binder clip scruff if I HAD to have a "third hand," but
ONLY after it was been modified as I described, and only in an
emergency for extremely short periods of time.

Bob C [log in to unmask]

[Posted in FML 5839]