Here are some additional thoughts based on what some folks proposed as
solutions:

If Rhea is getting along fine with another or several other ferrets do
NOT separate her from this social contact! Ferrets that get along with
other ferrets are demonstrating they DO have an ability to be sociable
critters - don't deny them this expression.

Ferrets that fight with other ferrets are demonstrating they are
comfortable being loners and isolating them is no big deal for them,
however forcing them into a social situation will only heighten any
aggressive tendencies - they need to be enticed into social patterns.

WIth gregarious ferrets that bite humans but not other ferrets you are
seeing that either the ferret feels it needs to defend itself from
humans or the ferret hasn't been taught that humans can't handle the
rough housing and that humans CAN be really nice to be with.

Ferrets are VERY smart, they can puzzle things out and not only learn
through trial and error, but also by watching and contemplating. They
have great memories and insatiable curiosity and an innate desire for
absolute FUN! All behaviors which really make them very fast learners
and from what I've experienced, very easy to "rewire".

I cannot express enough the IMMEASURABLE HUMONGOUS benefit to letting
ferrets run free 24/7 in large enriched areas that the humans also live
in. Ferrets are explorers and NEED to be able to expend energy in this
manner. A couple hours a day is NOT enough time to explore. IF the
ferret MUST be housed in a cage, don't expect them to be settled and
cuddlable as soon as they are brought out.

I am ambivalent about wearing gloves and boots - yes, these are great
for protecting our skin. I have suggested gloves to a friend handling
another regular biter. But I myself have not worn them. I have worn my
sneakers around the house for the first several days with the new crew,
as two of them were ambush biters and the other was an overexuberant
biter when playing.

Allow the biter to WATCH you interact with the other nice ferrets -
watch NOT from a cage, but from within the same room. Eventually the
biter will want to play games too and will make efforts to join in -
if even from the periphery of the play area.

Your scent will get all over the other ferrets and the biter will
become acclimated to human scent just from snuggling next to friends.

When the biter is showing interest on the periphery - interact with it
from that distance- make goofy faces, do silly things with your hands,
use a towel to get it chase and pounce upon, play hide and seek, roll
several balls past it etc. LET the biter BE a ferret and do NORMAL
ferrety things at that distance - run, pounce,t ackle, wrestle, bite,
hide etc!

Several days (or weeks) of this and the ferret will now realize YOU
(and humans) CAN be fun. I can run around the house in my stocking
feet now, all the ferrets can be scooped up at will without me getting
stapled, any ambushes and "attacks" are now done in fun ONLY, I can
hand wrestle with all of them and every ferret shows proper restraint
in their bite pressure. Even the deaf girl has stopped racing for
cover when I stand up or move from room to room. The hob let go of his
defensive behaviors the fastest, next was the second worst biter, the
worst was third to let go of her defensive AND offensive attacks, and
the deaf girl has been the slowest to relinquish her protective
behaviors.

Towels are great toys AND can double as protective gear for you as well
as wonderful capture and transport "nets". A ferret playing with a
towel but needing to be transported to another room or back to its
cage, and hasn't yet learned to stop biting can be entertained with a
towel and once engaged in wrestling the towel with a little practice
the human can flip the other end of the towel over the ferret and scoop
it up. Keeping the ferret safely contained in the towel and unable to
bite and the ferret is NOT put on the defensive.

When it comes right down to it most of dealing with ferrets is being
able to adjust OUR behavior to bring out the best behavior in the
ferret! We NEED to learn to balance the natural needs of the ferret
with what WE want from them as our domestic companions. With
consistent, persistent, compassionate interaction ferrets with
ingrained ideas about humans CAN be rewired and the friendly, fun
interactive nature of the ferret CAN be brought out!

Hope this helps.

Cheers,
Kim

[Posted in FML 5862]