Hi all,
Previously I have posted anonymously due to the fact that I live in
an FFZ, but I'm coming out of the closet today. My name is Marti,
and I own a ferret.
 
Re: f-spot
Thank you, thank you, thank you all for the "right spot" posts; last
night was the first time I _ever_ got Nero to sit still for petting
when I wasn't holding him. He's putty in my hands.
 
Re: punishment
Sorry, blowing in the face isn't the miracle I've been waiting for. Nero
likes it. Call him weird -- I do. My biting-remedy of choice is still Bitter
Apple: 1. spray BA on one hand, play with the other. 2. When ferret
bites (as ferrets will), give him/her a taste of the BA hand. Voila!
Taste for human flesh is cured. A refresher once in a while helps
drive the lesson home.
 
Someone else suggested withholding play. This works for us, but
not as well. When he bites, I let my hands go limp, and he goes
crazy trying to get them to come back to life. When I give in and
play with him again, he's much nicer (for a while).
 
Re: toys
Nero lives in a condo with three shelves and two hammocks. In order
to provide a stimulating environment when he's in the cage, I've hung
up lots of bouncy, jingly cat toys for him to play with. He ignores them
almost completely. He doesn't like a toy unless it moves and makes
noise without any help from him (this with the exception of his "crinkle"
bag, a noisy, cloth-covered sack that makes all sorts of wonderful
noise when he crawls into it -- I think such abstract connections are
beyond him). Any suggestions on toys to keep him entertained until
I can find another ferret to keep him company?
 
Thanks,
MMc
[Posted in FML issue 1000]