I am prompted to write because of Alison Skipper's email in which she
indicated that her ferret Baldrich bites legs.  I too have a similar
problem with my 8 month old male ferret.  Frosty loves to lie on my lap
and will do so for an hour or two in the evening.  He wakes up periodically
and will occasionally grab my forearm with his teeth.  The grab is not hard
enough to break the skin, but it is a firm grip and he will then shake his
head (still holding onto my arm) as a cat would a mouse.
 
When he does that, I rap him on the tip of the nose with my forefinger and
he seems to desist somewhat, only to begin again after a moment or so.
After three or four taps on the nose, he curls up for another few winks of
rest.
 
As for the ankle biting, he does that as well, not with me, but with
females--I am not sure if this has anything to do with stockings or
pantyhose.  Out of the blue he will come over and bit an exposed ankle.
I wonder why?  How can I break him of this behavior?  Other than that, he
is a sweet ferret--a little aggressive with the other older, and less heavy
ferret perhaps, but still a very nice fellow who likes to play for hours on
end.
 
I would appreciate any suggestions re: this behavior and how to curb it.
 
Don in Tucson Arizona
[Posted in FML issue 2969]