Over the space of a quarter century we have rehabbed a number of ferrets.
Personally, I understand when people try a new approach if the behavior
is protracted, though I do not like all of the approaches tried.
First, though, there are preferably other steps.
When a change such as a home move causes stress and upheaval for all
then biting may occur. In that case it is best to not add to the stress.
If the ferret will have a bite-back add to the stress then that is
counter-productive unless it can be well enough apologized for. For a
rescue ferret who may have been abused this possibility must especially
be considered and attention spent finding what things are possible
triggers: location, what was occurring, sounds and scents at the time,
etc. For at least 2 we rehabbed certain shoes were triggers, for one
oil-cloth coats were, for a third, the sound of a shaver or anything
similar was a problem for a while.
Notice the nature of the bite. Run and bite with a quick letting go
and running away tends to often signal fear on the part of the ferret.
Chewing persistently can indicate painful teething, even not enough room
in the dental arcade for the size and number of teeth (something we once
encountered). Biting and shaking is a hunting bite, as is biting with
the canines to the point where perpendicular rays of lacerations develop,
followed by a scraping and pulling incisor motion that removes a square
of skin. Licking and then nipping or biting is typical ferret grooming
behavior and may be engaged in for reassurance, or to indicate that you
are loved but the ferret is really getting frustrated.
Physical pain as well as emotional pain, and health problems must be
considered. Adrenal disease on-set is one cause of biting, for some
reason especially if the growth is lymphoma (but the ones with lymphoma
also seem more prone to having high androgen numbers in past posts),
and obviously it is better to catch that fast with a vet appointment.
There are other causes of pain and some dental woes which cause biting.
One little girl came here after she had been slammed around so hard for
biting that her tail was broken. It turned out that one of the lower
baby canines had turned on its side and been entrapped by the erupting
adult canine. She had a really miserable abscess. I found it
immediately, and had the people bring me tweezers. Then I removed the
baby canine, which was followed by a burst of puss. She kissed me, we
set off for the vet's, and she never bit anyone again in her almost 9
year life.
There are many times in a ferret's life when the human family members
NEED the ferret to trust them completely. For example it makes helping
them when they are sick so very, very much easier. Avoiding pain just
seems to us to pay off greatly down the line.
The hardest rehab we ever had was a severely intellectually limited and
multiply malformed female who had several painful conditions. It took
three years of careful and patient times out, with us always wearing long
pants because our lower legs always bore fear-caused bites for her to
realize that she was actually safe, and then she never bit again for the
second half of her life. That change seemed to happen when she realized
that words actually mean something and that we were doing our best to
honor her desires and needs.
On humans: When my sister continued biting at 5 and 6 our mother bit
her. It didn't completely work. When I was beginning the first signs of
breast development my sister, a little older than when she'd been bitten,
she took off part of one of my nipples (luckily not much) with a bite and
also began battering my budding breasts with anything she use to throw
at them or club them. (We shared a bedroom.) The physician required my
mother to get me a well padded training bra. (Boy, did I get teased at
school over the sudden change.) I think that was also when my parents put
us into separate bedrooms. She stopped after that. I don't know why.
I think, it was because she was prone to nightmares for a few years ever
since a frightening accident when she was a pre-schooler when she was
trapped by fallen construction materials in a dark cavity filled with
insects and spiders and could not be immediately found. So when she
could not easily slip into bed with me any longer for security she
decided to improve her behavior so that she wouldn't be alone with her
nightmares. Honestly, although she may have been behaving out of
jealousy, I don't think so. I think her behavior came from fear and not
being able to learn why i was changing, and she just wanted to keep me
as i had been. Not being able to have comfort when she had nightmares
was a worse fear, though.
So, yes, sometimes seeing the other side of an equation, or even gaining
a fear teaches, but while it may at times be the last alternative in a
frustrating situation, when there are still alternatives it pays to use
the gentler approaches in a consistent and patient fashion, Steve and i
have found. Certainly, there were approaches we used in the past which
we have since abandoned.
*****
All that said, I think Alex was exaggerating some for writing's sake
and that people here have to careful to not make a mountain from a
molehill. That has happened all too often in the past when some people
even finally finally yell just to join in. It is behavior best avoided.
*****
*****
Besides, show me even one person here who claims to no longer be still
learning in relation to ferrets and i will show you a liar. If we all
start whipping people who are still learning whenever the opportunity
presents itself then we are all going to wind up with bloody backs.
Just as presenting ferrets with alternatives tends to usually work
best, so does presenting people with alternatives.
*****
There is a website that was created long ago with tips from people who
have rehabbed ferrets, but I have to confess to not having read it in a
long while so don't know any longer what is still in there or even what
of the content may be relegated to history and no longer used:
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Lofts/1083/probintro.html
[Posted in FML issue 5349]
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