(posted in two parts due to length--but I think it's worth reading)
[both parts combined,  BIG]
 
I think everyone here understands that biting is not nipping, even when a
hard nip draws blood; nipping is play behavior.  A ferret that bites can do
so for a lot of reasons--but the bite is NOT play behavior.  Usually it's
an action that the ferret has learned provokes a certain response, or it's
a defensive fear reaction.  Many ferrets that bite expect to be hurt or
scared, which is why it's important not to hurt or scare them.  The hard
part is getting into their little heads and figuring out what's scaring
them.  Most of the time, there's a history of something--not always
abuse--that leads to the ferret becoming fear-aggressive.  The absolute
most important thing to do with a biting animal is to build trust--which
takes time, effort, consistency, and above all kindness.  Trust is
two-way--you have to learn to trust each other.
 
Working with humans or other large animals who are aggressive is hard,
because it's absolutely necessary to come up with a consistent way to deal
with the aggression that will help the individual learn to act more
appropriately.  Every plan is different.  Working with a ferret is much
easier; we as humans control the situation, whatever our ferrets want us
to think, simply by dint of outweighing them 100 to 1.  Most of the time,
setting up a behavior modification program that focuses on positive and
negative reinforcements doesn't work with aggressive behaviors, as it
doesn't address the causes of the aggression.  In other words, disciplining
the ferret that bites you is generally ineffective, because it is simply
more negative attention.  The ferret often already expects negative
attention for this behavior, so you've just fulfilled your half of the
bargain and inadvertently taught the animal that you are to be feared.
 
Yelling, shaking, scruffing too tightly, hitting, nose flicks, pulling
whiskers--these are ALL negative attention.  Speaking quietly and time
outs are less likely to be interpreted as acts of aggression by the ferret.
Overall, however, the best way to deal with a biting ferret (in my opinion,
of course!) is to *set up situations in which the ferret cannot bite you.*
If you know that the ferret bites ankles, wear pants around him for a
while!  If he's afraid of hands, move your hands SLOWLY and gently, and let
him initiate contact.  If he looks aggressive, simply remove your hands.
At the same time as you're redirecting him, start giving him lots and lots
of positive attention.  Invent games that you can play together which give
him no opportunity to bite you--maybe playing with a towel, a stuffed
animal, a paper bag.  When you've been playing a while, give him
treats--hold him gently, hold the treat at the right distance so that he
can't take your finger too.  If you can, let him lick lots of ferretone off
your hands--again, hold him gently the correct distance away.  Instead of
punishing negative behavior, reward positive behavior and AVOID the
negative.  Lots of attention is good--but make sure you control the
situation.  In this way, you and the ferret will be having fun together,
and beginning to form a bond of trust; each time you walk over with his
favorite towel, he'll get excited, and you'll know you're about to play a
game together that doesn't lead to him biting you--just as an example.
 
Of course, no matter how careful you are, there will be mistakes--the
ferret will manage to bite you sometimes.  If it's possible to ignore the
behavior, do so--and also ignore the ferret.  If necessary, gently and
quietly remove yourself or the ferret from the situation.  Do not punish
the ferret.  Don't reward him either!  Time outs work well for some
people--it depends on the ferret.  Over time, as he begins to appreciate
your attention and affection, not only will the number of incidents
decrease, but the loss of your attention will bother him as much as
anything else ever could.  He'll learn that Daddy won't play with him if he
bites.
 
These concepts have served us well here.  Most of it is adapted from my
training with the Crisis Prevention Institute--I'm certified in non-violent
crisis prevention and intervention.  The training and certification apply
to humans--I work with people who have aggressive behaviors--but the
concepts apply to pretty much every animal I can think of.  Not sure about
reptiles, fish, or insects.  Mammals and birds, definitely.
 
People tend to think in terms of "training" instead of "teaching".
*I don't want to train a ferret that bites out of fear that he shouldn't
bite or he'll be punished; I want to remove the fear.*  Our present
concepts of "training" are based on behavioral psychology--any really
good animal trainer (or teacher, as in school!) knows that you can
drill a behavior by rote and your student won't necessarily develop an
understanding of the subject--but by learning to communicate, and really
communicating with each other, you can teach an animal or a person things
they wouldn't learn otherwise.  Teaching is a two-way process.  Training is
not.  Teaching works, long-term; it also takes longer and requires much
more effort.  Training works sometimes, if you want your dog to do tricks;
it doesn't work if you want your dog to have manners.  Same for kids.
Would you bribe your kid with candy to be polite to strangers--or teach why
that's important, and reward behavior that showed that the child
understood?
 
One little ferret we've been doing this kind of work with is finally mostly
trustworthy, but will sometimes bite of bare ankles--not hard enough to
break the skin anymore, thankfully.  Many ferrets nip ankles in play; she,
however, will do so and then wait to see if we're going to hit her.  She
used to draw blood all the time (ergh).  Definitely a success story.
Thought she'd never come around.
 
So, to anyone with a biting ferret, cat, dog, bird, or child: it's worth
the work, worth the blood and frustration and tears.  The bond you'll form
and the remarkable results you'll see will reward you more than anything
else.  Teaching is two-way, and one of the things you'll learn is how to
truly understand another creature--which means that when your ferret (or
whatever) takes the huge step of beginning to trust you, you'll feel that
too.  It's the best high I've ever felt, forming that bond, teaching a
creature to trust.
 
Listen to me lecture!  Replies are welcome--this is a topic I love to
discuss, and for all my wordiness I'm often unclear.  I hope I haven't
implied that I disapprove of others' ideas; for the most part, I've found
that most of the people on this list believe most of the above.  (That's a
lot of "most"s!) If you disagree with me or think I'm way off-base, I'd
love to discuss these ideas with you, too.
 
Jen and the Crazy Business
http://home.maine.rr.com/tesseract
[Posted in FML issue 3088]