Pat,
I just did a "rescue" (give up) of two ferrets that were bought as kits
in 2003 from a pet store here in IL., and they're Peterson Farm ferrets,
both females.  I had them for two full days before transporting them to
the GCFA shelter yesterday, and they were so sweet and playful, and gave
kisses.  The only thing I noticed, is the dark, ruby-eyed white female
didn't care to be in her cage that much, and would try to bite your
fingers sometimes.  Otherwise, I held her, played with her outside the
cage.  She was very bonded to her cagemate, a little sable girl, who's
more laid back.  This was the first time I ever heard of the Peterson
ferrets, and from what our GCFA shelter director told me, the breeder is
in MN.  Maybe they have a website, but I haven't checked yet.  As a side
note, I had these two females at the shelter about 20 minutes, when a man
from Chicago had an appt.  at the shelter to adopt a couple ferrets.  The
director had him hold these two females I brought in, and I gave him some
info about them that I observed.  To make a long story short, before I
left the shelter, these two female ferrets were adopted, and they'll go
to their new home in Chicago later this week after their vet check.  That
made me feel really good.
 
It just sounds like the ferret you spoke of from Petland, needs to have a
home to go to, where she can have a lot of freedom, and run off the
excess energy that all kits have.  If the kits aren't getting a lot of
handling, and learning not to nip, then that's part of the nippiness too
no doubt.  The kits play rough, and nip and bite on each other.  As you
know, a ferret's skin is tough, so if they're not getting reinforced with
positive behavior patterns each day, they're not going to realize that
our skin is tender, and not meant to be nipped in the same way.  Ask them
at the pet store how much handling the kits receive when they initially
arrive at the store.  I know this is one of the features of Path Valley
Farm ferrets.  They get handling immediately, and a lot each and every
day, and given lots of TLC in a home setting.  From having ferrets as pet
for 20 yrs.  now, I can tell you that the kits that didn't receive a lot
of handling and attention by some private breeders I've known, were real
biters, and it took me longer to break them of the habit.
 
Phyllis
[Posted in FML issue 5055]