Hello.  I'm fairly new to this particular list, but I've been a ferret
owner for about six years.  All of my ferrets have been males, purchased
as weanlings from pet stores.  For the first time, I am the proud
adoptive mom of two girls, 2-1/2 year old sisters.  Proud, but a bit
concerned... since these ferrets were raised by someone else and didn't
live in the best of circumstances, they have some "issues."  Biting
being the main problem.  They ganged up on and attacked my 6 year old
insulinomic darling, gentle boy, Roy, a few days ago in the playroom,
tearing the skin open on the back of his neck.  So, I've quit letting
them "play" with him.  I have observed no problems whatsoever inside
their cage (a four-level Superpet).  They sleep together and get along
just fine.  Still, I do keep the back of Roy's neck coated with Bitter
Apple.
 
Both of the girl ferrets have bitten me and my husband, but not hard
enough to break the skin... until yesterday.  I was holding one of the
sisters in my lap, just petting her.  She was fine, then after a few
minutes, totally unprovoked, she viciously attacked me.  She latched
onto my thumb, biting right through nail so hard that I got faint and
nauseous.  I had no choice but to pry her mouth off, then she lunged
at my other hand, biting through to the bone on my finger, and leaving
several puncture wounds along the soft webbing between my thumb and index
finger.  I scruffed her and put her back inside the cage, telling her
loudly, "No!" She just looked at me like, "Go ahead.  Make my day."  Then
she ran up the tube and attacked a completely innocent hammock.  She was
shaking her head from side to side, hissing.  After awhile, when she
calmed down and went to sleep, I gently woke her, picked her up again and
petted her, let her have a little treat (NOT out of my hand), and put her
away again.  I want her to know I am not a bad guy.
 
This morning, I coated my hands with Bitter Apple and held her in my lap
again, but the smell of the Bitter Apple really seemed to agitate her,
and she didn't want me to hold her.  She kept trying to get away.  I want
her to realize that being held and petted is a pleasant thing, but it's
kind of a catch-22 -- I don't want to get bitten, and she doesn't want
me to hold her when I've got Bitter Apple on my hands.  And actually, I
don't know if the Bitter Apple would have stopped her last night -- she
was just going totally ballistic and had only one thought in her little
mind: ATTACK!
 
It's puzzling to me, because she is friendly most of the time, and seems
to like people.  She enjoys being held, and has even dozed off in my
arms.  Then, she just went into attack-mode.  I'm concerned that her
sister will do the same thing someday (she's bitten me before too but
like I said, never hard enough to break the skin).  I don't want to be
afraid to hold them, but I'm worried that since there seems to be no
warning, they might just lunge at my face or something.  I'm also anxious
for my oldster, Roy.  He would just lay there and do nothing to defend
himself.  What if they bite him in the eye, or tear an ear off?
 
Any ideas?  I want this to work out, and I am willing to train them not
to bite, but since there's no warning when they do it, and no discernable
provocation, I'm not sure how to proceed.  I've never had an ill behaved
ferret before -- my boys have always been dolls.  But then again, I
raised them from youngsters.  Is it too late when they are grown-up
biters?
 
Thank you!
Staci
[Posted in FML issue 3967]