My immediate reaction is along the lines of "how would you like it if I
pulled your wiskers!" More seriously though it sounds to me, as an owner,
that its unecessary and drastic.  We have five ferrets and three of them
used to be biters - two seriously so.  All are now non-biters as a result of
continuous and gentle handling.  They bite because they are scared or hurt,
or were previously abused.  One of our more serious biters came from Dick
Bossarts shelter having been rescued from an abuser.  It took three to six
months to cure the biting.  She is still a very nervous ferret and trembles
with strangers or in strange surroundings.  However, she is also one of the
most affectionate ones with us.
 
If you want to correct biting without making the ferret afraid of you try
persistent and gentle handling.  The only biting we get are occasional nips
to attract attention, or during play.  The nips are not strong and I treat
them as no more than basic communication.  We never get hard, defensive,
skin piercing biting from any of them.
[Posted in FML issue 1980]