Response to Kathy:
 
You are going to get some excellent advice and help on this.  I just
wanted to let you know that I cannot press a squeaky toy with some of my
ferrets without them going wild.  They panic and bite.  Maybe the noise
sounds like a ferret being tortured.  I have no idea.  But it sounds like
you have a ferret that cannot stand a squeaky toy noise.  You will have
to stop doing that.  That is easy enough to do!
 
A ferret pooping after it bites may well mean it feels sheer terror.  When
I see that in ferrets playing roughly, I know the animal pooping is very
afraid, and the playing has turned into a terrifying event for the ferret.
I immediately separate the ferrets involved.
 
My method for stopping a ferret from biting eventually works, but there
are perhaps better ideas.  I scruff my guy, gently hold the little mouth
closed, and kiss the tiny head again and again, and whisper to my little
one that I am going to love him no matter what, and that I thank God for
him in my life.  Then I kiss the little face some more, and set him down.
Cheyene would just bite me again when I did that for the longest time.  I
was queen of Bandaids.  I would just scruff and kiss again.  Now we have
no problems.  But it took me over a year.  Cheyene was from a shelter, and
had been there about 3 years.
 
Even Mini-me has stopped biting me now, and gives kisses!!!!!!!  But it
took about a year of patience and love, and a lot of Band-Aids here also.
This particular animal lived without being tamed or socialized for its
first year or so of life.
 
Making little screaming pain noises works for the guys when they rough
house a little too much for my skin.  Unlike a number of people, I allow
play biting, and gently tussle with my guys every morning.  You may hear
that this is not a good thing to do.  This is probably true if others are
involved.  Here-it is just me, and I can set the limits for all of us
since it is just me and a mob of fuzzies.
 
You are VERY lucky to have this problem and be writing about it here.
There are a number of experienced people here to help you.  If you find
this is not true--write about this again.  Sometimes we may assume another
will help out.
 
Do you know how to scruff-holding the skin at the base of the head along
the back?  This is important for you to do.  It is probably critical for
this problem and for trimming nails and cleaning teeth.
 
Lisette
[Posted in FML issue 3668]