From your description of your playing technique, no, I don't think so, it sounds like good, healthy play. In fact, this is the kind of play technique I recommend to owners to rehabilitate biters (see "Curing the 'Incurable' Biter" at http://www.geocities.com/ferretsfirst/curingbiters.html) The towel or blanket gives them something to actively sink their teeth into for vigorous exercise. The dividing line is IF THE BITE HURTS. Here, you have to use your judgement and take a few things into consideration: Is the play bite (technically called a "nip" rather than a bite)hard enough to hurt a small child? If so, you might want to teach him to "tone down" his nips. You do this by yelling "Ouch!" sharply at a hard nip, and STOP playing for a few minutes, and then RESUME playing. Does he nip bare or sock covered feet? (This could also traumatize a small child.) If so, the training is done the similarly. Yell "Ouch!", scruff, scold, and put him back down. Then after a moment of no foot nipping, PLAY with him. The scruffing/scolding teaches him that foot nipping does not initiate play like he expected it to. (For the more stubborn, you may have to drag them across the floor by the scruff while you scold.) Both the "Ouch!" and the WAITING period of "no play" are critical. The "Ouch!" is you HISSING at him. The "no play" period is your "recovery" time... just as a mother ferret would teach her kits to play acceptably. == Debi Christy Ferrets First Foster Home http://www.geocities.com/ferretsfirst/ [Posted in FML issue 3565]