>He was saying, basically, don't reinforce 'bad' behavior. While, I >agree with that for the most part, my concern is that the ferret may be >saying "I'm not getting enough Out of Cage Playtime"!!! He may have >energy to burn and maybe he is saying he's not being exercised or played >with enough. Andrea you are dead on but I just wanted to clarify what Darrin said about ignoring the ferret when it is biting the cage. Yes it is all about positive reinforcement. What he should have added is that you only pretend to ignore the ferret until they settle down, that means no eye contact, no stern parental warnings and no giving them exactly what want. After about a minute of them not biting the cage then let them out with a big cuddle and lots of kisses and lots of fun. Also remember their room mates, if they are not taking part in the spectacle then get them out for play time and cuddles, don't let them suffer for their buddy's behavior otherwise they may learn to join in on future sessions (after all it is fun to make a mess). Our little cherubs have learnt that if they yawn and stretch and stare at you with big sad eyes and sigh and generally look like the cutest ferret you have ever seen they get far more lovin'. We have had a few cage biters with a couple of those that would throw complete tantrums including upending their pooper and playing air hockey with their food bowls. These guys are reformed and they can proudly say that they have not committed an act of 'cage rage' for 180 days. In case anyone is worried that we mistreat our ferrets and don't care if they have clean food or sanitary living conditions particularly if we are not home, don't be. Remember our little fluffernutters can control us far better than we ever realize. It took a little while for the light bulb to come on but the ONLY time that the tanties happened was when we were able to witness the awesome destructive power of.....da da da da t'da 'Super Cranky Spoiled Ferret'. That being said you should always ensure that they have a reliable source of clean water such as a water bottle that is secured on the outside of the cage as well as their water bowl. Our ferrets are only confined to their cages when we are sleeping, not at home or doing something potentially dangerous to these inquisitive guys. That being said we have found that if we need to spend more than the usual time away from home for a particular day and we need to do something without ferret assistance before releasing the hoards then we first go and say hello and let them know we will be back as soon as we finish what needs to be done and give them a treat so that they know they are not being ignored or punished. Cheers Melissa (and Darrin) [Posted in FML issue 4679]