Excerpts from mail: 7-Jul-92 Ferret List Issue 272 by Ferret Mailing List@ferr > My ferret has turned on me! He's after my blood! Well, ok, maybe I'm > exaggerating a little. Here's the story. I've had Buddy for about 2 months > now, and during that time he hasn't shown the slightest aggressive behavior > toward me, at least until recently. In the past few days, though, he has > bitten me hard enough to draw blood three times. The first two were partly (a) How old is your ferret? If he's teething, he might be in pain. This might cause a sudden change in behavior. I'd spray bitter apple on my hands (and then let it dry) before handling him. If it's just a behavior thing, this should help. (b) If he's not teething, I'd be concerned that something is wrong with him. I don't think it's typical for any animal to have sudden changes in behavior. He might be sick, in pain from something, have a brain tumor, etc. When was the last time he was at the vet's? Does he flinch when you touch him any particular place? If they're in pain or upset, sometimes mine make an unusual "chittering" sound -- almost like a throaty R-R-R-R-R The time Skittles caught her toenail in a loop of a terrycloth towel, she did that. --Barb-- [Posted in FML issue 0274]