Frederico asked about a ferret that would bite severely when he was picked up and put back in his cage. It's really hard to diagnose why the ferret is biting without actually observing him. There may be hundreds of reasons a ferret will bite. The trick is to find out why your ferret is biting in those particular circumstances, then work to correct it. From your brief description, I might guess that he occasionally bites the person holding him, because that is how he learned to ask to get down. If possible, never set a ferret down immediately after he bites or nips. It could be that he fears that his nose will be 'flicked' and hasn't associated the flicking with any action on his part. To him it could seem a random event, and the longer he is held, the more nervous he gets about an upcoming nose flick. (I'm one of those against any corporal punishment, if you couldn't guess. We've seen more problems caused by that than we've seen it cure.) One question I'd ask is how long is he out at any one time? It could be that he REALLY isn't ready to be put back in his cage, and is letting you know it when you try to pull him out of, wherever. Maybe you could try putting a little Ferretone on your hand when you reach to pick him up so that he associates getting a treat with getting picked up, rather than associating it with getting put in his cage. Your particular ferret (they are all different as to how they react to any "punishment") has associated his cage with being punished. These are just guesses on my part. You're much closer to the ferret and it'll be you who will have to firure out why he's biting and what you can do to correct it. In general, I'd recommend considering: - Have a small treat ready when you pick him up - Don't put him down if he does nip (unless it's to save you from severe bites - Don't use physical punishment, use reward for appropriate behavior. - Be very consistant. - Perhaps, in this case, don't use the cage to punish him. - Make sure he gets lots of time out of his cage to play. Remember, free advice is worth exactly what you pay for it. Good luck. Dick B. [Posted in FML issue 1700]