Gloves with fake fingers were mentioned here. When I worked with an assortment of primates they had huge cages (often several good sized rooms attached, with only a narrow aisle outside the cages) so we went in with them. (The current university vet has now required conditions which are not as good for the animals as we had way back then but safer for people -- personally I prefer the way we had it, though I hate being bitten or broken or concused.) As a result I got used to using animals' own behavior patterns, body language, and vocalizations to shape behaviors, and I still STRONGLY prefer that method, including with ferrets for whom it works just beautifully, as it will with any domestic. Even with that method ferrets wind up meeting us part way since they live within our "world". It has always struck me as ironic that some people (not anyone here now that I think of) call critters "dumb animals" but then expect the animals to do all the learning in the relationship. It can take a very long time to break biting some times. Remember how because she was so extremely intellectually challenged and always in some level of pain or discomfort (after we learned how to help better) from her handicaps Ruffle took three years of gentle patience during which time we were always punctured and bruised? Once she figured out language meant something and that we'd honor most of her responses (such as enthusiastic nose bumps for "yes" and other body language), she NEVER bit again - not anyone, and not ever in her remaining three years and a bit more. Some biters stop immediately when they enter a good home. We've had that happen. Others take a few days or weeks of extreme gentleness, times out, tension reduction ( a private, secure place to call home such as a cage set away from anyone or anything which is upsetting to the critter -- like having a high one away from feet at first for one which has been kicked a lot), and simple communication tries with tons of repetition. A very few take longer. It's like any abused individual -- how well the response will be accomplished depends upon several factors including the types of abuse, the personality of the ferret, how the ferret's personality meshes with that of the caretaker, etc. Look at Warp. She's a complete doll for us, but she just will not kiss a male on the face even now because of what she went through before she came here. The upside is that once a biter discovers that it is safe and that it finally has some self-sovereignty (which adds to its feeling of security) then it usually becomes the most loving of all critters imaginable. When it was time for Harley to move away we carefully took him to someone we thought would be perfect. He ADORED her. If he had not selected her (Yes, ferret's choice) then he would not have gone with her. For someone (2 or 4 footed) who has lost choice, having chances to find freedom a safe bit at a time, and to have wishes honored imparts security, eliminates frustration and that ends acting out. Let it be a slow and gradual, gentle and consistent process. Those who have non-abused ferrets will want to also be gentle and consistent. Nose flicks all too often back fire, sometimes in very big ways. There's nothing quite like combining ferret body language and times out to get a secure, happy, trusting, cuddly ferret who will love you always no matter what. [Posted in FML issue 1890]