Nasty Ferrets - Any Hope?

[joe14 98]

Hitting any animal will just make it fear you and make it more aggressive. Use positive methods like food and talk to them quietly always seems to work.

 

TBH sounds like theyre been rushed, 3 weeks is sometimes just not long enough for some ferrets to get used to you. I give them atleast a week

to settle in before I start handling and messing about with them, I sit in with them and let the ferrets come to me.

 

You say they are around 8 month old so they are still young, excitable and also probably very hormonal around "teenage" time.

You might need ti just ignore them if they are scared of humans, go in a couple of times a day and put in some cooked chicken etc as

a "treat" on the floor and walk out. Then after abit go in and sit down placing food on the floor in front of you.

Edited November 15, 2011 by joe14

[jason9090 11]

some people recommend vinegar mate but if there attackin you regardles they are probably past help

[3175darren 1,100]

Wash your hands in coal tar soap each day, make sure when you open cage put the soap in first let them bite it once they get the taste you will see them back off, always keep em well fed don't pussy with em when you pick em up be decisive and pick em up,don't flinch away quickly make sure your hands smell of the soap keep using the Barr each time you open the cage you should see some results after a week or so

[wi11ow 2,657]

JUST IN CASE ALL FAILS :laugh:

[jason9090 11]

tried chain mail gloves they dont work ferret teeth are too small to be stopped by the links they can still bite

[wi11ow 2,657]

tried chain mail gloves they dont work ferret teeth are too small to be stopped by the links they can still bite

 

it was a joke

[BunnyBolter 16]

do you know how the old boy treated them before you got them , that could be a cause ?

[Gaz_1989 9,539]

He said they were well handled by the kids which is why I thought originally it was stress from the move.

[ferretman5 1]

time time time, persist and theyl calm. i had two young polecats that wouldn't stop attacking, i used to make a secure square in the garden with boards and let them run around, id hide little bits of meat everywhere, as they ran around or ate id stroke them but not pick them up, they warmed to me a lot faster when they didn't feel as cornered. best of luck.

[Gaz_1989 9,539]

time time time, persist and theyl calm. i had two young polecats that wouldn't stop attacking, i used to make a secure square in the garden with boards and let them run around, id hide little bits of meat everywhere, as they ran around or ate id stroke them but not pick them up, they warmed to me a lot faster when they didn't feel as cornered. best of luck.

 

My mate has had the worst of the 2 off me. She was the mental one who would hiss and attack, he has got more time on his hands than me and can spend some quality 121 with the Jill.

 

The one i have left is holdable - just.

 

She runs over to me with the others when i squeak them for food (they are in a 10 x 8 section of a brick building) and when i crouch down she will climb onto my leg. As soon as i pick her up she turns to bite and will get me if i arent quick.

 

I can now pick her up 90% of the time without getting bit and then stroke her with the other hand down the length of her body which seems to calm her, but after 20 or 30 seconds she starts twisting her head around trying to bite and if at any point i offer her my knuckle she will try to lock onto it.

 

My main concern is how much time a ferret like this is gonna need? My ferrets get about an hour each morning and an hour each night, 10 mins each check over and handling and then 20 mins or so cleaning feeding watering etc.

 

The most she is getting is 10 mins morning and night, or in this mornings case 30 seconds because she was pissing me off biting me so hard.

 

My other concern is, if and when she does become tame enough to handle properly, would i ever be able to trust her fully when working and shoving my hand down holes to her?

 

My 2 hobs which i have had from 6 weeks are soft as shit and i can put them in any situation and do anything to them and they havent got a bite in them. Could a jill like this ever become this tame?

 

Cheers

 

Gaz

[skycat 6,173]

Gaz: some ferrets just don't have good temperaments, same as some people and dogs. Yes, you may, after months of constant handling, get this jill a lot better, but if there is a nervy streak in her, she may never become laid back like you want. Hobs are generally a lot more laid back than jills. Are you actually being firm enough with her? You wouldn't tolerate biting in a dog, so why in a ferret? Offering a knuckle might not be enough......................a friend of ours rams his thumb into their mouths almost choking them! Not as brutal as it sounds, but they don't do much biting after they've had a mouthful of thumb they can't swallow! We tend to force a bent knuckle into their jaws when they bite, just enough to stop them shutting their mouths: their jaws are open so wide they can't get the leverage to bite down on the knuckle, or not hard at any rate. For Gods sake don't break their jaws, but you may find you need a bit more firmness in your knuckle treatment than the gently 'offered' knuckle.

 

If the ferret is genuinely not scared, just a stroppy little cow, try the firm approach as above. But also, some ferrets just don't like being handled much at all.

 

I wouldn't force lengthy handling on this ferret. It's not as if you need her like a pet, is it? Some just hate being held up for any length of time: dangled for ages, expected to stay still and limp. Doesn't mean to say that she will always bite when out working: she might just want to get off and get busy, hyper active, needs to be on the go. Some ferrets aren't lap dog type temperaments, they can't keep still and hate it when you make them. Just some thoughts.

[Gaz_1989 9,539]

Thanks penny. It certainly sounds like she fits your description above and you are probably right that I aren't being firm enough. Will try what you suggest above and if she calms down enough to try her working.

 

I think it could partially be what you suggested about wanting to go down and continue being busy. However she will just randomly walk over to me when changing the water bottle and bite my hand or arm.

 

Thanks for the reply, definitely given me something to think about

 

Gaz

[jason9090 11]

tried chain mail gloves they dont work ferret teeth are too small to be stopped by the links they can still bite

 

it was a joke

 

lol yea and it probably was when my mate sugested but a still got bit

[Deano71 4]

Hi mate scruff and hiss works well. But make sure they are well feed. They were prob not handled a lot. The paste is also good.

I have a jill kit who was a little bitch but once realised she got food and treats she turned the corner.

I would split them though so u can deal with one at a time.

But the hissing was the main key for me

[Deano71 4]

Hi mate scruff and hiss works well. But make sure they are well feed. They were prob not handled a lot. The paste is also good.

I have a jill kit who was a little bitch but once realised she got food and treats she turned the corner.

I would split them though so u can deal with one at a time.

But the hissing was the main key for me