Biting Ferret Help!

[RyanC1995 0]

hi guys I really need your help I got 2 ferrets the other week 1 is dead friendly and the other 1 is just a horror they are both females still under a year old it will let me stroke it but then it turns, or when I put my hand in the hutch it try's to bite me. any advice

thanks

[ratpackjack 272]

This was done on another thread fella look it up maybe some help to ya atb

[Nigel1 10]

Plenty of handling needed I think or are they in season atb

[Gaz_1989 9,539]

I've got one here fella. Just persevere. Don't be scared and take the bull by the horns so to speak. It doesn't hurt that much. I give mine a flick on the nose but sometimes does more harm than good.

 

Pair of gardening gloves helps aswell.

 

Gaz.

[zac1988 18]

i had the same with my too one was rely good and the other a [BANNED TEXT] biter just lots of handling if you are jumpy with her can make it worse so gloves is a good one and malt paste on your knuckle and let her lick it if she go's to bite his at her or a little flick on the nose and patience

[GreyRake 108]

What kind of bite is it? Bite hard and hold? Or a quick bite and let go? Is it hard enough to make you bleed?

[BROCK DOG 126]

pick it up if its bites blow in its face and if that dont work sqeeze it front foot always worked for me and others i no

[Fergus 18]

I have a pair of 6 month olds. The hob was really nasty at 2 1/2 months of age when I got him. Biteing fingers and hissing like I was food. Well I just took my finger back from him, grabbed him by the scruff and hissed back at his face and yelled "NO" put him back in the cage and played with the other ferret in front of him so he saw what he was missing out on. His caper didn't last very long after those reprimands and now my 4 year old daughter carries him round no fear and he hasn't looked like biting. Its good to be a little rough patting them to get them even more used to you. In saying all that I think some ferrets just must inheret some 'bitey' gene, some are just nippy

[rob190364 2,594]

I have a pair of 6 month olds. The hob was really nasty at 2 1/2 months of age when I got him. Biteing fingers and hissing like I was food. Well I just took my finger back from him, grabbed him by the scruff and hissed back at his face and yelled "NO" put him back in the cage and played with the other ferret in front of him so he saw what he was missing out on. His caper didn't last very long after those reprimands and now my 4 year old daughter carries him round no fear and he hasn't looked like biting. Its good to be a little rough patting them to get them even more used to you. In saying all that I think some ferrets just must inheret some 'bitey' gene, some are just nippy

are you serious?????

[lurcher2020 285]

I handle mine a lot to make sure they don't but if I get a biter when it bites a stick my thumb in its mouth for a second and it can't breathe and learns the taste of human flesh is something that's not nice in its mouth don't take them long learning

[rob190364 2,594]

loads of handling, it can sometimes take 2 or 3 weeks of daily handling before they get used to you. Spit on the back of your hand and let it lick it off (with a clenched fist so it can't get a grip of you), so it gets used to your scent. I wouldn't recommend flicking the ferret on the nose, it's just not necessary.

[Fergus 18]

Yes I did do that, and I'm not sure if he would have grown out of biting or not, but that's what I did cause that's what I heard works and maybe a lot of what I did was unessesary, but it worked for me. Hissing is negative ferret speak so I gave it a try and it didn't take too long- 5 days maybe and he doesn't even look like biting me or the kids. These weren't ferrets that I had bred so I didn't know what they would be like as they matured or if he was going to always bite. Maybe the negative re-enforcement of putting him in a cage to isolate the ferret would serve no purpose at all-I don't know. I thought what I did was better than a nose flick anyway. Anyway end result is I have a beut ferret which gets handled twice a day and I trust him.

[rob190364 2,594]

Yes I did do that, and I'm not sure if he would have grown out of biting or not, but that's what I did cause that's what I heard works and maybe a lot of what I did was unessesary, but it worked for me. Hissing is negative ferret speak so I gave it a try and it didn't take too long- 5 days maybe and he doesn't even look like biting me or the kids. These weren't ferrets that I had bred so I didn't know what they would be like as they matured or if he was going to always bite. Maybe the negative re-enforcement of putting him in a cage to isolate the ferret would serve no purpose at all-I don't know. I thought what I did was better than a nose flick anyway. Anyway end result is I have a beut ferret which gets handled twice a day and I trust him.

Fair enough, I just thought the thing about showing him what he missed out on was quite funny....reminded me a bit of supernanny!!

 

They need to get used to their owner, it's as simply as that. Flicking noses, shouting etc. is just going to scare the ferret.

 

Forgot to mention in my last post, I don't agree with wearing gloves to handle them either....if you're too scared to hold them with your bare hands you shouldn't own a ferret, and when wearing gloves they're not going to get used to your scent. The only situation I can think of where it might be necessary is when you have a hutch with more than one nipper in it, so you can get one out without the other(s) latching on to you, but as soon as you have it out of the hutch the glove can come off.

[iana 25]

Try putting your clenched fist into the cage/hutch. I had one that was biting after do this for a while she soon learned that biting got no reaction. Had a few teeth marks on my hand but it cured the problem. Also try hand feeding that may help.

 

What ever you do don't give up !!! They are bright little creatures and learn very quick.

 

Atb. Ian.

[zac1988 18]

 

Yes I did do that, and I'm not sure if he would have grown out of biting or not, but that's what I did cause that's what I heard works and maybe a lot of what I did was unessesary, but it worked for me. Hissing is negative ferret speak so I gave it a try and it didn't take too long- 5 days maybe and he doesn't even look like biting me or the kids. These weren't ferrets that I had bred so I didn't know what they would be like as they matured or if he was going to always bite. Maybe the negative re-enforcement of putting him in a cage to isolate the ferret would serve no purpose at all-I don't know. I thought what I did was better than a nose flick anyway. Anyway end result is I have a beut ferret which gets handled twice a day and I trust him.

Fair enough, I just thought the thing about showing him what he missed out on was quite funny....reminded me a bit of supernanny!!

 

They need to get used to their owner, it's as simply as that. Flicking noses, shouting etc. is just going to scare the ferret.

 

Forgot to mention in my last post, I don't agree with wearing gloves to handle them either....if you're too scared to hold them with your bare hands you shouldn't own a ferret, and when wearing gloves they're not going to get used to your scent. The only situation I can think of where it might be necessary is when you have a hutch with more than one nipper in it, so you can get one out without the other(s) latching on to you, but as soon as you have it out of the hutch the glove can come off.

the glove was just for when getting ferret out of cages not for whereing all the time bear handed when handling i sould of sed that befor