psycho ferret-what do i do?

[jimi 0]

Hi peeps

 

I have had a hob pole cat for around a month now and he is trying to bite me as hard as he can at every opportunity.

He was born in April 2007 and he has to my knowledge been handled.

He lives in a rabbit hutch in my shed but over the last 2 weeks he has turned really nasty.

When rich and i went ferreting yesterday he went for us on several different times.

I have no idea what to do.

Is it because he lives by him self in the hutch?

 

TIA

 

JIM

Edited January 7, 2008 by jimi

[andy s410c 61]

You say that you keep him in a rabbit hutch in the shed several things could be getting him upset.How big of a living area does he have,is it clean & comfortable,are you feeding him regulary & what on,are YOU keeping him entertained??As a solitary fert you will have to spend plenty of time socialising with him if you can,t get him a female friend if you have the room.Persivere with him use gloves if you have to, if your doing plenty of the above he should come round after a while....

[stubby 175]

how often do you handle him?

if he's nipping, i would guess less rather than more, which only makes matters worst, Id say you need to handle him a MINUMUM of 2hrs a day, maybe get yourself some ferret malt paste from the pet shop, ferts love it, offer it first from the tube, then from your fingers, you need to build up a bond with him, it was your course to get just one, so you need to spend lots more time with him, although even if you have more, time must still be given,

[richie 1]

how often do you handle him?

if he's nipping, i would guess less rather than more, which only makes matters worst, Id say you need to handle him a MINUMUM of 2hrs a day, maybe get yourself some ferret malt paste from the pet shop, ferts love it, offer it first from the tube, then from your fingers, you need to build up a bond with him, it was your course to get just one, so you need to spend lots more time with him, although even if you have more, time must still be given,

 

 

stubbs

 

his hob is an excellent worker, kills under & doesnt lay up & works the sets well, but its a lunatic !. i went to pick him up & he jumped 1ft in the air & just managed to get hold of my finger for a split second & with force he came at me with, he wernt messing.

 

in my opinion i think he needs a companion to try & calm him down.

 

ANDY, wearing gloves wouldnt make a difference with this one, he bit through them.. i know what your saying, my large hob likes to bite but not when im wearing gloves.

[Neal 1,891]

My old ferret, now coming up for eight, was always very friendly and easy going. One by one though his peers died leaving him as a solitary ferret. Over the next few months he became grumpier and more nippy, eventually turning quite vicious until I got him a couple of young house mates. He lorded it over them for a while but quickly returned to his old friendly self and is now so docile I can pull out ticks from between his toes or even one on his eye-lid without any fuss at all. Hope this gives you some hope of a return to normality.

[FLATCAP 6]

Hi peeps

 

I have had a hob pole cat for around a month now and he is trying to bite me as hard as he can at every opportunity.

He was born in April 2007 and he has to my knowledge been handled.

He lives in a rabbit hutch in my shed but over the last 2 weeks he has turned really nasty.

When rich and i went ferreting yesterday he went for us on several different times.

I have no idea what to do.

Is it because he lives by him self in the hutch?

 

TIA

 

JIM

i,ve allways found a shotgun is good or even a shovel for ones like that

[Hob&Jill 258]

I know a technique that would stop the biting strait away

[paddy.t 5]

You say that you keep him in a rabbit hutch in the shed several things could be getting him upset.How big of a living area does he have,is it clean & comfortable,are you feeding him regulary & what on,are YOU keeping him entertained??As a solitary fert you will have to spend plenty of time socialising with him if you can,t get him a female friend if you have the room.Persivere with him use gloves if you have to, if your doing plenty of the above he should come round after a while....

 

 

my jill was very aggresive at 1st but as you say i persivered and used gloves and flicked her on the end of the nose every time she tryed to bite, month or so later shes fine now, my grandad still a little warey tho

[jimi 0]

Hi

 

Thanks for all the replies guys.

I am scared to handle him as he bites me so i don't handle him very often at all,i go to the shed once a day to feed him but i don't handle him if he comes to attack me.

the rabbit hutch is not that big and there is no free ruining area.

He also tries to bite through the wire of the cadge as if he wants to get out.i some times let him out to run around the garden.

some times he is docile but mostly he`s aggressive.

 

JIM

[mooster 1]

How well do you know his previous owner mate?

"handled to the best of my knowledge" suggests there is a possibility he may never have been handled at all?

If that was the case and he is now shut in a shed all day alone,you have your work cut out making friends with him!

I would try givng him more space to run and play during the day coupled with loads of confident handling and distractions to take his eye off your fingers.Good luck and don't reach for the .22 too quickly.I had ana aggressive jill that took months to cure but patience and experimenting often do the hob better.

Good luck.Mooster.

[MikeTheDog 153]

Was he given to you 'cos he bites I wonder! A ferret that bites is unusable imo, buggered if I'd put my hand down a dark tube with a vicious ferret lurking below . Rabbit hutch is probably way too small imo, going by the crappy examples seen at PetCity . Ferrets often nip when they're young and soon grow out of it, but!...them that attack every time they see you . Check him out, teeth and gums etc. He may have a bad tooth or a piece of bone stuck in him somewhere

[Guest craftycarper]

Right if your scared of him then he has to go i'm affraid, firstly though i would try two things. As suggested earlier some company would help and some tubes for him to run around in and also plenty of attention. Then i would give him three weeks, if his natures not changed at all then at least you have the one you got him for company to fall back on, you may even find he'll attack the other as soon as you introduce them, you should never be affraid to pick your own ferret up, yeah sometimes they can be a bit offish, just remember to not make any sudden lunges at him in an attempt to pick him up. Also in my experience gloves make it worse and usually guarantees a strike, also still bloody hurts

Edited January 8, 2008 by craftycarper

[Kay 3,709]

Well it may be as he is coming into season, i remember having a hob some yrs ago who changed over night, he was docile friendly & well very easy to deal with, then once his hormones kicked in he was a nightmare.

 

I couldnt pick him up without getting bitten, he was constantly on the move & basically wouldnt relax, he was back to normal once he came out of season though

[Guest bigredbusa]

I know a technique that would stop the biting strait away

 

 

spade?

[Hob&Jill 258]

I know a technique that would stop the biting strait away

 

 

spade?

NO!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gun :laugh:

 

I have had a couple of ferrets that I dont believe were repairable, they had a screw loose! Its almost as if they just want you blood! Nippers can be cured but some are just loonys...

Edited January 8, 2008 by Hob&Jill