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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2015 17:08:45 GMT -5
Boyfriend 0 Ferret 1!
So Percy the ferret keeps biting my partner, Percy will for no reason go up to him and bite him. He also follows my partner around the flat...
I've told my partner to say No firm and loud and put Percy into his time out cage. He has also tapped Percy on the nose and said no, When tapped on the nose Percy runs off and sulks. Percy knows he is doing wrong as he backs off once he has bitten and gives that smug look that ferrets give when they know full well they are in the wrong.
Alas 4 weeks after my boyfriend and Percy meeting, Percy is still biting. He has also bitten myself for no reason at all when my boyfriend has been over.
I'm really not sure what to do.
Percy is an intact male, 9 months old
Boyfriend is toilet trained and cooks!
Many thanks for reading
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2015 18:28:39 GMT -5
Hello, I would suggest to get rid of tapping on the nose, I think they take it as hitting them, and that only makes it worse. You should never deal with a biter by showing any aggressive behaviour, but more with positive reinforcement. Here is a thread about how to deal with a biter, I hope it'll help you! holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/13307/bite-trainingI have biters, my Aramis is a pain in the butt, however, he was worse, now he is ok with us, but by no means is he allowed arround visitors  Best of luck! |
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Post by bitbyter on Mar 8, 2015 18:40:13 GMT -5
Sounds like he's jealous of your boyfriend. It happens. I brought a new kit home and Socks is NOT happy with me. She hasn't bit me yet but she looked right at me the other day and peed on the bed.
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Post by unclejoe on Mar 8, 2015 18:56:47 GMT -5
for some reason, saying ah ah ah has worked pretty well with Rosa
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2015 19:13:29 GMT -5
unclejoe, that's interesting to hear, since with mine (especially Aramis), it makes it worse- he is entertained!
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Post by Heather on Mar 8, 2015 19:26:03 GMT -5
Do not flip, tap, smack a ferret. Never on the nose. This creates a biter. He may back off right at the moment but revenge is sweet and biting the person who disciplines you is the ultimate. The only thing is that they often look at other people who remind them of this person too. Biting is their way of getting the "point" across.
If he bites, really bites (this is drawing blood or marking, the rest are nips...whether they're play or to mean back off that's what they are) he goes in the time out. Make sure your time out is defined in a space only used for that. It can't be his travel cage or his sleep cage...that makes for crossed information. If he nips play stops and you walk away. If he gets over active in play (they do) yelp and walk away. It only takes a couple of times, they're smart.
ciao
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2015 21:54:11 GMT -5
Hi @abster!
I feel your pain... I also have a biter who just cannot seem to break that habit. I tried everything when he was a kit. Flicking his nose (this method is not recommended, but I had to give it a try), pulling on the base of his whiskers (gently enough not to harm him but hard enough to get the point across), putting bitter apple spray on, saying "no" firmly, simply walking away.... Nothing worked. Honestly I don't know if there's anything you can do with hormone driven biting problem. If he is a 9 month old intact hob, maybe he'll be less aggressive once he is neutered. If there's a magic bullet, I'd like to know too.
The strange part is that he only bites my husband and my other hob. He does not mess with me or my Marshall girls.
When he bites, he really bites. He leaves a bloody cut about an inch long. He bit me once, and that was not a pleasant experience... It didn't stop bleeding for a couple minutes, so I had to lay down on my back with my legs up against the wall.
I don't really have a good advice, but maybe you can have his playtime when your boyfriend is not around. You can block part of your room with a playpen too, so he can't come over and bite him. That's what I do.
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Post by Heather on Mar 8, 2015 22:53:09 GMT -5
Whisker pulling, flicking all these things go along way to creating a ferret who actually retaliate bites. I deal almost strictly with rescued biters. These methods create really nasty ferrets. Bitter apple has no reaction from a ferret. If they're going to bite you they really don't care if you taste bad. They're not going to eat you, they're biting biting you. What you taste like doesn't mean that they will stop biting. It's not a deterrent. Bitter apple is used to deter chewing, not biting. Being consistent, gentle, reward good behaviour is what creates a non-biter. Understanding why a hob is biting (hormones)goes a long way to understanding why you're being bitten. Hormonal hobs bite, that's just simple. The idea is to get them to bite less until they stop biting. First year hobs are the worst, as they get older they mellow out. It's like asking a teenager not to flip out when they're feeling edgy. It's not going to happen, you deal with it. It the same thing with a ferret. The more you handle this ferret, the gentler you are, the more likely you're going to get a friendly ferret. Getting a party to not handle a ferret is just allowing the ferret to get away with their bad attitude. Hubby had an ongoing battle with Lady Morgain. She loved to bite him. She thought it was a game but being an intact poley meant she had a whole different level of fun. She's worse when she's coming into season. This year she's 4 yrs old. Hubby and she have come to an understanding. He handles her a lot and respects her space because if he doesn't she bites him. He learned with the kits, the more you handle them and treat them gently and always consistently work how hard is permissible (even if no bite is desired then make it no bite) the better they become. The kits are easily handled, snuggled and loved on. We can handle them similar to any Marshals but don't overstep their boundaries because they too have rules.
ciao
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Post by Deleted on Mar 9, 2015 5:41:26 GMT -5
Just booked Percy in to has his balls removed, poor mite. Was on the agenda to get done. Vets still tried to push the implant upon me rather than having his balls removed!
Thank you for all the suggestions, I will get boyfriend to try them, as well as stop tapping his nose. I know the over reacting how much he had hurt me worked for me, Percy seeing me in pain so to speak made him realise and not bite me as hard.
Sweetstory I was on the phone to someone in tears clearly upset, Percy was running around playing saw my upset, he came over sat on my lap and started to lick my arm...
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Post by RedSky on Mar 9, 2015 5:48:52 GMT -5
Aww Percy sounds like such a lovely little guy.
Any reason why you don't want the implant?
I'm hoping I can get my next ferrets from a breeder who will let me use the implant rather than having them neutered as I don't think rescues would allow that. Just wondering what reasons are for neutering rather than the implant.
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Post by msav on Mar 9, 2015 10:02:02 GMT -5
I hope Percy is the ferret not the partner. LOL
Just kidding.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 9, 2015 11:15:11 GMT -5
Percy sounds like he is telling your boyfriend, that you belong to him. You've gotten alot of good advice and Heather (our Ferret Whisperer) always knows what she is talking about.
I would try to build the bond between your BF and Percy. Let your BF give Percy his dinner or breakfast. Let him offer some extra good pieces of dried meat or FDR. Maybe pick up a teaser toy and let him play with Percy, while keeping his hands away from those sharp teeth.
It takes Ferrets some time to decide that they will be friends with someone. Maybe it would help if Percy had a special friend.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 16, 2015 16:22:08 GMT -5
Aww Percy sounds like such a lovely little guy. Any reason why you don't want the implant? I'm hoping I can get my next ferrets from a breeder who will let me use the implant rather than having them neutered as I don't think rescues would allow that. Just wondering what reasons are for neutering rather than the implant. I went with the implant, mainly as my uncle a keeper of working ferrets (supplier of Percy) said "get his balls chopped off" also looked into the implant £200 every 4 years or so is a lot and there is no evidence the implant will cause less health problems to having him Neutered. I also spoke to ferret rescue Surrey, who also advised neutering is the better option. It is a controversial issue and every ferret/owner has their own opinion. I feel it is the best option for Percy, I have no desire to bred from him and want the best for him. Thank you all for the tips on how for my boyfriend to treat Percy, I shall let him (boyfriend) read this and go forth, Fingers crossed |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 23, 2015 16:26:19 GMT -5
Just a little update, Percy is still biting the boyfriend and on Sat night Percy really dug his teeth in. Boyfriend has now what looks like a snake bite (4 puncture holes) on his left arm just above the elbow...
I've also noticed when Percy is out and boyfriend is over, Percy does "grab" my fingers and hold onto me more so or tries to drag me somewhere via my finger.
Only time will tell whether he stops biting, I know Percy will always come first and boyfriend is aware of that!
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Post by Deleted on Mar 23, 2015 19:35:06 GMT -5
What would you say about a ferret that loves to sniff and nip at feet? This isn't really a behavioral problem on Piper's behalf but on mine- I love being barefoot, and I can't stand things being around my feet. Piper only rarely bites feet- if anything, her gentle inquisition makes me aggressive!  How do I teach her that I don't like her touching my feet? (or anyone's feet, as it makes a lot of my guests uncomfortable) @abster your initial post on this thread cracked me up. As far as Percy-the-Boyfriend's bite, puncture wounds are pretty nasty, and are the most likely to get infected. Keep a close eye on them, applying honey or bacitracin as needed. If you suspect infection at any point, you may have to take him to a doctor for antibiotics. |
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How do I teach her that I don't like her touching my feet? (or anyone's feet, as it makes a lot of my guests uncomfortable)