WONT STOP BITING!?!?!?!

[jarethlover]

my little guy just hit 6months old... iv had him for 2 months now... n he wont stop biting..... iv tried screeching, but it just scares him into biting again... iv tried hissing, and it pisses his off... and iv tried the bite grip, but it pisses him off and his neck is so long that he can still bite me while im holding him there.......

he wont stop!!! help!!

[kpaz]

maybe try time outs and some positive reinforement...like some extra virgin olive oil to lick off your hand so that he learns that hands are good things? I've never had experience with a biter, but I know a lot of people here have, so hopefully they chime in soon.

[Heather]

Ok, I've got a couple of questions...you've had him for 2 months. Is he a farm ferret (marshals, PV....??) What colour is he? Have you had ferrets before? The reason why I'm asking is important as to why he might be biting. Do you have a tiny cat crate? Have you tried time outs (3 minutes max)? Ignore? When does he bite? Does he play too rough, or does he hunt you to bite? Does he bite to get down? Have you tried treats for when he doesn't bite?
I"ve had a number of ferrets who retaliate when scared or challenged. They have to be treated differently than some of the softer ferrets.
ciao

[Tako]

I found that a quick scruff & drag followed by a time out in his cage in which I ignored him until he quit throwing a fit worked wonders for Albion. He wasn't a major biting issue, but he was deaf, so the usual verbal reprimand methods didn't work with him at all. Him being deaf also meant that I had to be careful not to startle him, which I figured out was one of the reasons he would sometimes bite. Making sure he associated my hands with nice calm things like treats and scritches instead of rough things like wrestling helped him figure things out too.

[Heather]

Unfortunately, a lot of the bigger farm ferrets and any breeder ferrets will respond with a hard core bite to being scruffed and dragged. I know that if I treated Fun-Go, Lady "B"....Minion to name a couple of farm ferrets, in this manner they would have attacked me. There are a couple of reasons (and they are at least one of the reasons) why I never employ this method
ciao

[jarethlover]

he is a Marshalls ferret.
he is light brown, with dark brown mask & tail.
no, he is my first ferret.
his crate isnt really small, its 3'(long)x3'(high)x1 3/4' (deep)
i havent tried time outs, but i dont really have anywhere to put him, besides back in his cage.
iv tried ignoring after biting, and he just goes back to playing on his own.
he bites for no reasons, n normally its feet he bites... likes, ill b watchign my shows, he will come over, sniff my feet n bite down. or, ill pick him up to pet him, and as soon as my hand gets close enough to his face, he bites.
he only plays rough when i give him his hedgehog (his stuffy) or put his blanket over him n ruff him up, because he knows he is allowed to bite as much as he wants when we are playing that way.
he doesnt hunt me to bite me... but he has started recently following me and trying to bite my feet every time i step down.
he doesnt bite to get down, he wiggles and squirms to get down.
iv tried treats when he does something good, but idk how to give treats for when an action "isnt" done, like when he isnt biting... he "isnt biting" a lot of the time, since he is in his cage while im at work, etc.
ya, mine relatiates when scared, but only sometimes when challenged.

thanks for taking the time to help me out!

[Tako]

It was definitely the last method I tried with him, I probably ought to have mentioned that. Every ferret is different, he wasn't getting the picture with just the timeout method at all. Though, for clarity's sake, it was a VERY quick action. Scruff, drag, and scooping him up to be taken to the cage took two seconds at absolute most. It seemed like for him just that quick difference in how he got put away for the breif time out helped him understand that it was a disciplinary measure, not just being put away for a couple minutes while unsupervised.

[Heather]

Ok, Marshals are usually fairly soft handles but not always, especially when completely energized. Biting feet seems to go along with wanting you to play with him. My wee Lady Morgain does this all the time....the wee brat I've found that I've become a pro at the ferret foot sweep ;D at the same time telling her no and ignoring her. Handling is pick her up...if she doesn't bite me then she gets a treat. For her it's a bit of seal or fish oil...just a few drops (I use a dropper). I can now pick her up, reach into her nest, even snuggle her...now.
How much out time does he get? He's very young, he will need more than a couple of hours to get rid of pent up energy from being in that small cage. Sometimes, kits have so much energy they can't go for going and biting is part of their release.
Do not use his home for a time out. You will need to get a tiny cage and put nothing in it. Boredom is a ferret's worst nightmare.
ciao

[jarethlover]

oooooh ok, i do have a smaller cage, about 1'x1'x2' that i have kept aside for travelling, but i could use it for timeouts.
i let him out almost every night, when i get home from work for a few hours, unless he is overly bite-y, then i put him back... i give him 3 chances each time, if he bites 3 times, his playtime is over.

[suzie]

Use a lot of toys and don't let him bite your hands for a while. Redirect him to the toys to bite on. Do not give him attention for biting your feet if you want to stop this, give him a few minutes in his little cage (time out). I wouldn't give him three chances because this confuses them, he needs to associate the biting immediately with a consequence (time out).

[Sherry]

That's part of what's frustrating him so much. A ferret's attitude can be very much "if I bite you first you'll leave me alone", meaning not put him back in his cage. That's one of the reasons it's so important not to use his cage as a time out.
If he's going for you feet, very GENTLY sweep him away from you with your foot and go elsewhere and ignore.
If you pick him up and he doesn't immediately try to bite he gets a lick of his favourite oil. If he does bite, he goes into a little empty carrier for 3 minutes. And time it. If it's much longer he'll forget why he's there.
After 3 minutes let him out, even if he's tantrum in in the carrier- he's in there for biting, not cage raging
If he bites again(and many will out of sheet temper), he goes right back in for another 3 minutes etc. It will most likely get worse before it gets better, but you should start seeing improvement in a couple or three weeks at his age.

[Heather]

Letting him out "almost" every night isn't enought good exercise and will not relieve the frustration felt by an intelligent animal like a ferret. He's biting because he's frustrated and needs to be exercised and stimulated. If I put Lady Morgain in the cage after biting me 3x she would live forever in her cage. That's a very small cage to keep a wee active fuzz in for 20 out of 24 hrs with some days not getting out at all. The only way you're going to get this boy to stop biting is to allow him to play out until exhausted. Ferrets bite less if at all when given enough exercise and stimulation. Marshals have to be some of the best behaved ferrets in the farm market...but even they bite when they get frustrated. He bites and chases your feet because they're moving (they are a hunter) and he gets a reaction out of you. He's lonely and bored and for a baby that's a very dangerous combination
ciao

[sherholms]

I'm going to just say, my first boy was a biter and time outs worked wonders for him.

Of course, I raised him before I found the forum so I used his cage for time-outs which is a no-no (You need to use a spare carrier like a cat carrier for them).

His normal cage is really, pretty small if he isn't getting out for large periods during the day. Even for one fuzz. You may want to consider getting something larger if he isn't able to get out for the majority of the day. I personally have work and school during the day and invested in a much larger, comfortable cage that allows me to have the occasional "bad mom day" if I'm feeling ill or completely exhausted. Plus with a larger cage, that opens up the possibility for a friend!

Ferrets are nothing like any of the other small mammal-pets found in pet stores. Yes, they sleep 18 hours a day but they need, need to be let out when they are awake. They're more like the mutant offspring of a cat and a puppy. Hopefully you can get his biting under control so he has lots of time out of his cage!

If he has any strange white markings on his head, he could be deaf. It's actually fairly common in farm ferrets. Deaf ferrets are notorious for being a little bitey (they can't judge your/other ferret's reactions as well and don't know when they're biting too hard). If you want to check his hearing run the vacuum ;D or sneak up on him with a can of pennies/other rattling toy.

Even with training he may still nibble a little playfully (he should not break the skin and should have an idea of when "enough is enough"). Ferrets are going to be ferrets and that is just how they sometimes play with each other. You're just going to have to adjust to his body language and know the tell-tale signs of when he is going to be a little brat.

[jarethlover]

i know he isnt deaf, bc he knows his name, and he loves his crinkle bags.
and unfortunately, i cant let him out too often because i work 2 jobs, working 7 days a week, and i cant leave him out when im not home.
and im in a small apartment, so i have no room for a bigger cage.

[Tako]

I have two tips for finding more time to let him out in a busy schedule. Invest in a collapsible playpen if you can. It's definitely not a substitute for supervised play time, or a substitute for your supervision during play time. However, it gives you a little more security to let him out during a time where you might get momentarily distracted such as while cooking dinner or trying to get some housework done, etc. Also, if dangerous things are kept out of his way in the bathroom, try letting him out in the bathroom while you're getting ready to go. All the little ten and fifteen minute play sessions you can offer him in spare moments throughout the day will help. I was super busy during the time I had my first ferret (a super full semester in college and a job) and lucked out that my MIL ended up really liking him and was willing to take him out for some play time while I was gone. However, for the first couple of weeks I had him, I had to really work to find creative ways to give him all the out-of-cage time he needed to be well behaved.