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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2016 13:00:54 GMT -5
Hello all, I've only recently introduced myself as a soon to be ferret owner. I quite literally stumbled upon my new baby... who is claimed to be around 8-9 weeks of age. He had been there for quite some time, according to the staff as he was very vocal, and feisty. I'm fairly certain he came to them much too young. They had him in a glass fish tank that didn't even have adequate space for him to turn around with only a water bowl that was bone dry. The counter girl did her best to speak pleasantly about him, and that she had been working with him to discourage biting, and behavior of that nature. I knew immediately that I was not leaving there without him (they apparently only order in ferrets by customer request and do not keep them in store, so I assume that the intended owner backed out) and I already had all I needed at home. It became clear very quickly that he was deaf and that explained why he was so ''vocal'' according to the girl. His vocalizations are very mismatched. Introductions with my very laid back cats went very well, in fact the first night he was home, he and my cat Sparta curled up together for a nap. These interactions are strictly supervised, with my boyfriend and I at the ready to intervene, but they get along seamlessly. I've read that a deaf ferret is easily more startled and if suddenly grabbed can nip in fear. We always let him know we are going to handle him, let him sniff our hands and approach from his front, and generally let him approach us. However, what usually follows is a very intense bite in which he locks on. He will literally dangle from our hands, or arm wherever his bitten into and lock up his jaw, not letting go and hissing. We then correct him by scruffing him, and blow gently in his face in place of a verbal no. Eventually we do get him off. However if he nips our ankles or pant legs, and we go to correct him by scruffing he "alligator rolls" himself to avoid it. Not to mention he will scream and angrily vocalize at us for it! In general, the only interest he seems to have with us is to bite! He is drawing blood and leaving our hands swollen. We use some lemon on our hands, but so far he is not discouraged. We are trying to be patient as we possibly can, but we are starting to dread the hours we are putting in to socialize, when we know we are going to come out battered and bruised. I also am worried as I cannot get him to take any interest in ferretlax, salmon oil, or Vaseline. He plays well with the cats, but even Sparta has taken a nip or two, at which point play time is ended for both of their safety.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2016 13:28:32 GMT -5
What's you little boy's name? The little guy got off to a rough start in life and I'm glad he is in a safe place with you. The little one sounds like he is simply overwhelmed and frightened. He's alone in a strange place without his mother or siblings. Even 8-9 weeks is too young but what can you do? Small babies sell better. Deaf ferrets are challenging since they can't pick up on vocal cues. He doesn't have other ferrets or his Mom to teach him social skills and he really only has one way to communicate with you. He's biting out of fear or trying to invite you to play but simply doesn't know how to do it properly. Other ferrets would walk away when the play gets too rough. You can do that but come back after two minutes and reward him with some more play. He needs to know he will be forgiven. I'm not a fan of scruffing at all. Vets use it and I don't like the idea that they would associate me with an unpleasant vet visit. Blowing in his face will likely confuse and anger him. I know you're trying hard but look at the link below that I added and I've tagged Heather and Sherry for you. You need to find ways to play with him that keep your hands away from him. A cat teaser toy or a blanket ride is fun. He needs to build a bond with you also so that he trusts you. Ferrets take their time giving their love and friendship. I'm tagging Sherry and Heather for some advice for you. They've dealt with fear biters and Heather is a breeder so they'll be more helpful with such a young little one. It may take some time and patience but don't give up. The rewards from his giving his trust to you are so worth it. One small note: Salmon oil is wonderful but ditch the Ferretlax and only use Vaseline for a blockage emergency. Ferretlax is not a good product. I'll also link the thread on nip training: holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/13707
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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2016 14:02:55 GMT -5
How wonderful that you took him home and are working with him. Patience is as you already know what it will take, he is so afraid right now. We had a nipper, Bella who the 2 minute trick worked and took abit 2 weeks and she stopped biting our toes. What is his name and post some pics of him too. Best of luck coming your way
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Post by abbeytheferret6 on Mar 19, 2016 14:32:58 GMT -5
Got some cloth gloves? They might help some---not rubber---that will draw him to your hands like a magnet.They love rubber.
I do not scruff either nor blow in face. My hands stayed chewed up with my Abbey--I even had to ask hubby was she the one that kept my hands messed up---totally a different girl now. I remember many, many years ago our first baby boy left 13 tiny holes in hubby's hand before he put him down ----I guess he bit him 7 times as the teeth marks seemed to be in pairs. They are scared little things. lot of luvin and taking him for a some walks doing a lot of things with him. Oh yea offering some of forum's soupie or some chicken wing tips. All my girls come to me when they are hungry. They know their mommy. Will not be an overnight thing, but be patient.
Got two deaf girls myself. They r very vocal. Kind of nice to hear all the ferret sounds.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2016 14:40:35 GMT -5
I've dealt with the same thing multiple times and was dealing with it a few weeks ago when I brought two babies home. The male was the worst one. I saw how the pet store handled him and I don't blame him for biting. When I picked him up he latched onto my hand and hung on. It was love at first bite! When I got him home he did it again, took a nice chunk out of my hand and caused me to bleed . He is only 8 weeks old but I know he has been through a lot, and the pet store worker picked him up by his head and handed him to me! He has had no positive interactions with being handled, I don't blame him for biting! I would too! I would stop scruffing and blowing in his face. My guy bit hard, punctured and caused bruising. Of course it hurt, but I calmly got him to release and would gently pet him and hold him or let him sit in my lap. I'm big on trust building, and with my serious biters I never disciplined them or s cruffed them or "punished" them. Within a few days they all realized they were in a safe place and they no longer bite. Scruffing and punishment don't help in these types of situations. Dash was my first baby biter, out for blood, The pet shop guy hit her in the face to "teach" her not to bite. She latched onto any part of me that she could. But within a few days with nothing but positive interactions and knowing she was safe (even when blood was draeb), the biting stopped. She is now a happy, non biting two year old adult.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2016 14:46:04 GMT -5
Also, try not to dread socialization time. They sense that energy, so go in with positive mental attitude. With my biter I would let him play in his big room with his tubes and toys before I went in to handle and socialize with him. That way he got all that energy out of him and might be too tired to bite. Or bite as hard....
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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2016 15:27:27 GMT -5
Thank you all, I did not like the scruffing much either, but it was advice I was previously given. I thought not correcting the behavior would encourage it, but I never thought I was giving him reason to fear me instead. I certainly want him to feel safe so we will just grin and bear it. My boyfriend and I joke his name is Chomper but that's our bit of fun since he can't hear us to take offense. His permanent name is still being thought out. We want to name him based on his personality and what fits his character, which at his current state is a fearful and wary fuzzy so we are waiting for his true colors to come out. I have always believed ferrets did better in pairs...but I'm nervous at best. He does bite quite hard and I'm hoping to work with him a bit before I add another ferret into the mix. I know that they tend to hold their own and he/she might even show him what for about his biting, but I don't want to put them in harms way either. He's still fairly new himself, so I didn't know if while he's still adjusting to us and his home if adding a ferret in was the best idea. I will omit the Ferretlax, I saw all the junk in it but I knew he needed something and the salmon oil he wouldn't take. His name should be Piccaso, as he has a litter box on each level, scooped three times a day, but once he's gone in each if I don't make it in time to scoop them, he LOVES to poop and pee and spread it everywhere, the walls too if he can. My boyfriend says he's painting me a picture, but it's not so fun to clean it all up!
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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2016 16:08:25 GMT -5
When I got Dash I contacted a ferret rescue, asking for advice because I had never dealt with this issue before. They gave me bad advice and said to scruff and drag him across the floor. I was like, um, no... Marshall ferrets are ripped away from their mother's too young, then are taken to be spayed/neutered, then shipped off to pet stores... that's a lot of trauma for such a young animal in such a short amount of time. The ones that come out of it biting, who can blame them? Love and patience and trust building is the name of the game.
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Post by abbeytheferret6 on Mar 19, 2016 16:52:52 GMT -5
My 20 month old which I got off craigslist would not take salmon oil either. But I daubed her mouth with some on my finger on different occassions, and she finally decided she liked it. It is not something I give every week.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2016 18:03:55 GMT -5
I'm so glad to hear that you're being patient and kind to him. Ferrets are just so loving once they bond to you. They're also really really smart and need alot of stimulation and playtime. Chomper is a funny name and I absolutely love Picasso. He may not be able to hear his name but you'll know it when you keep finding yourself calling him a certain name. Try using hand signals. I always wave at Keller who is also deaf for her to come to me and she does. gfountain uses certain stomping sounds that make vibrations to get hers to come to her. Mine didn't like salmon oil at first either but they were older. It's a strong smell but Chomper will come to love it and it makes for great rewards or treats. Just don't give too much or you'll have loose smelly poops. A drop here or there is fine as long as you don't exceed it by more than say 1/2 tsp every 3 days. Now here's the important thing, we absolutely need baby pictures. Pretty please!
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Post by Heather on Mar 20, 2016 0:35:10 GMT -5
It's good that you got this little one. He sounds like he needs your love and patience. I had a wee boy whom I rescued out of a pet store. He'd been cruelly used. Each person who handled this wee boy had a different method of disciplining this wee boy. He was scruffed, had his whiskers pulled, slapped, scruffed and dragged. The more they abused him the more aggressive he got until no one could handle him. I'd gone in a couple of times to try and work him but he bloodied my hands each and every time. One day I came in and he had a bloody prolapse. They told me it had happened on the weekend. I told them as it was out over 1/4 to 1/2 and inch that he needed to be seen by a vet. I checked on him again about mid week....no vet (headwall) I suggested that they use some prep h. I came in at the end of the week and the girl asked me what would happen to him if they sent him back. He had come from a reptile supplier....he was an RC ferret. There are no refunds, he would have been euthanized. We negotiated for his release to my care and he was taken to the vet. It was too late, he needed extensive surgery. He was a very sick boy, hugely aggressive. A weeks care and my hands were so bloody and bandaged I couldn't close them. We worked with him. Mostly ignore, which didn't appear to work at first because that's what he wanted. I stopped using the sin bin because he actually appeared to be afraid of it. He was never scruffed except to do his treatments. Only treats were offered. I had to hold him for 10 minutes 3x a day to do his treatments. By the time he was about 8 months we had worked things out really well. He knew if he bit hard he was put in the sin bin for 3 minutes (he was no longer afraid). If he just nipped me, then I walked away and he would get no treats or snuggles. He loved his food, his treats and he loved his snuggles. He didn't love the feeling of being picked up. I eventually figured out being blind the transition and losing complete control of where the ground was terrified him. I tried to make the transition fast so that his feet didn't dangle. I would hold him against my chest instead of holding him away from me. video Adult Minion with best friend Atreyu (Atreyu is the little guy) ciao
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Post by Sherry on Mar 20, 2016 10:48:05 GMT -5
Poor wee mite First order is to NEVER discipline a fear biter- it simply reinforces the reason for that fear. Time outs can come later once they trust again. Use ignore instead. If you need to detach them, GENTLY push the finger/hand back into their mouths and they should release for a moment. If that doesn't work, there is a "sweet spot" at the jaw hinge that with mild pressure will cause them to release. We had a massive fear biter from the pet store as well, as they are also taught to flick noses, and pull whiskers. Odds are your wee one has also had this done in his short life. Human hands are something to be feared. so the idea is bite before they can hurt you. For right now- I would use an oil he loves, be it ferretone, or salmon oil, or another. It is only going to be short term anyway. And no gloves, unless your hands are so badly damaged they need to heal. Start by getting him to adore the oil- put it on a spoon, plate, anything. Just a few drops. I made the mistake of offering it to our fear biter on my finger. First time she'd tried it so she had NO idea I had goodies on it. After bandaging the finger I used a spoon Once she accepted the oil as a treat, I would use the bottle, put it to her nose on the floor and lift her from behind while she was licking at the bottle. Then when she accepted that, I put it on my palm, but flattened hand so she had nothing to bite. I quickly scooped her up and brought hand and nose together so she knew her treat was there. That worked up into accepting hands ONLY ever held good things and would never hurt her again. Scruffing was a whole 'nother story as it terrified her to the point of screaming and wetting herself We worked through that as well. This was Willow after she finally realized she was safe:
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