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Post by lexirouse88 on Sept 18, 2019 15:59:53 GMT -5
So Monday we went to petco and the employees told me about a "problem" ferret they had, they said that she would charge and bite viciously. they couldnt handle her at all, they would use gloves to trim her nails. the employee told me that she was sedated and tranquilized and none of it worked to calm her down. the manager even suggesting getting her put down. At that i told them that i would take her home, the manager said there is one condition to taking her as a length of stay rescue, that we do not bring her back. (not that i would even think about taking her back) she is 3 months old and is extremely fearful of hands. She can walk around and not bother our feet, she will climb into my husbands lap and cuddle. she is completely afraid of gloves, she lashes out when they are around. Now on the plus side she absolutely loves the other ferrets, and the cats. she acts like she wants the attention, she will climb up on our legs like the rest of them do when they want picked up. but as soon as the hand is presented its "attack".. I should also add that they are free roam ferrets. I know with time and patience, and all the love (whether it hurts me or not) she will get better. As of right now we are letting her get to know her new home, and the other children. we are ignoring her when she walks around, and aren't bothering her when shes sleeping. the sin bin doesn't help right now as soon as shes out she will charge and bite. progressively getting harder.. (my hand hurts) I will say this, I don't care how "bad" she is right now, we will not get rid of her, she will not be put down. Shes a beautiful little dark sable girl who we now call Khaleda. would anyone have any suggestions as to helping make her transition into a loving home more pain free?
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Post by unclejoe on Sept 18, 2019 16:55:29 GMT -5
She is so young I'd hate to recommend anything harsh. If possible let her know you're there before handling her. When you pick her up, do it slowly and don'y jerk her up into the air. be as gentle as you can. talk to her soflty and calmly. it's totally possible that she bit one petco worker and they gave her a smack. not right, but possible. the positive side is that she is still young ad once she comes around you'll have time with her. my worst biter was Rosa. She wasn't mean or afraid of hands, but when she wanted down, she did the lick lick chomp. Best of luck and please keep us updated.
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Post by lexirouse88 on Sept 18, 2019 17:24:27 GMT -5
I wont do anything harsh, shes so fearful. last night i did a booboo and startled her and she bit so hard between my pointer and middle finger, she hit a nerve.. she did do the lick lick chomp, once on my knuckle last night we got 6 licks before she started chewing on my knuckles (we arent letting her have access to fingers right now) i wouldnt be surprised if an employee hit her, the one guy there is terrified of all of the ferrets, and knows nothing about them.. i tried to give him some pointers but of course "i dont know what im talking about" i've had biters before, but none that were this aggressive. Right now the only one she will let pick her up is my other half.. i'd be ok if she bonded to him, hes got thicker skin. lol. I will definitely be posting more here.
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cockneyferret
Adolescent Member
Raw and Whole Prey Feeder
Posts: 253
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Post by cockneyferret on Sept 19, 2019 3:06:32 GMT -5
Definitely sounds like it's going to be a slow and gentle process. Ferrets are very clever and know when they're in good hands (excuse the pun). I'm pretty sure that she'll calm down and learn to trust the dreaded hand.
All the best
Neil
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Post by Sherry on Sept 19, 2019 5:50:54 GMT -5
Start with an oil for her as a treat. Only handle her with that in hand for the moment. This is the one time I actually use something like ferretone as they take to it so quickly. Let her have a couple licks from the bottle, and while she is doing that, pick her up quickly keeping bottle in face. After a few seconds, put her down and walk away. Keep doing that off and on, and she will start to associate being picked up with treats.
Next, put the oil in the palm of one hand, pick her up and bring your stretched out hand to her nose as being picked up. Now, she begins to associate treats with hands.
After a few days of this you *should* be able to start her off with a couple licks, hold her for a bit with no treat, then put her down and walk away.
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Post by lexirouse88 on Sept 19, 2019 7:48:53 GMT -5
She doesn't care for the ferretone, we use it for nail trimming. Speaking of that's going to be an issue very soon, I don't want them to get over grown.
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cockneyferret
Adolescent Member
Raw and Whole Prey Feeder
Posts: 253
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Post by cockneyferret on Sept 19, 2019 16:30:59 GMT -5
Neither of ours like Ferretone, the vet tried to bribe them with it last week whilst they had their vaccinations but they both turned the noses up at it and took the needles like champs.
One of ours likes salmon oil, the other not so much. I have found that a little tiny bit of malt paste (I know it's not good for them) on the belly is just enough time for me to clip their nails.
Cheers
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Post by caitmonster on Sept 19, 2019 18:34:00 GMT -5
Can you sneak a few nail clips here and there while she is asleep?
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Post by Sherry on Sept 20, 2019 9:07:00 GMT -5
try some salmon oil with her then. She may actually prefer that.
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Post by Charlie on Sept 21, 2019 21:17:24 GMT -5
I did the same thing that Sherry had suggested with salmon oil. My ferret was also 3 months old when I got him. I used the salon oil to get him to trust me and like me. Now he is super amazing!! I hope you find success with your little one and become best buds!!
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Post by lexirouse88 on Sept 22, 2019 10:45:24 GMT -5
Well we are almost a week into having khaleda and she will, gently take treats from us, she doesn't bother feet, she's biting still but not drawing blood as often. We got a chance to catch her in dfs, and I got her nails clipped!! We are making progress, slowly but surely
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Post by Heather on Sept 22, 2019 11:42:21 GMT -5
Sounds like progress. These are going to be little steps and it will be noticed after the fact that things have changed. The cruelty they learn about in the pet stores is horrific. Being slapped, thrown, nose flicked, whiskers pulled....the damage can be horrific and takes a long time to heal. The first thing they need to learn is that no harm will happen. It's the hardest lesson for them to learn and takes time, patience and some damaged hands. Sounds like you're making awesome progress
ciao
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Post by Sparrow on Sept 27, 2019 20:26:28 GMT -5
Sounds like its just going to be a very slow process. Who knows what happened to her while at the "farm" and in between. Glad you were able to get her before they put her down and that your patience is helping her learn to see that not all people are bad.
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Post by unclejoe on Sept 29, 2019 20:33:53 GMT -5
Well we are almost a week into having khaleda and she will, gently take treats from us, she doesn't bother feet, she's biting still but not drawing blood as often. We got a chance to catch her in dfs, and I got her nails clipped!! We are making progress, slowly but surely glad to hear it's getting better. ferret kits are like puppies and kittens. I've only had Rosa be a real biting Marshall. I adopted her from a shelter, and she was albino. could be she went to the shelter because she was a biter. Some albinos are like that. I would have told that manager the same thing, but I would have done my best to get a discount, based on years of experience and not wanting the fert to be pts for being feisty. wishing you continued success  |
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Post by emotionaltimebomb on Jan 1, 2020 8:22:11 GMT -5
Pixel was a fear bitter when we got her too. She wasn’t scared of gloves though, so we just used them whenever we had to do anything such as teeth cleaning and nail clipping.
It took maybe 3 or 4 months but she eventually stopped.
3 months isn’t that old. Maybe she’ll learn to trust you a bit quicker as a result?
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