How do I 'handle' her everyday ?

[lordrodders]

So when ever you ask how to tame a ferret all you get told is 'handle it everyday'
Now I've had my baby jill for about 2 weeks now and she is really coming out of her shell, I can pick her up stroke her, and when I let her down bones and runs around the living room like a mad woman lol!
But I just dont get what people mean 'handle her daily' she will not let you sit and stroke her before she hops off you legs and away she goes, you cant sit and handle her she just wants to run and play ... any suggestions

[vivi]

I do not think that you ever manage to handle her longer than half a minute..LOL...they prefer to run explore and play...maybe as they getting older they can stay in our arms some seconds more....
With my Luna I love to have her in my arms and then she wants to leave and I run after her....and we play like crazy.

[Corvidophile]

Sounds like you’re doing fine, as long as she’s used to being picked up and not in fear or anger over it you’re good. Ferrets are not the type of pets that like being carried and petted for long periods of time, unless they’re old. Even then they may not like it. It’s important that they’re used to being picked up to make it easy to transport them during emergencies and get them used to what’s gonna happen at the vet or when they’re sick and need to be medicated by you.

[unclejoe]

Handle means just that. Pick her up and hang on as long as you can. If she has a room or free roam, you can wait till she runs out of gas or actually lays down to sleep to gently pick her up. she may spend more time in your arms or lap cuddling when she's out of energy. I will say that that is the only way we get cuddle time out of most of ours.

[Charlie]

Female ferrets tend to have even more energy then male ferrets it seems!! When my ferret was a kit I couldn't hold him for long either. He is getting better as he is almost 3 now but he still has lots of energy. My sister's ferret can only be held for very brief periods and then off she goes again! But as the others have said as long as they are use to being picked up without being bitten out of fear. They can be held longer when they are tired or when they first wake up! LOL

[abbeytheferret6]

U will not find many lap ferrets.

[Sparrow]

Ferrets LOVE to explore their surroundings and its rare to have one that will just sit with you. I have two ferrets with two very different personalities. Taz is extremely hyper, and I mean HYPER. He's super energetic and will not let you hold him longer than a few seconds. Even in his cage, he hops around until you open it up to let him run. Rumi, on the other hand, will let you hold him for extended periods, like 1-3 minutes, and he's done until he comes back to you for some play. My first ferret, Sparrow, was similar to Taz and didn't like to be held for more than a second up until a few months before he passed. In the months before his passing, he would let me hold him for as long as I wanted. Handling to me implies not only holding your ferret but also playing with them and interacting on their terms too, as well as regular grooming like brushing teeth, cleaning ears, trimming nails, etc...