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Advice
Apr 12, 2021 19:03:44 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by Deleted on Apr 12, 2021 19:03:44 GMT -5
Hi I have recently just purchased 2 ferrets from a person that did not feed them very well and did not handle them very much either since I have had them I have managed to get them to a healthy weight and they are doing a lot better but I am having a big problem with unpredictable hard hard biting I don’t always know when there going to do it as it is not every time one day they could be fine but then another time they bite really hard and latch on and don’t let go it’s almost getting to the point where I just don’t enjoy handling them because I don’t know wether or not they are going to latch on to me I have tried bitter apple sprays and other things and also the time outs in a travel cage and that doesn’t help either it is not play biting as they stiffen up quite a lot when they are held and are sometimes scared sometimes they are not
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Advice
Apr 12, 2021 19:33:08 GMT -5
Post by unclejoe on Apr 12, 2021 19:33:08 GMT -5
Hey there. Sounds like you have a bit of a challenge. this is not an impossible situation, but it might take time and patience. to start with, not every ferret is a cuddle bug. of 30 ferrets, maybe 4 of mine have really enjoyed being held for more than like 1 minute. You're going to have to get to know each ferret's personality, and they are going to have to adjust to being handled, which means pick em up hug and put em down before they have a chance to bite, at first. IDK how much research you have done, but some ferret perform the "lick lick chomp" ritual, meaning they will lick your arm/hand once or twice signalling they want down, and if they don't get it, CHOMP. This could happen in 5-6 seconds, but if you learn to read the signs, you could save a little pain and blood. A couple questions: How old are your fuzzies, and how much out of cage time are they getting now? this link shows the "bite hold," so you can hold them making it impossible to bite you. Try holding them when they are tired, just before bed and before they wake up.
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Advice
Apr 12, 2021 20:24:50 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by Deleted on Apr 12, 2021 20:24:50 GMT -5
They are out of the cage freely it is always open they have there own room and they are aged 1 year old so that is 1 full years worth of neglect they have endured so far in there life they also don’t lick at all it is straight to the bite but it is never just a normal bite it is always a latch bite they lock there legs and arms very tight when they are held like they are scared stiff iv owned ferrets for many years but never had this kind of a challenge before they wiggle and hiss and and try to turn there heads and bite me when I’m holding them to do there nails it’s almost impossible to do anything nice for them and hard to personally interact and play my self due to the latching I don’t mind if there not cuddly ferrets who don’t like been held etc but even when I’m not holding them if I’m just sitting down with them with there toys or what ever they latch on to me hard and bite down hard regardless of the situation but like I said it’s unpredictable it doesn’t always happen it’s strange
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Advice
Apr 15, 2021 7:05:54 GMT -5
Post by abbeytheferret6 on Apr 15, 2021 7:05:54 GMT -5
I bought a year old off craigslist. She was a biter too. She wasn't mistreated. Lttle things I could tell owner was doing that made me know she was taken care of. She was free roamer and owner had taken her off Marshall's food. A spunky girl, who would have been a good mouser--loved chasing cat toys ---but she would lay a chomping on you. When we played with her, like if she was on her back, she would clutch your fingers really tight. We always anticipated a bite (lol), so we would get lose of that hold. I have told it many times, how I could not change potties or blankets in her cage when I first got her because she would come after me. I would grab her real quick and put her on the floor in order to do those things. But as time went by(not days:)), and we socialized with her--- she got better and better. However, my Didi would bite my daughter-in law after climbing on her for a while, and she did that to my husband's friend---maybe it was perfume or a nice smell? Who knows on that one. Just give it some time and do not not let kids play with them is my suggestion.
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Post by lyles on Apr 16, 2021 17:42:43 GMT -5
Scruffing should be avoided, they have the extra padding as babies but by 1 year it puts pressure on their throats and makes them feel uncomfortable. I would only use it for cleaning their ears.
To clip their nails I found it easiest to get them on their back and pour some salmon oil on their bellies, then quickly trim their nails starting with the front paws then the back if needed. Using human fingernail clippers works best imo just don't trim too close to the blood vessels.
My 7yo ferret, Alice, was a bit of a fear biter (though not near as bad as my first). She would bite and latch so hard it would pierce the skin. It took a few months of enduement, can't stress this enough to never use negative reinforcement, it does not work on ferrets and it will only make their behavior worse. Are they just biting hard or are they really doing damage with their bite? If they are just biting hard it just means they never were able to adjust their bite pressure for people. An easy fix, every time they bite hard just say OW loud and get up and ignore them for 5 minutes. Do not feed them, treats or anything during that time for them that they might consider a reward. Eventually they will catch on and you'll notice them biting much softer or even stop biting all together and lick instead.
A couple of examples with my recent additions. Aron play bit hard when I first brought him home and was very rough playing with me (as I was his only play mate at the time) I would ignore him when he would start biting too hard and just keep my hands still. My hands would often end up raw around the wrists, but he started noticing the injuries he caused and would start licking them. Now he won't bite me at all, avoids rough housing with me and would always lick me instead even though I tell him it's ok to be a little rough.
I made a mistake with Sean, though it wasn't intentional. He was only 4 weeks old when I brought him home, as Aron's only playmate Aron would constantly bully Sean and although Sean would cry and make a lot of noise when Aron was with him I noticed Sean would jump back to wrestling with him when I'd break them up. Sean then became more aggressive when he got bigger and would play bite me harder than Aron would. One day I was sitting on the couch and he came up from under the pillows and bit my hand so hard it caused me to reactively slap bop him on the head. Sean got so angry with me he stood tall on all 4s, looked at me and hissed for a good 5ish seconds then jumped down from the couch and didn't want to do anything with me for a week. He's much better now though, and hasn't bit me hard since but always be careful.
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Post by Charlie on Apr 16, 2021 20:46:44 GMT -5
Also sounds like they are still afraid of you somewhat since they are in a new environment if you recently got them. It will take time. Salmon oil is your friend. Just not too much. I did the same as Lyles and if my ferret bit hard I would get up a leave him alone. He's an only ferret so he didn't like that I left him and learn over time that biting hard meant no playing with me.
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