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Post by em710 on Jun 10, 2012 10:19:11 GMT -5
Hi everyone! Hopefully I have put this in the right section. I need some help with my ferrets. Last weekend I adopted three ferrets off of craigslist. They are three males and all between the ages of 1-1 1/2 years old. I was told by the family that they were all very sweet and that they just didn't have the time for them. They ARE very sweet but they are also very rough and nippy with their play. Since their previous family had several very small children I suspect that this was actually the main reason for their rehoming, which they did not communicate to me.
These are not my first ferrets. Several years ago I had three ferrets but they were all strays I had adopted, so I didn't know their exact age, but the vet thought they were all around 2 years old. I never had issues with nipping. I have four children, who all had very positive experiences with our last ferrets but now My kids are constantly being nipped and I am afraid that they are becoming afraid and discouraged.
I have been gently scruffing and saying no or hissing when they get too rambunctious, and if their behavior persists I put them back in their cage. However a lot of times my kids get nipped and I am not immediately there to discipline the ferret. In your experience what has been the most successful way to discourage biting and what should my children do when they are being nipped? I am not comfortable with letting them scruff yet. I know that nippiness is common for youngsters, but at what age do they start to mellow out? Also one of them is deaf, so any additional advice on how to handle him would be appreciated. Thanks!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 10, 2012 10:25:49 GMT -5
I would do the scruff and drug with hissing, and then I would ignore them. My girl Nissa Jones was a terrible biter and had a complete hatred for people, so she would bite to draw blood and wouldn't stop until then. Scruffing alone didn't work, so I finally got mad and hissed at her while I dragged her by her scruff and she's never done it again. Of course, she still mouths us when she plays, but as long as she doesn't bite hard, we don't make a big deal of it. Hopefully you won't have to resort to that. Some people say put some ferretone on your hands so they know hands are for kisses and not for bites. Maybe that would help?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 10, 2012 10:27:40 GMT -5
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Post by Sherry on Jun 10, 2012 10:28:36 GMT -5
Depending on what is causing the nipping will determine the "punishment"(don't like using that particular term). If it's nipping during play due to excitement, immediately stop all play and walk away. If it's biting due to tantrums, etc I use time outs in a small empty cat carrier for no more than 3 minutes.
I quit scruffing when I got a little 13 week old revenge biter in. She'd bite, I'd scruff, she'd go limp and yawn so I'd put her down and she'd immediately lunge and bite whatever part she could get hold of ;D She had temper tantrums ;D
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Post by Heather on Jun 10, 2012 10:37:14 GMT -5
You do not mention how old your children are. Dealing with bitey ferrets is difficult enough for an adult much less children. I'm not saying that your children shouldn't interact with the ferrets. Perhaps until they learn proper methods of redirecting the fuzzies play (which is what it sounds like, they've never been taught bite inhibition) they should only interact with the ferrets in the company of an adult. If the little ones have been left to their own devices then chances are they will play with their humans they same way they play with each other. Do you have a tiny cat carrier? I never scruff biters. Many of my biters have been abused. To be scruffed is an insult to their person and they will retaliate. Every time a fuzz bites I just put them in the cat carrier in a time out. Never longer than 3 minutes, but that's where they go. At first, your main troublemaker will spend a lot of time in there. They will get the information though.....biting = time out in the cat carrier and everyone ignores me. You do not wait for him to settle or stop bouncing the carrier. This method takes a bit longer, but it prevents the whole domination/aggression thing. I don't use their cages because it's their home. They will probably just go to bed and sleep or they start to associate their cage (home) with being bad (you don't want that either). The nice thing about this discipline, even a child can deal with it. This is my method, you will be inundated with all types of methods. Whatever method you choose, you must be consistent. One method...if you bounce methods, you will confuse your little furfriend Good luck  ciao |
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Post by darlene on Jun 10, 2012 18:42:35 GMT -5
I quit scruffing when I got a little 13 week old revenge biter in. She'd bite, I'd scruff, she'd go limp and yawn so I'd put her down and she'd immediately lunge and bite whatever part she could get hold of ;D She had temper tantrums ;D Jyala taught me that,if you scruff her, look out! |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 10, 2012 19:37:11 GMT -5
Pippi is a revenge biter as well with scruffing, I use the hold demonstrated in the link which causes her to submit and relax rather quickly and back to play  |
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Post by em710 on Jun 12, 2012 13:55:09 GMT -5
It seems that the scruffing only works on one of them. If I scruff my other two, the second I put them down they come bouncing right back with their mouths wide open. So I am going to see how they do with just time outs. Thanks for the advice!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 12, 2012 15:14:12 GMT -5
Good luck , hope you can get the issue under control  |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 16, 2012 12:40:06 GMT -5
Definitely give the hold they talked about a shot. We've had to start doing it with Jayne and it's quite effective!
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