Just bought a ferret, he is extremely nippy. How can I prevent this and make him become a “happy” ferret?
Just got a ferret (today) and I have her cage set up all nice. I put the ferret in and then attempted to put the water and food bowls in but the ferret has gone a little crazy and bit me really quite hard. I understand that the ferret is scared of being in a completely new environment, but I think it’s rather unusual that the ferret is being so aggressive so soon.
The pet shop sales worker said we should let it run around a closed room in the house before putting it in the pen. We did this and for the most part it was fine, but as soon as we moved the ferret arched it’s back and pounced on both my partner and I and started biting. After this we put it back in it’s cage.
We just need to know what to do next!!
Please help us out as we want to raise the ferret the best we can.
Thanks 
Is this a kit or an adult? Kits usually are rather nippy and some can bite very hard (even though it seems like aggression, it’s usually done out of fear). If it’s an adult, it’s possible it was mistreated in the past . That could be a possibility for a kit as well (some pet shop employees just don’t know how to properly handle certain animals). Anyway, when I got Chloe, she was only 8 weeks old and acted very aggressive (out of fear). Here’s how I dealt with her and she’s a total sweetheart now (sorry, this is kind of long):
First of all, never hit him or tap/flick his nose. I know there’s a lot of sources and people out there that say this is ok, but doing so can do one of two things - 1. Make your ferret fear you and then bite more because of it or 2. Turn it into a game for your ferret and, again, cause him to bite more.
To properly discipline a ferret, do the “scruff and drag” - as soon as he bites, grab his scruff (the loose skin on the back of her neck), give a gentle shake, and a firm “NO.” This is exactly how mother ferrets discipline their kits (instead of the “NO” they would hiss, which you can do in place of the “NO”). That can be followed up with a short drag across the floor - grab him by the scruff, lay him on his back, and drag him about one foot. This is how ferrets establish dominance - you’re basically telling him that YOU are the boss and he better listen. This isn’t going to stop the biting over night and most will come at you after doing the “scruff and drag” - they’re basically trying to say, “No, I want to be the boss!” You just have to stick with it, some take longer to learn.
Some other things to try:
* Time out - If he keeps coming back at you again and again after the “scruff and drag” then give him a little time out. Stick him in a carrier (please do not use his regular cage, you don’t want them to see their cage as a bad place to be) and completely ignore him. Leave him in there for no more than five minutes (I’d start with two minutes; anything over five minutes and they forget why they’re even in time out to begin with, so it becomes useless).
* Put treats on your hand (like olive oil, Totally Ferret Vivify, Ferretone, Ferretvite, etc.) for him to lick off. As he licks off the treat, pet him and talk to him in a soft voice. This, along with disciplining him when he nips, lets him know what is and isn’t acceptable behavior (licking hand = good; biting hand = bad).
* Until he gets better, keep a stuffed animal or other toy between your hand and him when you play, this way he bites the toy and not you. This also lets him know what he can dig his teeth into (a toy).
Just keep rewarding him for good behavior (and those rewards don’t always have to be treats - petting, cuddling, and praising also make good rewards) and discipline him (properly) for bad behavior. Also, make sure everyone else that handles him knows how to properly discipline him when he bites. It gets kind of confusing if you scruff him for biting, brother Billy hits him for biting, Uncle Bob sometimes scruffs him, sometimes hits him and sometimes does nothing, and then Grandma does nothing and just lets the ferret tear her hand to pieces. My parents are the only other people that regularly handle my ferrets and I had to “train” them how to discipline them. I’ve even had to lecture my dad several times to let him know that he NEEDS to discipline them if they bite too hard (I think I had a harder time training my parents than I did the ferrets!). And remember, be consistent and don’t give up! Some take longer than others, but if you’re consistent, they’re all capable of learning what is and isn’t acceptable.
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This post was written by admin on July 8, 2010
Tags: cats, design, pet shops for sale, pet shops for sale in essex, pet shops for sale in melbourne, pet shops for sale norfolk, pet shops for sale qld, pets, shop, shopping
