Disclaimer
I am not a Vet or a Doctor(Human Vet). I have presented the info as is so take none of the info as any sort of advice or factually correct.
I don’t have ferrets although mongoose can be seen in my area or in the main city occasionally. In fact I saw one today in front of my house.
I have had guinea pigs, rabbits, budgies and zebra finches and have made any suggestion based on the general behavioral analysis of pets. They use to bite too specially fingers and not toes. But eventually they stopped.
About
This is just a metaphorical post although it may help with ferret(an invisible deity) biting. Go to this site if you have or want ferret as pets.
What is Ferret biting?
Ferret biting is one of the most talked about subjects when purchasing or caring for your ferret. It can be a difficult situation to love and care for your ferret if the reaction you receive from them is biting, it naturally feels aggressive and can really make the owner feel sad or even scared when handling their ferret.
The best way to deal with ferret biting is to be as positive as possible and always have fun, if the situation is made to be negative this is when your ferret will get scared and decide to bite, also remember your ferret does not have the same use of hands as we do, they lead with their mouth just like dogs do, you have to be patient with them.
Just remember your ferret does not mean to hurt you when they bite, they may be scared, curious or even playful, ferrets like to play very rough with each other, they just need to learn that it is not acceptable with mummy or daddy.
Keys to overcoming ferret biting…
- Never strike your ferret on the nose, this will create a negative atmosphere and your ferret will be scared.
- Always create a positive fun atmosphere for your ferret.
- When you see your ferrets body language start to change and it makes a dash for your feet, grab a toy and put this in the way as a barrier, yay its fun time with mummy or daddy!
- Some people like to try bitter apple if their ferrets are extremely difficult to train, this is down to personal opinion.
- If your ferret bites you can shrug them by the neck, holding their bottom and give a firm NO!, this will train them biting is not acceptable.
- Another technique to show dominance when ferret biting occurs is to gently drag them across the a carpet, this is what ferrets do naturally to show dominance.
The difficult part with ferret biting is that you must remain determined and focused, always be alert to how your ferret is reacting and make sure they do not get the chance to bite, if they do bite then use the two techniques above. Ferrets are extremely curious creatures and one of the times they will bite is when they want to be put down to explore, this will be countered with shrugging or showing dominance.
In short-
Set the temperature of your environment. Don’t just react to it.