i am a first time ferret owner and have only had my kit (Arrisotle) for about five weaks,when we first picked him up from breader (whos parents were both working ferrets) he was lovely and snuggled up to me and feell asleep in my arms,lovely...then a few weaks after he has turned into a monster.

we have him out alot and is constantly socialised.he gets excited very quickly as all ferrets do and pounces at peoples faces and bites and doesnt let go.we have tried everyhting from apple spray to scruff and snuggle meathod to time out and a little flick on the nose...nothing is working,everytime he gets more excited and pounces even more thinking its a game he has lots of toys and is ed enough.

we have noo idea why he continues to bite..he is a lovelt little ferret untill he gets over excited.everyone in the houses hands are bitten to streads and he bites through skin reguarlly.we have no idea what to do anymore please someone helppp!!!

he is amazing and i wouldnt change him for the world just wish he would stop pouncing and making my hands drip with blood!!

thanks
Heather
x

hello ive got 4 kits and they are mad as anythink well the boys are worse they never seem to get tired.one of the boy is a lil shite as when he bites he locks on and takes ages to get off and it kills the others just play bite.

i think its just a naturall hunting instinct thats in his jeans like all ferrets....

i think by just keep telling him off when he does it it mite sink in but then again it could be just a playing thing that he does naturally......

Kits are always nippy. This is why first time ferret owners are told to buy adult ferrets.

NEVER flick a ferret on the nose. They have alot of nerve endings there and it's really painful for them.

When i was taming one of my boys, i scruffed him, said a firm 'NO', and there i dragged on across the carpet on his back for about a metre.
Also, some people have had success by scruffing the ferret using their own mouths. It sounds bizzare but it's what a mother ferret would do.

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thank you guys.
he is lovely just its getting painfull now.sometimes can get him out and he is fine untill he starts to wake up then he gets very nippy,so i take it the scruff and drag is the best method after all?
when we went to the breader they said a yong ferret was better to get than an adult,on the other hand they could just have wanted to be selling them....
i hope he does get out the habbit,it might just take time.
also i have stopped flicking his nose(i only did it twice or so) and it did make the situation worse and fairplay if someone hit me id probally bite back aswell.
bitin his scruff with my mouth??? i think he would swing round and bite off my face if i tried that one.i shall keep going
how long does it take userally to get them out the habbit?
x
thanks
heather

Usually, it doesn't take long. Ferrets will always nip whilst playing. It's simply a case of showing them what you will tolerate
With my boys, it took roughly 1-2 weeks each to nip train them

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its beeen 5 weaks alreadyyy......ohdear i shall keep going
he has a big cage and plently of excersise etc,just trying to think why he hates me so much sometimes lol
x

first this is the classic example of ehy first time owners should have adults and not kits and why kits should always have company of their one kind, i knwo you probably wont feel like another ferret because of his behaviour but is there any way to get him another kit friend?

NEVER EVER flick a ferrets nose, i knwo you say you have stoped but i hate hearing this, ferrets cant reason and think literally all they associate human hands with then is pain so no wonder they bite.

This needs sorting quickly, if he is so bad at this age you run the serious risk of him becoming an extremely agressive adult that can do serious damage, many biters become neglected or dumped on rescues although im not saying in any way this is what you will do.

You need to show him hands mean kindness, pick him up very frequantly but only for a second,as you pick him up feed him a very tasty treat, cooked chicken etc the best is feretone but it is a vitamin so dont overdose, pick him up give him a few licks and then put him down before his attention is lost o he atempts to bite, try not to put him down when he tries to bite as this enforses they get what they want when they bite.

good luck, sounds like you have a challenge, where abouts are you?

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Tiggy, 13 yr old Collie x Alsation, Lucy 11 yr old epileptic cross breed, Kara, collie x whippet

Another way that i remember is to try putting some ferretone on your skin and allow him to lick it off. Or your own saliva works too
I'm not 100% sure why this works, it just does lol

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ferretone is amazing, often referred to as crack for ferrets lol im never without a bottle, you can also disguise meds in it or use it as a distraction for injections or nail clipping, a quick and easy way to clip nails even for biters is to turn the ferret on its back on your knee, pour a bit of ferretone on the belly and while the ferret is licking you can clip the nails, they dont even know or wriggle and squirm

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Tiggy, 13 yr old Collie x Alsation, Lucy 11 yr old epileptic cross breed, Kara, collie x whippet

I second that

I always have a bottle around too. I did their nails last night and ferretone is amazing. I'd struggle to trim their nails without it lol

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