ferret biting

[kristeven]

i have a 11month old male ferret that is a very love-able and playful chappie. but up to 5 days ago all he wants to do is bite me, and i mean bite,twice he has broke the skin and my son has had to get him off me can anyone help me with this as its getting where im scared he might bite into a vein or something?????

[josaphine32]

Dont give up. or be scared of him, he will know by your response that he can get away with it we were told to use bitter apple spray, the same as you would use for dogs spray it on your hands or gloves ( I would use gloves to hold him until he was well used to it ), A breeder told us to scruff ours till they yawned and along with the spray it worked, if ours were really naughty to squirt apple spray near there mouth but ours are lovely and we never needed to do that (lemon juice is also good to use, KEEP handling him as if he knows you are going to back off he will know they are very intelllegent 2 year old toddler intellegent

[josaphine32]

also.....dont wake him up and get him straight out he may be biting you cos he needs the loo, Ferrets have a very quick digestion track and will always go straight to the loo after a nap.

[kristeven]

thank you i will try this i hope it works cos i love handling him and playing i didnt no if he needed breeding?? but i will remember wat you said thanks

[terambulan]

Now he knows the ease of biting thru skin he will need re-training.

Wear thick leather gloves sprayed with lemon or mustard....he wont like biting that. When you're ready for skin contact spray your hands likewise. If you have sweet smelling hands he will want to nibble!

[Ice.Maiden]

The ferret should've been trained not to bite before now. One of the best ways of stopping it, is to "scruff" them, which means grabbing hold of the loose skin at the top of their necks, and shaking gently. This is what ferrets to to each other as a warning to stop. Also, nose tapping can prevent it (not too hard) along with a short sharp "no!" - as you might say to a puppy or kitten. As Josephine says, wear some tough gloves (a ferret can bite straight through your finger!) and handle your pet frequently. Make sure that your "play" isn't teasing. Ferrets often bite when they're excited or threatened.

[kristeven]

thanks for all the information