naughty ferret

Question
hi, i don't know if you remember but i recently wrote to
you, asking you about my ferret squeak who has developed a
very bad behaviour problem. im getting concerned now as
today she bit me and drew blood, i'll explain...

i started using the scruff technique when she was naughty,
whether it be hissing, biting etc and whilst doing it she
would still hiss at me, and try to bite me once i released
her, so alot of the time she would find herself back in her
cage, whilst bubbles remained out. she still is not
interested in playing anymore, and when bubbles try to play
with her it becomes a biting wrestling match and they both
flip and squeal etc. Squeak when we first got her, dooked
all the time, jumped about was completely different, now its
like shes been swopped, shes aggresive hissing non stop,
hisses at bubbles or attacks her for no reason, we tryed
introducing treats, which bubbles isnt fussed about but
squeak loves a little to much, at first i tried the paw
trick, everytime she she stepped her paw on my hand i would
say paw and let her have the treat. Now though, she will
have it no matter what, i mean lunges for it, hence how i
got bit, theres no chance on earth of getting something from
her without her hissing or biting you. I went to give her
the treat because she had been good and she lunged for it
which scared me, next thing i knew she was hanging off my
finger biting harder and harder to the point i thought she
had gone right through, no matter how much i screamed no or
ouch at her she would not let go, i then had to use my spare
hand to pry her jaw open which then resulted in her biting
my other finger and drawing blood, which may have been where
i had to pull her off me, but it was the hardest shes everr
bit, and i really think she meant it, i then put her to the
floor threw her treat to get her away from me, she took it,
then ate it, then went mad puffing her tail up, as if
threatning me to give her more, she was soon back in her
cage, i i don't want to get her out again. My pet store have
offered to exchange her, i don't know what to do, they were
once so happy, but now bubbles plays alone and squeak just
wants food or to be mean to us or bubbles. my main concern
is she's going to hurt bubbles, so im half considering
taking her back for bubbles sake, please help me, i don't
know what to do. shes not been spade yet, my vet said at 12
weeks its to early, they like to do this when there more
grown at 6 months, so thats not an option. what else can we
try, im scared she's never going to break from her raged
self!!

Answer
The most important thing is not the give up.  If you return her to the store she will be euthanized since she cannot be sold if she behaves like that.  Even if they tell you otherwise, the most likely outcome is she will be put down.  

There are MANY theories on the best way to stop nipping.  Some people say time-outs are the best, while others say you should not scold the ferret at all.  I will tell you of my own personal experience, because there IS no right way.  It all depends on Squeak and what works for her.  

Some ferrets have reasons for biting.  Many are abused (which Squeak was not) so she is probably not a fear-biter.  These guys should not be punished because of their traumatic past.  But since this is not the case with Squeak it should be a bit easier.  

My guess is she enjoys your reaction when she nips and it escalates the behavior.  It is a game to her, and she knows you are afraid which gives her the upper hand.  If this continues it WILL get worse.  For example, she wanted the treat and by biting she got you to throw it.  That is saying to her, "Hey... I do what I want and get goodies!  My owner screams and runs around whenever I bite.  This is fun!"  If you look at it from this perspective, it becomes obvious why it is getting worse.  She is getting positive reinforcement for her bad behavior.  It is fun AND she gets goodies.  

So.. what will work best?  Well... let me tell you of my experience with a biter and let you decide what might work for Squeak.  Every ferret is a bit different and certain methods would work better on some than others.  

I used to volunteer at a shelter years ago and fell in love with the most evil ferret you could ever imagine.  Her name was Salem for that reason.  Apparently whoever owned her previously was too afraid to let her out of her cage.  She was horrible biter and would cause you to bleed.  The bad behavior was never stopped when she was a kit so it escalated to unimaginable proportions. She was MUCH worse than how you describe Squeak.  By the time she was 8 months old, she was abandoned at the shelter since she would immediately latch onto anyone and not let go.  After my first encounter with her at the shelter I already had several battle scars to prove it.  

The process of socializing her was a long and painful one. I got bitten many times daily for months.  My fingers were so numb from the various teeth marks I thought I might not regain feeling!  It was definitely a battle of will, but I wanted to prove to myself I could do it.  

I tried time outs, treats, everything.. even Bitter Apple spray.  that was by far the worst idea.  Somehow she liked it, and was even more intent on biting.... I didn't know what to do.  there were times where I wanted to give up, but I knew I would fail myself and her if I did.    

I thought long and hard about what was causing the behavior.  She was not scared of me, so it wasn't a traumatic or abusive past.  Finally I realized what it was.  She wanted her way and didn't like discipline.  Squeak sounds all too similar.  

Salem made a game out of biting and I could not let it continue. Even though she nipped, I would not let her go.  It must have confused her, because here was a lady who was not screaming and flailing every time she bit, and I would not back down.  When she latched on, I would calmly say NO in a loud voice and hold her to the ground by her scruff.  I did not let her up until she gave in even if she flailed and struggled.  The most important thing is to remain CALM.  Ferrets like reactions and she is biting you because it is a fun game for her like it was in my situation.    

But not even holding her to to ground was enough with Salem.  I had to go a step further.   

I know this sounds mean, but the only thing that worked in her case was a nip on her ear.  It was just hard enough that she knew I meant it, not to seriously hurt her.  She didn't like that one bit!  Most of the time she would become angry and bite me again in retaliation.  So I would chomp her ear and the cycle would continue.  Regardless, I would NOT put her down until she gave in.  The important thing is to spend A LOT of time working with Squeak just like I did with Salem.  You will begin to see improvement but it will take determination.  

I first got Salem 5 years ago. Today she is a new ferret.  She is friendly, does not bite toes or fingers and is pretty much my best pal. In fact she decided to cuddle next to me as I type this.  On a rare occasion she does test me by nipping a toe ever-so-lightly and DASHE under the bed as fast as she can!  She neither draws blood nor latches on, but I know how important it is to be consistent.  I still nip her ear when she does that =).. and she knows its coming because she makes a mad run for cover!

I know you are doing your best, but just keep with it.  Remember that she is small in comparison to you and the worst thing that can happen is you get bitten.  Do not be afraid of her.  She will know it and take advantage of that fact.  It is important to spend A LOT of time with her... and let her out at least 4 hours a day.  If ferrets are caged too much they have pent up energy that can sometimes be let out in negative ways.  

This can be fixed but you need to be persistent and let her know that such behavior is unacceptable. Salem is living proof that even the most horrible of biters can be trained, and Squeak is not nearly as bad yet.  If you begin working on her now, you will see improvement within the next few weeks.

Below are some links to more information you may find useful.  Every source will be a bit different and the important thing is to find a method that works for Squeak.

http://www.ferret-fact.org/BehBite.htm

http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Lofts/1083/probhead.html

http://www.cypresskeep.com/Ferretfiles/Nipping.htm

http://www.nhahonline.com/ferretfacts.htm

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=11&cat=1280&articleid=500

http://www.ohioferret.org/articles/docb.asp?d=13

http://ferretlover97.terrabox.com/todd-demon.html

http://ferretlover97.terrabox.com/jen.html


-Cindy P.