Figuring out my Ferret Behavior

Question
Hello,

I recently (About 3 weeks ago) got a 3, almost 4 month, old male ferret. He's been fun and active and I've been teaching him to use the liter box which I believe is working.

The last 3 weeks he has had a habit of biting when he isn't suppose too and I've been scruffing him and telling him no. Scruffing him also when he is getting into things he shouldn't. It seems to have lighten up and he's done it less but I feel he's more afraid of me now.

When I put him on my bed, and hang out with him, he doesn't mind me being there. He just crawls around and goes under the sheets and climbs over me and plays with whatever is in my hand.

But when I take him out into a wide open living room, he seems to constantly keep running away and hide. He dooks (chirps) every so often but he doesn't let me go near or pick him up and often times backs into a corner.

At first I thought he was just playing chasing games and hide n seek, cause when i sit, he would run up and sniff me before he runs away and goes under the couch again like something spooked him. And every time I bring a toy and rattle it, he sometimes goes for it, but often times just runs around and hide from me.

There is no hissing or tail raising, but when I try to go pick him up to bring him to his cage, and he is backed in a corner, he just tries to find a way to escape.

A week earlier, when I set up a small play area for him, he would often try to escape, probabley cause he was bored of the area, but at least he didn't run away from me and would often time jump on me and try to get me to play.

Do you think it's the overwhelming size of the room? Or do you think I scruffed or yelled at him too much that he is scared of me but not to the point where he is threaten?

Answer
Hello Daniel,

It seems that what you're describing is pretty normal ferret behavior. It seems to me that he is just playing. Ferrets are all over the place all the time and they go, go, go. They don't like to stay in one place for too long and it seems that is the way he's acting to me.

Another thing you should probably know about ferrets is when they bite, they don't bite like a dog would (which would be bite and then release). When ferrets bite, they bite and then bite harder. That is the norm of what a ferret would do if he were poorly socialized and/or scared. For biting, I like to do the scruff and snuggle, which is a three strike system. The first two times he bites too hard, you gently scruff him and tell him "No" in a clear, calm voice. Then, you snuggle him to your chest and talk to him and pet him, but don't let him down if he starts squirming. Hold onto him for a few minutes and when he isn't squirming to be let down, you can let him down. The reason for that is you don't want to send him the message that he can get whatever he wants just by throwing a fit. The third time he bites too hard, repeat the scruff and snuggle and then put him in his cage or a pet carrier (pet carriers are ideal for a time-out because then he won't associate her cage with bad feelings) for ten minutes. After that ten minutes or so is up, you can let him out to play again. You can also try rubbing some bitter apple spray on your hands so he won't be inclined to bite them anymore. On the flip side of that, you can try Ferretone - rub that on your hands to encourage licking instead of biting.

I hope this information helps, and if you need anything else, please don't hesitate to ask! Just keep cuddling him when you get the chance and always play, play, play! Welcome to the wonderful world of ferret parenting, and really, nothing is too small so if you need anything at all, please don't hesitate to ask!

Sincerely,
Emilee Andrews