Severe biting problem

Question
i just recently got two new baby ferrets that are litter mates. they are about six to eight months old. they are both females. one of the litters mates (angle) she is a sweetheart, very loveable and gets along great with my five other male ferrets, and the other litter mate (fice) is very mean. she gets along with her sister and the other five boys but she is very aggressive to me, boyfriend and my room mates. fice has bitten us many times and has drawn blood each time on all of us in the house. i don't know why she is bitting because she is in a very loving house hold. in fact one of my five boys i have rescued from an abusive and drug infested house. so my question is why is she bitting so much and how do we get her to stop? i have owned fore of my boys for about fore years so i do have alittle experience with ferrets, but i have never dealt with one so mean. i don't wana have to get rid of her because i know that no one will take her, and i really don't wana have to put her down either, so what should i do about this problem?

Answer
Hi Kasha, Angel, and Fice,

I am so sorry you seem to have an out of control little one on your hands! The main reason for a ferret that is "bitey" is that it just isn't socialized enough.

For the biting, you can try something called the "scruff and snuggle." This is always effective, it just takes time and patience on your part. When she bites too hard, gently pick her up by the scruff of her neck and say "no" in a firm voice. Then, hold her close to you and pet her and talk to her. Then, let her free to play again. (Make sure you don't let her down if she is struggling. If you let her down when she throws a fit, you'll send her the message that throwing a fit is the way to get down. Show her that it is on your time (as the dominant "ferret"), not hers.) If she does it again, repeat the scruff and snuggle. If she does it a third time, do the scruff and snuggle, then put her in her cage for a ten minute time out. You could also use a pet carrier for her time outs so she doesn't link her cage with being bad. (As a side note, please don't ever hit your ferret because besides being wrong and cruel, your ferret will start to associate you with pain and anger and fear and may start being extremely aggressive.)

This seems like it may be an extreme case, and while the scruff and snuggle will work over time, you might try something that will yield quicker results. You can try getting a baby sling (you know, the ones that you can sling around your chest) and carry her around in it. You might try combining that with keeping her on an H-harness and lead. I'm not sure if you've ever put a ferret on an H-harness, but the harness isn't too tight as long as you can squeeze your pinky between the ferret and the harness. You should keep her on the harness and in the sling for a while, I would say keep doing this for about a day and see if it works. Offer her food periodically, at least once or twice and hour, and the same with water. Also, offer to let her down to go to the potty every hour or two. Make sure that you offer the food and the water and the potty periodically, though. The point of this exercise is to make it clear to her that you are the dominant "ferret" and that she needs to depend on you. Hopefully this will teach her to stop the biting.

I completely understand  your situation, and I feel for you. Something else you could try is drizzling Ferretone on your hands so she knows to lick instead of bite. You could also try some bitter apple paste. Just rub that into your hands and that may deter her from biting.

I hope this helps and if you need anything clarified or you need more info, please do not hesitate to ask! And, please, let me know how she progresses.

Sincerely,
Emilee Andrews