Ferret behaviour

Question
Dear Ailigh

We have a young male ferret - we don't know exactly how old he is but the vet estimates his age to be around 3-6 months. We've had him for two weeks now; unfortunately we don't know his history. He is a funny little character, a real livewire.
 
He spends a lot of time with us in the house and enjoys socialising with our cats. The problem is that he is constantly biting us - he bites hard and it's becoming a problem. We've been following the recommended nip training techniques but whenever we employ these it seems to absolutely enrage him, sending him into a fury of biting. Is this typical behaviour? Our worry is that the training seems ineffective at the moment. He doesn't seem to have had any boundaries or limits set for him in the past and now that we are trying to establish these it is really infuriating him.

He is not castrated but we intend to get him done in a couple of weeks time. Maybe this will help to calm him down?

Thanks for your help.


Answer
I am not sure what all you have tried so I can't tell what isn't working and why, but I can tell you that a ferret under the age of 1 year is nippy, they get excited and nip.  Being intact is also a big part of this behavior.  If he is closer to 6 months then he is sexually mature and can be a tad aggressive.  Younger then 6 months and like a puppy, ferrets explore the world with their teeth.  Get him neutered and see if that helps.  If not, email back making sure to tell me what you have tried.