nipping my other pets

Question
I'm a new ferret owner,"Troubles"was a rescue and her owner didn't make time for her! she was a bad nipper and we got her to stop,[nipping us]. I can't get her to stop chasing and biting my two dogs and cat. My other animals don't pay her attention,or provoke her,she just sees them and trots right over and CHOMP!I hope you can help,I'm feeling bad for having to put my other animals in the laundry room so she can come out of her cage.  thanx,

Answer
Hi Sandy,

I am so glad you rescued Troubles from an owner that didn't pay enough attention to her! That is so great of you!

This scenario is a difficult one, but I want to offer any help I can. When Troubles runs up to your other pets and bites them, does she seem aggressive about it? I'm not sure if you have ever been a ferret owner (and if you have, I'm sorry if I sound redundant) but ferrets play with each other rather roughly. They bite each other and tackle each other and roll around. It is a little scary to get used to at first, but it is usually apparent if the ferret is being aggressive or if it is being playful. A big hint of aggression is "the hiss." If your ferret is making a hissing noise when she goes to bite, she may be trying to aggressive or threatening. Another warning sign is a "bottle brush tail" where the ferret will run around with her poofed up tail straight up in the air. Now, I'm not saying that these are the only signs of aggression, but they are big ones. There could be a dominance issue in the animal rankings. When ferrets are introduced for the first time, these two "warning signs" will appear for quite a while. In some cases, the older ferret will drag the new ferret around by its neck. You will hear some squeaking for a little while in this situation, too. Your ferret may be trying to prove its dominance. It sounds to me more like she might just be trying to play.

Next time she does that, pay attention to her body language. Like I said, she may just be trying to play. Even if she is just trying to play, though, it may be safer to keep them separated, unfortunately. While the ferret may be trying to play, the dogs or the cat may not want anything to do with it and someone could get hurt. If you want them to be able to play together (if you decide that it is, after all, just play) then it is still good practice to always supervise play between ferrets and other animals, especially if they are bigger animals that could hurt your fuzzy (or vice versa).


I hope this helps! Don't hesitate to ask if you have any other questions.


Sincerely,
Emilee Andrews