Braty, piggy, ferret Bear

Question
Hey, Cynthia!! I hope you remember me and my ferrets Loki and Bear! lol I got another question for you, and it's about Bear, again. Heh.

Okay, so we've been doing that Pin-Down that would discipline Bear, and teach Loki not to do bad things like scratching up the carpet. Well, Loki's doing okay, still being a brat but is learning slowly and surely. But Bear..well, he's another story.

I'm thinking maybe cause it's older or what not, but when he plays and bites us too hard to where it bruises me or my mom, we pin him down and hiss, but he ignores us and does it again and again. I know he's never had much expreience with playing but he's gotten a lot better than since the first time, but he still bites agresivly, thinking its okay!! Is there something we can do to stop that, or at least make him do it less, hurtful?

Oh, and I've got one more question, and that's it!! He's a bi overweight as well, he refuses to run around, always waiting by the door to be fed. We feed him everyday, but he scarfs it down and waits for seconds. We've turned his diet to half a handful every 2-4 hours, but it's not helping. We know they need to eat alot because of their high metabolism, but he doesn't excersise like Loki does, he just sits and sleeps. He scarfs his food down, thinking that if he doesn't it wont be there for him later. (a learned habit from his pervious owners who always threw away his food if he didn't eat it within an hour) What can we do to make him want to excersise, and help him relax about his food hoarding??
Thanks!!
-Jess

Answer
Hello Jessica!  

I love the title.  I suppose that's what your two are, bratty piggy bear ferrets!  it's great that the tactic is working on Loki, keep it up!  What you have to do, is find something Bear dislikes.  there are many many things you can try.. just be creative! One trick that I have heard works is a small squirt of water in the face to disapprove of rough play.  You can also scruff him.  this trick does not hurt him, but it might be something he dislikes.  Remember that you should reward good behavior through positive reinforcement.  Make sure you praise him when he acts well and give him a tasty treat!  This will help reinforce the good behavior.

As to your second question, ferrets should have access to food at all times.  They need to eat every 4-6 hours to maintain their high metabolism.  Perhaps your feeding schedule is the problem.  He feels he needs to scarf down as much food as possible because the duration between feedings is too long!  Try having food and water available to both ferrets at all times. i would not be concerned about his weight.  males tend to be MUCH larger than females, and their weight can flux with the change of seasons.  My big guy is almost 4 pounds!  As far as exercise, you can try to stimulate him with various toys.  Unfortunately, some ferrets are just couch potatoes and need a bit more coaxing than others.  

I hope this information helps!  Thank you for the feedback.  If you have any other questions or wish me to elaborate, please let me know.

-Cindy P.