Hyper, biting ferret

Question
Hi, my question about my ferret is every time I let her out of the
cage, she quickly runs behind the cage and/or goes under the couch, and
whenever I try to pick her up, she keeps turning her head and bites me.
Every time she bit me, i would blow into her face or use a spray bottle,
but she just seems to go even more crazy. And at times when I am
holding her, she would  strike at my face and bite my chin or my ear. When I
put her back into the cage, she gets all jumpy (like how she is outside
the cage) and she gets hunchbacked kind of like a cat does when it
feels threatened. After it is in that positition, she would start jumping
around. I read somewhere that ferrets do something like that when they
want to play or something, but I don't think mine wants to play. She
keeps trying to bite me when I try to play with her, only once she didn't
bite me, but was nice. So, could you give me some tips or advice on
what I should do?


Answer
Hi Daniel:

Is it fair for me to assume that you just got this ferret recently?  My first guess is that she has not been out of the cage enough and she's just so excited to be out that she can't contain her glee!

The fact that you have sprayed her with a water bottle before you have learned how to play with her or give her love in any way has made her act 'crazy'...and that won't change unless the way you handle her changes.  

I would recommend first that you make sure the room is ferretproofed - all things dangerous to a ferret removed from the room. Here's a URL for how to ferretproof a room:

http://www.ferretcentral.org/faq/part2.html#ferretproofing

Then, have some TOYS for her to play with. A clean cardboard box with some 'doors' and 'windows' cut in it; various other shaped smaller boxes you can make tunnels and other places for her to explore.  Put a few pieces of kibble in one of the rooms to surprise her and let her know it is her special place.

Because she is a very young ferret, she needs to be out and have things to play with (and you to play with her) for probably a couple of hours before she is going to settle down enough for her to allow you to hold her. This is one of those cases where I would have probably recommended an older ferret instead of a kit, because they are much calmer, but it's possible to let her grow into a calm ferret, as long as she knows she is loved and is well taken care of.

The hunched up position you are talking about is called the 'weasel war dance' and she is doing it because she is so excited!   Let her just dance and dance, roll a little hard plastic ball for her to chase, pull a small blanket or large towel on the floor and she will jump on for a ride; these kinds of play things, but trying to hold her still or near your face when she is this excited can result in a bad bite!

This ferret is going to need LOTS of out of the cage playtime and toys. Most baby toys that make noise and have no small parts that come off (like Fisher Price Toys) - especially the ones that make noise, whether a rattle or plays a tune - she will LOVE those. YOU will have to press the button for her to hear the tunes tho. A human is a ferret's favorite big toy!! :-)  They love tunnels and a corner where they can stash all their favorite toys.  Most will chase a ball. The trick is just to keep her playing until she finally gets tired enough that she is ready to hold still - THEN is the time to try to pick her up.

Also, does your ferret have any white on her face or front half of her body?  If she does, there is a very strong possibility that she is deaf. Many ferrets with white on their faces and chests and front paws have what is called "Waardenburg's Syndrome", which was basically a breeding experiment that ended up turning out a lot of deaf ferrets, and it still happens often to this day.  IF she has white on her, PLEASE write to me again so I can give you specific information about deaf ferrets, because so many things are different for them, okay?

Please don't spray her with water until she has some time to play and get her energy all out. If she is doing something wrong, you need to pick her up and say "no-no", then redirect her to another activity that she is allowed to do. If you continue to punish her when she hasn't yet learned what it is like to be loved by a human, you may make her into a very mean ferret and I'm sure you don't want to do that....it is a very sad situation for everyone. Ferrets are "hands on" pets and you need to work really hard on establishing a relationship with her so she will allow you to hold her, cuddle her, and tell her how beautiful she is and what a good girl she is - THAT makes healthy, happy ferrets. And it MUST be done before you start squirting her with a water bottle.  I've had ferrets for 14 years and have never ever squirted one with a water bottle. I pick them up and talk (not yell) to them and tell them that mommy wants them to be good and play nice. That really is quite sufficient - save your squirt gun for playing with your friends.

Also, are there other pets in the house? Is she maybe seeing/smelling a dog or cat that is frightening her?  Be sure, since she is so jumpy and nervous, that no other pets can get into the room when she is out of her cage. She needs to feel safe and not have to constantly look over her shoulder in fear that something might come up behind her and hurt her.  She his a teeny tiny scared little girl and you must treat her that way.  Your job is to help her be less scared, remove anything that might be scaring her, show her toys and how to play with them - gently, not rough. Being a kit, she will probably tend to be rough, but if YOU stay calm, speak calmly, move slowly, she WILL calm down a LOT (and hide that squirt gun so she never has to see it again - it is her enemy and she is scared of it!)  

I think some blanket rides (just walk around dragging a blanket, sheet or towel on the floor behind you and she will jump on for a ride) is a great game for a jumpy kit; if you can get a tub of sand from someplace you know has not had any chemicals sprayed on it, she would probably really enjoy digging - make sure the tub is big enough that she can just dig and dig till her little heart is content - that will also help get her energy out.

She needs to be out of the cage EVERY SINGLE DAY for AT LEAST 3 hours because she is a kit (baby ferret). When she gets older, you can have shorter playtimes, but while she is an energetic kit, she really really needs lots of time out of the cage.

Also, what is the size cage you have her in?  I suspect that it may be too small. That can also make a ferret act crazy when they get out.  Imagine how you would feel if you had to spend your whole day - day after day - in your closet?  That's how they feel in a little cage. Not room to stretch out, climb, run or even roll over without hitting something - yup, you'd be crazy when you get out also! :-)

Hopefully I've given you some tips and future playtimes will be more often and lots more fun.  Please keep me updated.  I will continue to help you along as she progresses. You didn't say what her name is...next time I hope you will tell me. Also, you might want to get a book called "FERRETS FOR DUMMIES" by Kim Schilling - it's a great book for new or old ferret owners and has ideas galore!  Here is a website that has information on LOTS of things - even ideas for playthings!  I hope you will click on the various topics and read a LOT - ferret parents have to be very very intelligent and read a LOT so they can keep up with our very intelligent little ferret friends! Here is the URL:

http://www.ferretcentral.org

Click on FAQs (frequently asked questions) and you can learn all kinds of fascinating information. If I wrote it here, it would be a book, so it's just easier for you and for me if I give you the link.  I truly hope you will read up and the more you learn about your ferret, the more you appreciate her and love her and understand her.

Don't hesitate to write again for anything at all, okay?  And DO keep me updated?

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers