Biting

[twee_princessez]

We have three little girls. The two older girls Lily and Bella are 8-9 months old. We introduced the newest addition, Jade, in August. She is a 5-6 month old albino. Even though Lily and Bella do not bite, Jade is very quick to nip and bite. We've tried disciplining the same as we did with the other two, but nothing seems to phase her! We haven't tried using bitter apple to help with it, are there any other ways to help this biting problem?

[bcarlson]

Can you tell if she can hear? Deafness seems to be associated with biting too hard in a lot of ferrets because they don't get the hint when the other ferrets squeak. Does she bite them too hard? Knowing whether or not she's deaf will be helpful in how you deal with her.

There are certain ferrets that are just wound more tightly than others. Sometimes if you give them more things to do (dig boxes, stuff to run through, chew toys like N-bones, etc) that helps. Usually they calm down by the time they're 6-8 months old, but I've had a number here that took a lot more work.

The best way I've found is to get them addicted to Ferretone (8 in 1 Skin and Coat supplement). They love that stuff. Then you give her a treat when she behaves (for instance, if she runs up to you and puts her foot on your leg, that would get a treat) or does what you want her to do. You'll need to figure out things you want her to do and some different way to get your attention.

You can use a small, empty carrier as "time out" ... if she's being insane and not calming down, put her in the carrier for 5 minutes and let her out. Sometimes just scruffing them and letting them dangle for a few seconds helps to get the message across that you don't like that behavior. Mostly, they learn the quickest via rewards.

Let me know when she bites the most often and see if we can find some common denominator. Only hands? Only ankles? Both? etc.

Oh, and the Bitter Apple should be applied on the ankle or hand you DON'T want her to bite, not into the ferret's mouth like some places tell you. If she can't taste the Bitter Apple, you'll have to find some Bitter Lime and see if that works.

[twee_princessez]

I'm pretty sure that she can hear. We have a squeaky dog toy that gets Jade very excited. When we squeak it she starts dooking almost as if she's trying to imitate it. *Adorable* When the girls are playing together in the cage it's usually Jade who is the one squeaking and making the noise.

We do have the 8 in 1 Ferretone and Linnetone treats to give the girls. I'll try only giving them to Jade when she's being a good girl.

She bites mostly finger tips. Our parents were visiting for the holiday this week and she got a good hold on our mom's fingertip. She didn't want to let go either. She'll also go for toes. I've notice the only time that happens though is when she wants our attention and wants us to play with her. Bella is good at finding our toes also, especially if they're covered in white socks.

They all have an endless supply of toys to play with and boxes to run through. For Christmas we got Jade a rubber dog toy that she can chew and bite and she seems to like it a lot.

[bcarlson]

It really just sounds like "baby crazy" to me. Try spraying Bitter Apple on your toes and fingers and see if that deters her at all. You obviously should not play with her with your hands, especially rough-housing and "riling her up" or that will encourage her to bite. Use a stuffed animal to "wrestle" with her. When she goes to chomp on you, stuff a toy in her mouth and praise her a lot.

Another technique I've used is to let them lick Ferretone off a finger if they're licking and offer them a nasty Bitter Apple'd finger if they're going to bite. Sometimes that helps get the message through. Just don't put your finger in your mouth or you'll be sorry! LOL! That stuff tastes *awful*. Peanut butter or chocolate takes the taste out if that happens.

Another thing you can do is get a fishing pole toy to hand to visitors so they can play with her and distract her away from toes and fingers. I just wear tennis shoes when the ferrets are out ... way to many just can't seem to resist those plump, juicy toes

--Barb--

[twee_princessez]

We will definitely be trying some of those suggestions! The main time that she starts to bite is when she's all fired up and really happy and excited. If we're petting her after she's just woken up in the cage your fingers are usually safe. I will say she is a very happy and hyper little thing. I think sometimes she gets too excited for her own good. I wanted to mention that when we take the girls to the pet store Jade stays with "daddy". She will sit in his hood and not move. She's still attentive to what is going on around her and looks out here and there to check all the people out, but is timid. Especially if we set her down to walk with the other two.

She is such a cutie but everyone is scared of her!

[bcarlson]

That just sounds like she's getting overly excited. The stuffed animal toy trick might work. You just need to get through to her that she's getting too rough. Let me know how it goes.

[twee_princessez]

I just wanted to give you a quick update on our Jade. She seems to have calmed down a bit over the past few weeks. We've been trying the stuffed animal trick and using treats as positive reinforcement for when she's being a good girl. I've also been trying to handle her a lot (not that we weren't before) but I pick her up all the time now and give her tons of hugs and kisses. She seems to be getting better with the biting...not perfect yet but I think we're getting somewhere! She's still a crazy baby!
Here's a picture of her!

[bcarlson]

I'm glad glad to hear that she's doing better! Keep up the good work and be patient. Lots of rewards