Once the ferret uses the litter, give him a gentle pat or a treat to show them that they have done something good. Repeat this process whenever you wake your ferret up or notice that they have woken up. Eventually, your ferret will figure out that using the litter box makes you happy and will (hopefully) begin frequenting the box.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Litter Training deaf ferrets
A few months ago, I got a ferret and discovered that he was deaf. My first reaction, for some strange reason, was "how am I going to litter train him?". This, it turns out, is not as big of a deal as I thought that it would be. Litter training a deaf ferret is much like litter training a ferret that can hear, minus the ferret's ability to hear you praise them or tell them to use their litter; it requires patience, consistency and positive reinforcement. To litter train your deaf ferret, place them in their litter immediately after they have woken up. If they leave before using their litter or fake using their litter, replace them in the litter. Keep putting the ferret back in the litter box until they go to the bathroom. Once the ferret uses the litter, give him a gentle pat or a treat to show them that they have done something good. Repeat this process whenever you wake your ferret up or notice that they have woken up. Eventually, your ferret will figure out that using the litter box makes you happy and will (hopefully) begin frequenting the box.
Once the ferret uses the litter, give him a gentle pat or a treat to show them that they have done something good. Repeat this process whenever you wake your ferret up or notice that they have woken up. Eventually, your ferret will figure out that using the litter box makes you happy and will (hopefully) begin frequenting the box.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Nip Training a Deaf Ferret.
Yes, it can be a bit trickier than nip training a ferret that can hear. The classic "OW! NO!" response to a nippy kit will not work - they can't hear you say it! Fortunately, a gentle pinning scruff or scruff and drag works just as well with deaf ferrets as it does with ferrets that can hear and can be used to teach the little guy what sort of behaviour is appropriate and what is not. Again, this does not hurt the ferret. 
As with any ferret, consistency and patience are important - some ferrets will get the idea immediately while others take a bit more time to figure out that people are not chew toys. You should NEVER flick, hit or spank a ferret - deaf of not - for any reason. Rather than teach the animal what behaviour is appropriate, hitting, flicking and spanking will teach the ferret to be fearful at best and aggressive at worst.
As with any ferret, consistency and patience are important - some ferrets will get the idea immediately while others take a bit more time to figure out that people are not chew toys. You should NEVER flick, hit or spank a ferret - deaf of not - for any reason. Rather than teach the animal what behaviour is appropriate, hitting, flicking and spanking will teach the ferret to be fearful at best and aggressive at worst.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Oh no! My ferret is deaf?!
So, you've just gotten a new ferret. If your ferret jumps when you go to touch it (or bites out of surprise when touched from behind or when woken up), has Waardensburg markers, or does not seem to respond to stimuli such as chirping toys which, at the very least, draw most ferret's attention even if only for a second, then you should test the animal for deafness.
TESTING FOR DEAFNESS:
When testing for deafness, it is important test the animal more than once - repeat the test at different times to ensure that you don't get a false positive or negative. Keep in mind that deaf ferrets have learned to cope with deafness and will often follow the lead of ferrets that can hear, so it is best to test your ferret's hearing either on its own or with a deaf ferret to decrease the likelihood of false responses.
HOW TO:
1) When your ferret is not paying attention to you, take a noisemaker - pennies or marbles in a jar work well - and shake it behind the ferret. The ferret, if it can hear, should look at you or dart away and peer our at you from under a couch. Be sure that the ferret does not see you shaking the jar as this may illicit a false response - the ferret will get excited or look at you to see what you are up to.
2) Repeat the test with other noisemakers and at different times. If your ferret is deaf, the response will be the same each time - he or she will continue on with what they are doing (unless they see you shaking a noise maker, at which case they will more than likely see you shaking an object and begin to get excited)
3) Squeaky toys can be used for testing, HOWEVER, be aware that some ferrets that are have Waardensburg syndrome are not stone deaf and may be able to hear certain frequencies. These ferrets should be treated as deaf because, for all intents and purposes, they are. They may be able to hear a squeak, but will not be able to hear you approach them when they are asleep.
TESTING FOR DEAFNESS:
When testing for deafness, it is important test the animal more than once - repeat the test at different times to ensure that you don't get a false positive or negative. Keep in mind that deaf ferrets have learned to cope with deafness and will often follow the lead of ferrets that can hear, so it is best to test your ferret's hearing either on its own or with a deaf ferret to decrease the likelihood of false responses.
HOW TO:
1) When your ferret is not paying attention to you, take a noisemaker - pennies or marbles in a jar work well - and shake it behind the ferret. The ferret, if it can hear, should look at you or dart away and peer our at you from under a couch. Be sure that the ferret does not see you shaking the jar as this may illicit a false response - the ferret will get excited or look at you to see what you are up to.
2) Repeat the test with other noisemakers and at different times. If your ferret is deaf, the response will be the same each time - he or she will continue on with what they are doing (unless they see you shaking a noise maker, at which case they will more than likely see you shaking an object and begin to get excited)
3) Squeaky toys can be used for testing, HOWEVER, be aware that some ferrets that are have Waardensburg syndrome are not stone deaf and may be able to hear certain frequencies. These ferrets should be treated as deaf because, for all intents and purposes, they are. They may be able to hear a squeak, but will not be able to hear you approach them when they are asleep.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
The "no bite" hold
Now that you all know how to scruff, here is a slightly more complicated ferret grip. This method of holding ferrets - the "no bite" hold is useful when handling kits or biting ferrets. If done properly, ferrets in this grip will have a very hard time biting you. Though
it is not an ideal every day handling technique, this hold is extremely useful when teaching new ferrets that you will not hurt them while preventing the ferret from hurting you. Remember, when using this hold on a new ferret - whether it's a kit, fear biter or a ferret that hasn't been taught manners - it is important to treat the animal, pet it and speak to it gently to reinforce the idea that you are not a source of fear and discomfort.
Step 1:
Get a ferret. Cola was strangely unavailable when it was time to photograph this hold, so we had to make do with Casper. Say his to Casper.
Step 2: Star by scruffing this ferret - this will enable you to position your hands properly while attempting the grip. The more experience you have, the more rapidly you will be able to put a ferret in the "no bite" grip. To learn how to scruff a ferret, click here. This is what a scruffed ferret looks like. Again, scruffing the ferret does not cause the animal any discomfort.
Step 3: Wrap you fingers around the ferrets neck and torso. This part is a bit tough to explain. What you need to do is have a paw trapped between your thumb and first finger to protect your wrist - the ferret will not bite you through his or her own paw!
The rest of your fingers should be wrapped around the ferret's neck.
Step 4: Once you are confident that you have a good grasp on the ferret, release the scruff and use your free hand to begin petting and giving treats to the ferret. Use this time to establish some trust. As you can see, when done properly this grip does not cause the ferret any discomfort.
One final tip: Be sure to keep each handling experience short and sweet!
it is not an ideal every day handling technique, this hold is extremely useful when teaching new ferrets that you will not hurt them while preventing the ferret from hurting you. Remember, when using this hold on a new ferret - whether it's a kit, fear biter or a ferret that hasn't been taught manners - it is important to treat the animal, pet it and speak to it gently to reinforce the idea that you are not a source of fear and discomfort.Step 1:
Get a ferret. Cola was strangely unavailable when it was time to photograph this hold, so we had to make do with Casper. Say his to Casper.
Step 2: Star by scruffing this ferret - this will enable you to position your hands properly while attempting the grip. The more experience you have, the more rapidly you will be able to put a ferret in the "no bite" grip. To learn how to scruff a ferret, click here. This is what a scruffed ferret looks like. Again, scruffing the ferret does not cause the animal any discomfort.
Step 3: Wrap you fingers around the ferrets neck and torso. This part is a bit tough to explain. What you need to do is have a paw trapped between your thumb and first finger to protect your wrist - the ferret will not bite you through his or her own paw!
The rest of your fingers should be wrapped around the ferret's neck.
Step 4: Once you are confident that you have a good grasp on the ferret, release the scruff and use your free hand to begin petting and giving treats to the ferret. Use this time to establish some trust. As you can see, when done properly this grip does not cause the ferret any discomfort.
One final tip: Be sure to keep each handling experience short and sweet!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
How to scruff your ferret
We have talked about scruffing ferrets quite a few times in our blog, but we have so far failed to explain WHAT scruffing is and to demonstrate HOW TO scruff your ferret.
WHAT IS SCRUFFING?
Scruffing is holding your ferret by the nape or scruff of their neck, much like their mother would. It does not hurt them and can be used to pacify or discipline the ferret. Scruffing causes a ferret to go pretty well limp and allows you to do a variety of things such as clean their ears, check their teeth (they often yawn when they are scruffed), brush their teeth, check them over, clean a wound and so forth. Scruffing can also be used to discipline a ferret, though rather than lifting the ferret up by the scruff, when disciplining, the ferret gets pinned to the ground by its scruff for a few seconds. Again, this does not harm the ferret, but rather imitates the action that their mother would do if they were being a naughty ferret.
HOW TO SCRUFF
1) Get a ferret. This is Cola. She has agreed to be our demo ferret.
2) Using the side of your index finger and thumb,
gently grasp the skin just behind the ferret's ears
3)When you have a good grasp,
remove the hand that is not scruffing the animal and watch them go limp.
Remember, you are not hurting the ferret. A yawn usually follows, unfortunately the camera lag time missed the yawn, so here is an image of a different ferret yawning. ***
*** If you are scruffing a larger ferret, or a male that is older be sure to keep one hand underneath his back end to support it. These ferrets are often 'bottom heavy' and not supporting their back end can cause unnecessary strain on their backs.
WHAT IS SCRUFFING?
Scruffing is holding your ferret by the nape or scruff of their neck, much like their mother would. It does not hurt them and can be used to pacify or discipline the ferret. Scruffing causes a ferret to go pretty well limp and allows you to do a variety of things such as clean their ears, check their teeth (they often yawn when they are scruffed), brush their teeth, check them over, clean a wound and so forth. Scruffing can also be used to discipline a ferret, though rather than lifting the ferret up by the scruff, when disciplining, the ferret gets pinned to the ground by its scruff for a few seconds. Again, this does not harm the ferret, but rather imitates the action that their mother would do if they were being a naughty ferret.
HOW TO SCRUFF
1) Get a ferret. This is Cola. She has agreed to be our demo ferret.
2) Using the side of your index finger and thumb,
gently grasp the skin just behind the ferret's ears
3)When you have a good grasp,
remove the hand that is not scruffing the animal and watch them go limp.
Remember, you are not hurting the ferret. A yawn usually follows, unfortunately the camera lag time missed the yawn, so here is an image of a different ferret yawning. ***
*** If you are scruffing a larger ferret, or a male that is older be sure to keep one hand underneath his back end to support it. These ferrets are often 'bottom heavy' and not supporting their back end can cause unnecessary strain on their backs.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)