Nipping the problem in the bud - how to deal with nipping

"Don't ferrets bite?" Man, I have heard that question a million times. The short answer is no, at least not without a reason. While some ferrets bite out of fear, pain or as a result of a trigger, the vast majority of biting ferrets simply have never been taught how to play nicely with people.

Ferrets, like dogs, need to be taught that people are not toys. Many owners find it cute and funny when their new puppy nibbles on their fingers. They giggle and, in doing so, reinforce the habit. As the puppy gets bigger and his teeth and jaws get stronger, the biting stops being cute and starts being painful. The same is true for ferrets. Kits, like puppies, play with their mouths. They put everything around them in their mouth, including their owners, and, if encouraged in a baby ferret, this behaviour becomes a problem when the ferret gets bigger. So how do you stop this bad behaviour?

1) Establish the reason for the behaviour. If the ferret nips when he is playing or when he wants your attention he simply have never been taught manners. If he is a young kit and is attempting to chew on you, chances are that he is teething. Other reasons for biting (dominance, pain, fear) will be covered in the following blog posts.

2) Do not reinforce the behaviour. That means no giggling, jumping or running away (yes, flinching, running away and jumping can reinforce the behaviour - ferrets jump and run when they play. To see ferrets playing, click here.). If your ferret is biting you for attention, ignore him or her and walk away. If they are nipping during play, stop playing. I know that this can be tough, but by responding you are giving the ferret what it wants and encouraging his bad behaviour.

3) Make sure that there are plenty of fun, ferret safe toys for your pet to play with. This is especially important if you have a teething kit. For one on one interaction, toys such as mice on a string (or other similar dangling toys for cats - be sure that these toys have no small pieces which can easily be removed by the ferret during play) can be a lot of fun. Puppets also work well if you enjoy wrestling with your ferret - they allow you to interact without teaching your ferret that it is acceptable to bite you (though it can be tempting, using socks instead of puppets is not recommended as your ferret may learn that socks, and therefore feet covered in socks, are fun toys).
4) Scruff, Ouch! and No! are all useful techniques. Some ferrets will learn that nipping their owners is not acceptable with a few simple "OW! NO!" statements. If using this approach, the owner should sound either pitiful or firm, but should not yell and startle the ferret. If using simply the "OW! NO!" does NOT send the desired message, then scruffing the animal (that is picking it up or pinning it briefly by the scruff of the neck - to learn how to scruff a ferret, click here) along with the "OW! NO!" can help drive the point home. Flicking the ferret on the nose, spanking the animal or putting down (if you are holding the animal) are not recommended. Flicking and spanking can teach the animal that aggressive behaviour is acceptable while putting them down immediately after the nip will teach them that biting is the correct way to ask to be let down. ** if your ferret is deaf, "OW!NO!" will not work, but scruffing will still convey the message.

5) Ferretone can encourage the ferret to lick rather than bite you. Ferretone is an oily skin and coat supplement that most ferrets for nuts for. Applying a small amount to your hands can help teach most ferrets that you are not for biting, but for licking. Ferretone can also be used to teach a timid or hyper ferret that handling is a good thing - simply allow the ferret to lick it from the bottle while you are holding them, but be careful not to give them too much!

6) Bitter Apple spray can also be applied to your hands to discourage nipping. Bitter Apple is a non toxic, bitter tasting spray that will not harm the ferret, but will leave a nasty taste in his or her mouth. This technique can teach some ferrets that people taste TERRIBLE!

7) Be consistent!!! This is the most important part of nip training. Ensure that all family members are actively discouraging nipping in a non-violent way. Having one family member allow the ferret to nip and another discipline the animal for the same behaviour will confuse the animal and not resolve the situation.

Remember - there are a variety of techniques because ferrets, like people, are individuals; what works for one ferret may not work for another. If you find that the technique that you have been trying is not working, try a new one or try combining the techniques. If you are still not having any success and have ruled out all other reasons for the nipping, then it is time to evaluate your responses. Are you flinching or jumping? Are you afraid of the nip and inadvertently reacting? Are you allowing the ferret to nip sometimes and not others? Are other people - friends or other family members - encouraging the bad behaviour?

Good Luck!

How to live with your ferret - 5 tips for successful cohabitation

Because we have been into lists lately, here is a list of 5 'golden rules' that help make life with ferrets a LOT easier!

1) Ferrets are not dogs. They cannot be trained like dogs. The sooner that you accept this, the happier you both will be.

2) Ferrets will NEVER use their litters 100% of the time. Period. End of story.
The very best that you can hope for is 90%. Caging, flicking, yelling at, giving time outs, scruffing and any other type of discipline that you can think of (appropriate or not) will NOT help rectify this. Ferrets just don't care - their litter is the nearest corner or, if they are angry with you, any spot that you will notice (though definitely NOT in the litter box).

*** for tips on methods of discipline, see "Curb your Ferret - Disciplining do's and dont's"

3) Taboo = fun for ferrets. If they know that a room is off limits, for example, a ferret will wait for the door to open and try to race you inside. Once inside they will often run about, bouncing, dooking, and doing the war dance. Disciplining for this is, well, pointless - ferrets won't understand why you hate their game so much, and will continue this game... in fact, by disciplining, you have made it MORE taboo and appealing!

4) Pick your fights. Overdoing discipline will lead to a stressful relationship between you and your ferret, and make discipline ineffective. Something worth disciplining your ferret for may include attempting to bite the family cat because the ferret is in a grumpy mood and that cat is there. This could be an opportunity to use a time out. Disciplining for the following: not using kitty litters, stealing objects, climbing over barriers, onto counters, under door, digging up plants, digging food, etc is NOT a good idea - it is a pointless waste of time that will stress both of you out.

***If your ferret constantly gets into areas that he or she is not allowed, you should be the one being disciplined, not your ferret; it is up to YOU to ferret proof in order to keep the ferret out, not up to your ferret to know to stay out!

5) Ferrets will be ferrets. They do 'ferrety' things such as stealing and hoarding random objects, missing their kitty litters, digging their food and your plants, sleeping in random places, getting into your stuff, knocking things over, getting where they aren't supposed to go and so on... if you don't like it (or feel the need to discipline the animal over such occurrences), they aren't the pet for you. The sooner that you are able to accept that discipline will not stop your ferret from being a ferret, the sooner the both of you can get on living and enjoying each others company. (Yes, I know that this is a bit of a repetition, but the point needs to be stressed!)


Enjoy your little critters for what they are: Ferrets!

Curb your ferret! - Disciplining do's and don'ts

For those of you new to the ferret world, or perhaps just looking for some new approaches to disciplining your ferret, here is a list of DOs and DON'Ts that will help give you the tools to teach your ferret how to behave without becoming the bad guy.

***DON'Ts are things that may injure your ferret, render discipline ineffective, or damage your relationship with your ferret. In other words: to foster a happy and fulfilling realtionship with your ferret, don'ts should be avoided AT ALL COSTS!

DO keep in mind that every ferret reacts differently to different forms of discipline - what works on one may not necessarily work on another; it is best to try multiple approaches until you figure out what works for your ferret.

DON'T nose flick!!! Besides being mean (a ferret's nose is very sensitive) and teaching your ferret that people are something to fear, nose flicking can lead to permanent damage of the nasal cavity.

DON'T spank, smack or hit your ferret in any way!!! These forms of 'discipline' border on abuse and tend to lead to less than friendly relations between ferrets and their owners. Remember: ferrets are SMALL ANIMALS - what may seem like a light tap on the bottom to you is in fact a jarring full body blow to a ferret. You wouldn't appreciate a large hockey player body checking you every time that you did something wrong, so why replicate the feeling by smacking your pet?

DO use time outs. They can give you and your pet a brief cool-down period.

DON'T use the cage as a time-out room. Doing so will cause your ferret to associate his cage with punishment and will leave him wondering what he did wrong come bedtime!

DON'T give more than 5 minute time outs. Any more than 5 minutes and your ferret will forget why he or she is IN time out, making the time out pointless.

DO try squirting the ferret with a spray of water for misbehaving. I find this one effective for deterring unwanted carpet and couch digging/ scratching for both ferrets AND cats.

DO use a firm "NO" to let your ferret know when he or she is doing something bad. I recommend using the firm "NO" before a time out, or in conjunction with a spray or a scruff, though it can be effective on its own.

DON'T yell at your ferret!!! You may frighten your ferret, and a ferret that considers humans to be a source of fear is not a happy ferret.

DO scruff your ferret and say "no". A gentle scruff and drag can also be effective for curbing nipping and other unwanted behaviour some in ferrets.

DO use praise to reinforce good behaviour. Positive re-enforcement is always a good thing, and the odd treat along the way certainly doesn't hurt.

DO pay attention to how your ferret reacts to different forms of discipline to determine what is effective for your ferret. At the moment, I have one ferret that reacts negatively to the "scruff and drag" but responds well to time outs and the firm "no". I have another ferret that responds to praise, but ignores the firm "no" and is impervious to time outs (he cannot be scruffed due to injuries sustained in his previous home).

Good luck figuring out what works for your ferret, and avoid DON'Ts like the plague!!!