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Broose_Fox

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Ferret constantly bites - Thursday, August 06, 2015 2:44 PM
Hey all

I was wondering if someone will be able to help me. My 3.5 month year old kit continues to bite me whenever i hold him or after hes been scruffed for biting. Im pretty consistent when it comes to biting ... when he was younger he would never bite me just like knawed on my fingers and as soon as he bite too hard i scuff say no and he would give me licks after saying sorry but just recently with the last 2 weeks he has been soooo bity. He bites, i scuff and say no, he bites harder, i scuff and say no, and on the third time i scuff him say no and lay him on the ground and drag him a foot. He makes whimpering noise and when i release him and hes in my hands he always lunges and attempts to bite me harder like hes pissed off "how dare u scuff me i just want to play" then he bites me again and i then put him in his time out for 1-3 minutes ... he becomes calm and sits nicely and as soon as i let him out he attempts to lung and bite me again ... i have no idea what is going on with him ... the only time he wont bite is when i hand feed him his meat and food, after he plays with me and then always gets too bity and then the cycle goes over and over and hes tired of me scuffing him and im tired of scuffing him. He ends up in his cage for the remainder of the evening since im in an apartment and if hws loose he lunges and bites me ... i know he loves being out but incant get my work done if hes lunging and biting me. He loves to play with me and i always play with him when hes let out of the cage but as soon as he gets carried away and i have to dicipline he doesnt get it and he just become frustrated with me .... any suggestions? 
Seelen

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Re:Ferret constantly bites - Thursday, August 06, 2015 4:47 PM
Well he needs to get tired out, so putting him away because you're frustrated isn't going to help (time outs we do too).

I think it's just his age. When we first got Bear he was about 2.5 months old and was returned for biting. He was living hell for a while. He's sincle calmed down and almost never bites me... and if he does he starts licking me immediately because he knows he shouldn't have bitten me.

We scruffed him a lot. It's frustrating and tedious but it pays off. Perhaps get a playpen so he can be out but not attacking you. Our other ferret does the lungy stuff sometimes, usually when I don't tire him out first.

I'd suggest getting one of those cat toys on a stick (teaser?) to try to defer him away from playing with your hands... he probably is just asking to play. 
Broose_Fox

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Re:Ferret constantly bites - Thursday, August 27, 2015 2:31 PM
Hello. Thank you for your reply. Bruce is doing well and i got him some toys on sticks ... he still tries to knaw on my hands. I have been allowing him to do it, only if he gentle and the moment he does i scruff him or hiss and ignore. He is about 4 months old and still loves to nip. He gets really excited when playing and srill thinks im a big ferret and nips my clothing and skin if i dont have socks, long pants, long sleeve shirt etc. I always scruff him when he lunges and grabs skin and or clothing. But i always end up scruffing him several times and he gets tired of it and always lunges and bites harder. At that time i try to ignore him but its pretty hard to ignore a baby ferret who is lunging at u... all he wants to do is play. Sometimes he will jump and dook and at that moment i always play with him because im wanting to teach him positive ways to tell me he wants to play. But he gets carried away and always nips. He NEVER wants to cuddle with me or never wants me to hold him and will never fall asleep near me ... lately he will only fall asleep if i put him in his cage and shut the door ... he hates being put in there becauae he wants to be with me but he cant because he just nips nips nips harder harder and harder and then always he will fall asleep in his cage ... i have even tried scruffing him saying no bite and leaving the room for 10 minutes ... whenever i come back its the same thing ... nip nip nip harder harder harder. And when i scuff him he hates it but whenever i unscruff him i gently place him down and he always jumps and dooks and lunges at me like it was a game or something ... i just dont know what to do :( any suggestions? 

I do rotate his toys most of them are boxes and paper/plastic bags, plastic waterbottles, shirts towels balls etc. 
Broose_Fox

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Re:Ferret constantly bites - Thursday, August 27, 2015 2:35 PM
Okay sorry i re read your msg and i havnt tried a play pen yet but i will now and i take it from your msg ... persistence? I feel like i take a step forward and 5 steps back :( 

Ps. I love all of your videos!!! And your website. They are extremely useful. 

Patience is a virtue? 

I would really love for him to be cuddly and laid back ... thats why i got a male but hes round up as ever. 

He does sometimes likes to be carried around my house to look at things but inly for like 3 minutes lol 

Thanks again for all of your help 

Roo
nesser14

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Re:Ferret constantly bites - Saturday, September 05, 2015 2:35 AM
My new ferret is exactly the same way. What I've done is put some Grannicks Bitter Apple spray on my hands and toes which seems to have done the trick for the most part. He absolutely hates it. As soon as he goes in for a bite, he backs off very quickly while shaking his head from side to side from the nasty taste. He's 13 weeks old and seems completely deaf (we think he might be able to hear some pitches, but that's it). I've also sprayed spots where I don't want him going (under my bed/fridge/oven). I usually have to do this every time I let him in to each of these areas. It seems like the smell is what deters him the most. I've tried the no towel in a crate, scruffing, scruffing and rubbing on floor. He thinks these are all a game. But the combination of scruffing with sticking a nasty tasting finger in his mouth seems to be perfect. Hope this helps! Now, my question is: how do I get my ferret to like me? I'm the one that disciplines in the household, because nobody else seems to have the balls to say no to his cute little face. I love him/feed him/give him treats/play with him, and all I get in return is dirty looks from my little Zaku. Hate being the hammer. Help?
unclejoe
Re:Ferret constantly bites - Saturday, September 05, 2015 1:28 PM
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