Why does ferrets bite so hard? Do any of you know how to disipline them?

Answer 1

when my ferrets bit or got to hard and since i do rescue and sometime i get ferrets that are really scared i just always just grabbed them by the scruff looked them in the eye and told them NO NO NO NO and put them down kits will think you are playing so you need to be firm i know i have herd on other board about scruff then drag no no no no ferret need to know your dormant one all animals don't like it when you look them in the eye is is showing them the dominant one that is why some wild animal you are told never to look in the eyes I have always done the scruff yell no and look them in the eye and say no. Never had a biter last and i have been in the ferret owned by and rescued for over 10 years.

Oh and don't get a bite mistaken with a play some ferrets like to sneak up behind you and nip not bite just nip and run that is their way of playing hide and seek one of all of mines favorite game of coarse they alway win LOL

Answer 2

> Are ferrets really blind? or do they just not have good
> vision...also...I read that to train a ferret, well when it
> does something bad, you are suppose to flick it's nose to
> teach it, and when it does something good, give it a treat.
> Thank you for reading my question, I would be greatful if I
> could get a response, thank you again...Jeremy :D

Blind? No, all ferrets are not blind. Some have better eyesight than others, and eyesight is not their strongest sense, but ferrets are definitely not blind.

Ferrets learn much better from positive reinforcement (treats) than from negative feedback (flicking the nose). In fact, flicking the nose can backfire and make the ferret dislike you, become MORE aggressive, etc. In most cases, ferrets can be trained (within the limits of a ferret's personality, of course) without using any kind of violence. The only kind of behavior I would discipline at all is nipping. With a baby ferret, usually all you need to do is scruff them (grab the skin at the back of the neck like the mommy ferrets do to carry them around) and say: "No bite!" You hold them like that for a few seconds (at least until they've relaxed and stopped hissing and struggling). If you're consistant, they will stop biting. Some people touch the nose when they say that, but you have to be careful, or the ferret might take that as an invitation to play :)

Other types of behavior (pooping outside the litterbox, digging at the carpet, knocking things down, emptying garbage cans, etc.) are NOT trainable by disciplining the ferret (in my experience). Ferrets learn very quickly by getting a treat when they do something good, and some of these behaviors are basic to a ferret's personality and can't be trained out.

For example, if you want a ferret to use the litterbox, give it a drop of Ferretone (or tiny piece of other treat) when it uses it. In a day or two, the ferret probably will be *pretending* to poop to get the treat (then you only reward for actual performance). Other kinds of things are best taken care of by prevention and distraction: keep things up that you don't want them into, cover digging spots with heavy objects and give them something more fun to do. A bored ferret is a bad ferret, so they need lots of exercise and human interaction.

Read the book "Ferrets for Dummies" by Kim Schilling -- it's a great book (and funny, too) and is good for new owners as well as old hands.

Answer 3

Scruff him by the back of the neck and say "NO BITE" in a harsh tone of voice. Then drag him along the carpet or the couch, as that is what dominant ferrets do to discipline their subs when they overstep their boundaries to assert dominance. Some people give the ferret a tiny little shake as they say "NO BITE", but since some people do not know how hard a "tiny" shake is, I don't like to advise that. Always use the same way and the same command to discipline. And immediately after the ferret stops the undesired behavior, praise it, "Good boy/girl!".
I adopted two and one was a biter, well, he's not anymore. He's actually the one that wants to spend time with me more than the others and begs for my attention now. I meanwhile trained him to "roll over", "sit up" and "jump" through a hoop. We are currently working on playing dead when I say "bang bang", but that's a hard one. He's only 6 months old and still a bit hyper.
Good luck with your fert. Patience and consistency are what you need.
Oh, and try not to overreact when he bites. Do not jump and squeal when he bites your ankles. I know it's hard, but to a ferret, especially a young one it appears like an invitation to play bite more.
As to WHY they bite: for different reasons. Some mean it as an invitation to play, some bite because they aren't used to being handled. Ferrets that are in pain, sick or scared will bite as well. A ferret that is trying to show you that he's the boss will. A friend of mine had a baby that she left unsupervised on the big bed and the ferret bit him. We think that the ferret tried to drag the baby into her hidey hole because she considered the baby to be hers to play with. Needless to say, my friends no longer have ferrets
Ferrets bite hard because ferret skin is some of the toughest around and they do not realize that our skin is not as tough. They do not intend to hurt us when they playbite to get attention.

Get "Ferrets for Dummies", it's a really good book.

Answer 4

Mostly it is baby ferrets that bite, or adults that are not used to being handled. And boy, when they bite they latch on and don't like to let go! I agree with the above post, grab their scruff (it won't hurt--this is a very tough part of the ferret) and say "NO BITE". Also, get Bitter Apple spray from the pet store and rub it on your hands. It tastes horrible and after one taste they usually won't bite again.

Answer 5

Try buying Bitter Apple at your local pet store and put it on your hands. The next time your ferret bites you he'll realise it's not tasty and will eventually stop.

Answer 6

I always just give mine a hard tap on the head and tell him "NO!". He is a class A idiot though, so it never works.