My wife and I recently took in 2 ferrets from a family that could not take care of them. At first things were great my son loved them and they love him too. Now he will run after them and throw them all over the place, grabbing them violently, and squeezing them to the point of them trying to bite him when we take them away from him. He is only 22 months old. Is this behavior changeable? will it pass? Is he too young for these pets? They pretty much leave him alone unless he is attacking them. My wife and I are very patient with him and never yell or spank. He is beginning to throw tantrums on a 4 times a week basis. getting worse. These I am not concerned about it is the behavior with the small animals that worries me. Can someone HELP me?
2006-11-30 15:23:44 · 17 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Toddler & Preschooler
you never yell or spank??
how does your son know not what to do. sounds lkike he is spoiled and thinks and knows he can do what ever he wants.. i dont mean for your to swear at your son or beat him at all but sounds to me like a little disapline wont hurt.
tell him that is not ok to do and have him sit in his room for a little while..
tell him if he tryes to strangle the ferrets again he wont get any apple pie..
ask him y he is being mean to them??
again i think he is just jealous and knows this gets your attention..make sure he knows that these are living things not toys and that he can not be doing this to them
2006-11-30 15:50:37 · answer #1 · answered by blackhairedbaby 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He is too young for those pets. He is too young to remember your warnings or advice. I don't think it's his fault, my son is 4 and I'm having to watch him soo closely around our new kitten. Same thing; great in the beginning and now he's taking liberties with her. I told him tonight that if he couldn't stop hitting her I'd have to give her away to keep her safe.
And I was dead serious.
About the tantrums, now is the key time to be firm. The terrible twos is a misnomer - it's the three's that are more difficult because they crave independence more. Don't try to talk him through a tantrum. Segregate him, keep him safe, and when he calms down THEN let him know what he did wrong (the tantrum).
Strict. Rules. Expectations. Enforcement. The more you do it now, the easier it will be later.
On the flipside, if he learns now that he can tantrum without consequence, it will be pure hell when he's six, strong, and attacking teachers at school.
Don't worry that he's going to be a psychopath or anything, he's obviously got good parents that will guide him right.
Good Luck!
2006-11-30 23:30:37 · answer #2 · answered by lucy_shy8000 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I don't think anything is wrong with your son....he is acting like a normal 22 month old. But, yes....he is way too young to be playing with little pets like this!!
I don't think toddlers this age have developed a concept of "others" especially when "others" aren't people.
Your son is also heading into terrible twos. So the tantrums and the disturbing behaviors will be par for the course.
Keep the ferrets, by all means, but just don't allow your son to play with them when he is mean with them. Instead of letting him hold them....you or your wife should hold the ferrets and stroke them gently while saying "easy...." in a nice, soft voice. Hopefully your son will imitate you. Either way, your son should not be alone with the animals for his sake and theirs!!
2006-11-30 23:28:13 · answer #3 · answered by diapercakesbybecca 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
My son is 21 mo. old and let me tell you that behavior is normal. Even the tantrums but as far as not yelling, you are sternly telling him this is not good behavior right? I mean, you don't have to yell, but he does need to be told that mistreating animals and throwing tantrums is not exceptable. Good Luck. I would keep the ferrets where he can't reach them until he can play with them correctly.
2006-11-30 23:31:05 · answer #4 · answered by Who Me? 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
This is normal for his age. If you said he was 5 years old and up, then I would say take him to a psychologist. At 22 months they just do not understand that these are animals and not play toys. He really probably only think the ferrets are dolls. You need to not let your son play with the animals and keep them away from him. If you continue to let the ferrets play with your son, they will bite him (because they are only animals and that's how they protect themselves when threatened), so it is best to keep them away.
2006-11-30 23:41:23 · answer #5 · answered by happynay 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
My niece, who is 3, had a pet hampster. She always wanted to hold it but she was very rough and sometimes squeezed too tightly. One day her mother found the hampster lying dead in its cage and when she asked what had happened my neice said "i killed it". Very strange for a little girl. She's otherwise a sweet child I think children just don't understand how to handle pets. I would keep a very close eye on your son with the ferrets and just continue to try to teach him how to handle them. If he begins to get too rough take them away for a while and let him try again later.
2006-12-01 00:02:44 · answer #6 · answered by mandeejo 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sounds like he is just jealous of the ferrets. This is the same type of behavior that he would be displaying if you brought a new baby home. (Well, you wouldn't allow him to squeeze the baby but you know what I mean) You should probably try to find another home for the ferrets or make sure he doesn't have any unsupervised contact with them.
2006-11-30 23:28:37 · answer #7 · answered by Nunya 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Serial killers start out hurting animals. Try some disipline every once and a while, i'm sure he's a real brat in public as well. He is figuring out how to manipulate the two of you, and there are no consequences for his actions. Thats a great life lesson.
2006-11-30 23:35:00 · answer #8 · answered by prd2boft 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
While I realize your primary concern is your son, please keep your ferrets safe as well. Sounds like they haven't had the best life as it is. Ferrets, though energetic, are still small and fragile and they certainly deserve the best possible treatment.
At your sons age he doesn't realize that the ferret is not a toy like the rest of his toys. Keep showing him how to handle the ferret properly.
2006-11-30 23:29:34 · answer #9 · answered by water9094 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
if you haven't already, i think you should sit down with him and take the time to explain in toddler language what he does to the pets is not right. he might just not understand. monitor him playing with the ferrets and if he starts acting violently take them away immediately and don't give them back even if he cries or kicks or screams. you never know, one day they might hurt him more than he has ever hurt them.
2006-11-30 23:35:12 · answer #10 · answered by g 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋