my ferrets enjoy biting...?

Question

my ferrets think its a game to bite my feet when they are out running around... im sitting minding my own business then a ferret comes and bites my foot!!
or if i walk around they chase me and bite my feet.

ive tryed giving them a little tap on the nose and say no... if i try pushing them away they come back for more...

anyone have any ideas of how to stop them from doing this?

also ive tryed wearing shoes when they are out but they bite my legs instead...
there smart lol

Answer 1

Tapping them on the nose is actually probably *not* a good idea. Ferrets don't tend to respond well to any kind of negative reinforcement. Either they think it's part of the play, or it makes them aggressive.

Currently, as you said, it sounds like they are playing. It's quite common -- that's just the way they play, like cats who claw and bite in playing.

My suggestion would be a product called "Bitter Apple." You should be able to get it at a pet store. It comes in spray form, and it tastes *really* awful but is non-toxic. If you spray that on your feet and/or socks, they'll get a mouthful when they bite your feet and it should make them think twice about it after a few tries. :)

I've also had some success when playing with my hands, for example, by making loud noises of serious animal distress if they bite too hard. This has worked for one of my ferrets in particular in getting her to realize she's hurting me rather than playing. That's really specific to a certain ferret's personality, though.

You can also *GENTLY* push your finger *sideways* toward the back of their mouths when they bite, if you can catch them actually in the act. Do this just enough so that they cannot close their mouths. This is unpleasant but not harmful and may deter biting. Just remember to do it gently so it doesn't hurt them.

Good luck! :)

Answer 2

My ferret did this when I first got him and it's quite scary cos feet and toes are really sensitive and those bites HURT!!! I tried pushing him away but he thought I wanted to play more and came back even more determined, I tried telling him "no" but he just couldn't resist my little pink feet. I tried wearing shoes but then he liked to see where the feet went and wouldn't leave my feet alone, I tried wearing socks and this was the worst thing I could do cos he HATES socks and this made him want to bite the socks but he ended up biting my feet even harder! The only thing that worked was to stand perfectly still and show no reaction whatsoever, this was really hard cos it wasn't a pleasant experience getting my feet bitten but by showing no reaction he got fed up with the "game" and it only took a couple of days of ignoring him til he gave up on my feet. If he looks like he wants a little nip now and again I just say "no" in a low firm voice and he walks away in a sulk...LOL! Hope this helps xx

Answer 3

I have a ferret that does the same thing to her though it is a game. She does not bite hard we call it hide and seek. She hides behind the couch and seeks us when we walk by or when we are on the floor playing with her. She mostly does it to my husband not so much me. In her eyes I am mom I feed her change her litter and her bedding but he gets on the floor and lays there and she loves to sneek up from behind and bite on his feet. I would say try tapping her on the nose telling her no and not giving her any treats.

Answer 4

If you scruff them and hiss at them when they try to bite,that works , it is what a mother ferret does to correct them , worked well with mine.After a while those two didn't even think about biting.
Also try not to wear white socks,for whatever reason my Ferrets never bothered me when I was barefoot or wore colored socks.Ferrets are drawn to white or shiny things.
Good luck.