Hail All Ferret Lovers! I'm writing this on Sunday and it's a beautiful day here in the Northeast. Spring is on its way! There's nothing nicer than opening up the windows and letting in the fresh air. First up in this newsletter are some tips on nip-training ferrets, both young and old. A lot of people have e-mailed us questions about nip training, so here's an article. Then we have a little reminder on how to keep your ferrets' noses out of trouble. We hope you enjoy the good weather! --Mary, Eric, & Gabby
In this newsletter:Nip Training for Young & Older FerretsDid You Know That ... (Outlet Safety Plugs)
It's spring time! Time to get a cool new ferret T-shirt from FerretDesigns.com! Great gifts for ferret lovers ... or yourself!
Nip Training for Young & Older FerretsBy Mary R. Shefferman & Eric Shefferman You brought home a baby ferret and she nips. It's perfectly normal. All baby animals nip -- they don't have hands, so they explore with their teeth. So you train your new little ball of fur not to nip you (your fingers, toes, ankles ...) and that's that. But what if you bring home an older ferret who bites? (For our discussion purposes, a nip smarts but doesn't break the skin; a bite breaks the skin.) Most of the time older ferrets are adopted from ferret shelters, so they've likely been rehabilitated already (if they need to be). But more and more often we see older kits still waiting to be bought at pet stores. They need homes. But maybe the pet store staff didn't bother to handle the ferret (she was never taught not to nip). Or maybe the ferret was traumatized by some curious or ignorant customer (she's biting because she's scared). Either way, your new ferret has an excellent chance of becoming a friendly little girl or boy. One of the wonderful things about ferrets is that they are not like dogs; a mistreated or untrained ferret -- regardless of age -- can be re-trained to be a friendly companion. Untrained Ferrets (Young Ferrets) When ferrets are young (less than, say, 14 weeks or so old), their jaw muscles are not as developed as those of mature ferrets. This means that no matter how they try, they're not likely to hurt you very much if they nip during play. Sure, their teeth are tiny and sharp (and getting nipped smarts), but they lack the musculature to put a good chomp on you. This is a good time to train them not to nip at all. Several methods of nip training work with ferrets. The one that does not work is hitting or nose flicking or thumping. Never strike a ferret that has nipped. If you flick her nose too lightly, she'll think you're playing and if you flick too hard, you can injure your fur baby. The best methods are non-violent and cannot be interpreted by your ferret as an invitation to play. You can use any or all of these methods while nip training your ferret: - Bitter Apple (or similar bad-tasting preparation) applied to your hands or feet
- Saying, "No!" -- forcefully
- Scruffing (that is, holding the ferret by the loose skin at the back of her neck)
- Time Out
Bitter Apple Several different companies now make bad-tasting deterrent products (e.g., Phooey, Bitter Apple). When you take the ferret out for play, spray the bad-tasting stuff on your hands. If your ferret nips, she'll get a bad taste in her mouth. After a few goes at it, she'll probably avoid nipping. You will probably have to do this for a few days or more. When play time is over, wash your hands thoroughly to get all the bad-tasting stuff off them. Offer your ferret something she can lick off the palm of your hand -- Ferretone, for example. Over time, your ferret will learn that nipping tastes bad and licking tastes good. For this or any method to work, you must be consistent. You can't allow a nip because it didn't hurt that much. This only confuses the ferret. Saying "No!" This is pretty self-explanatory. If your ferret nips, say, "No!" or "Ouch!" Ferrets will play at the intensity level of the weakest member of the group -- usually you. They learn how hard they can play with their littermates by grabbing them with their teeth and rough-housing with them. If a ferret cries out, the play usually stops or lightens up. You just have to act like you're another ferret and let your ferret know that what she's doing hurts. Of course, all this goes out the window if your ferret happens to be deaf. Many ferrets with white fur on their heads (blazes, pandas, dark-eyed whites) are deaf or hearing impaired. For them you will need to use one of the other methods. Scruffing When a ferret mom wants to get her kit to behave, she grabs him by the scruff of his neck (the loose skin at the back of the neck). You may notice when you do this that your ferret stops. It's like an off button for many ferrets (others writhe and try to wriggle out of your grip). This is a good quick method to let your ferret know she's done something wrong, like nipped you. Using scruffing along with saying "No!" works especially well. Just be careful not to be too rough when scruffing your ferret. Being nipped can be upsetting for some people; it's imperative that you don't take out your upset on the ferret. The ferret doesn't know any better -- it's your job to teach her. Time Out If your ferret is being particularly nippy, even though you've been working with her, it may help to give her a time out. You can use your ferret's regular cage, but it's best to have a special cage just for time out. You don't want to use your travel carrier for time out because you don't want your ferret to think that going in the travel carrier (to the vet, for example) is punishment. A time out only has to last a minute or two. The purpose of the time out is for your ferret to learn that when she "misbehaves," she will not be allowed to play. It also gives her a few minutes to settle down.  Older Ferrets or Traumatized Ferrets As we said, one of the wonderful things about ferrets is that they can be rehabilitated. They can learn to trust people again. If your previously trained ferret starts to nip or bite, you'll want to have her checked out by a vet to make sure nothing's medically wrong. If she is in pain of some sort, that may explain why she doesn't want to be touched. Once you take care of the medical problem, she should go back to normal. If you bring home an older ferret (say, 5 to 8 months or so old) from a pet shop and the ferret bites, but only does so in play, any of the methods discussed in the section above should work. The only problem is that since the ferret will have developed jaw muscles by that age, the nips may smart quite a bit. Again, it's imperative that you not get angry with the ferret; she doesn't know any better. Some people have suggested wearing gloves, but this only prolongs the training process and may confuse the ferret. You want the ferret to not bite human skin. The real challenge is when you bring home a ferret that is biting out of fear. You will have to gain the ferret's trust. It is best not to use shouting with a ferret that is frightened of people. If you have to scruff the ferret, do so in a non-threatening manner. You don't need to manhandle your ferret while scruffing; simply holding the ferret by the scruff sends her the message you're trying to get across. The key with training a traumatized ferret is patience and love. You will likely get bitten. It'll hurt. It's all right if you don't feel up to the task. It's better to get the ferret to a person who can train her without causing further upset to the ferret (a more experienced ferret owner or a ferret shelter). Not everyone is cut out for rehabilitating a bad biter. The point is a bad biter can be rehabilitated. * * * * * There are several important points to keep in mind when nip training a ferret. Be consistent and be patient. Don't take out anger or frustration on the ferret. Even ferrets who bite can be retrained and rehabilitated; some people are better at this than others. Even old or abused ferrets can learn good behavior. Finally, some people don't mind if their ferret nips a little, but it really is important to train your ferret to behave acceptably with you and other people. What if she got out and was found by a stranger? If she's been trained to be a friendly little ferret, she'll likely find her way home. What if something happens to you? It's far easier to find a ferret a home if she's well mannered. In the end, being friendly and gentle are actually survival skills for a ferret. If you teach your ferret well, she'll always have a home. * * * * * Note: Modern Ferret Magazine Back Issues #9 and #17 -- both part of the Super Monster Pack shown below -- contain more in-depth nip-training articles. MF Issue #9: Bringing Up Baby: Nip Training (By Eric) MF Issue #17: No Such Thing as A Bad Ferret (By Carla Smith)
| The Super Monster Pack of Modern Ferret back issues has several articles on nip training, as well as all kinds of valuable ferret information written by ferret owning experts -- the ones who know what's what with ferrets. You get more than 1,000 pages of ferret fun and information. (If you bought all these back issues separately, it would cost about $150.00.) |  |
Did You Know That ... Ferrets are very nosy? I'm sure you did. But have you thought about what kinds of trouble your ferret's nose could get him into? Let's just say that a damp ferret nose and an electrical outlet are a dangerous mix. To prevent tragedy, get some plastic outlet safety plugs -- the kind you might use in a home with a baby. You can usually find them in the electrical section of a hardware store or a store like Wal-Mart. Sometimes they can be found in the baby section. Put the little plastic plugs in any unused outlets that your ferret may have access to. 
a safe electrical outlet
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a safety plug
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A versatile little box for your ferrety
(or non-ferrety) what-nots.
That's about all for this newsletter. We hope we answered some of your concerns about nip training (we get a lot of requests for this information). In future newsletters we'll be covering litter box training and some other basics of ferret companionship. Happy Ferreting! -- Mary, Eric, & Gabby (the lose ferret) Stay tuned for more. You can always get updates by reading my blog (a blog is an online journal). I keep it sporadically and it usually runs to the more personal stuff. But you might like it. It's at http://www.marysferretblog.blogspot.com
Ferret NewsPlease let your ferret friends know about this newsletter and encourage them to join. http://www.ferretnews.com Shopping at these web sites helps support this newsletter so we can continue to send it for free to all who want it: http://www.ferretdesigns.com http://www.ferrettradingpost.com Disclaimer:
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The shortened version of the disclaimer is: If your ferret is ill or you think your ferret is ill, bring your ferret to a ferret knowledgeable veterinarian. Copyright 2004 Modern Ferret magazine.
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