From:
wolfysluv@aol.com
Date: 2001-12-07 04:05:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Deaf Ferret
I'm assuming your ferret is a baby or very young still? If
this is so, then I wouldn't worry very much. It shouldn't be very
hard to stop his biting in that case. Many times deaf babies do
bite harder or more excessively than hearing ferrets as babies since
they can not hear you or other ferrets tell them when its too much.
They do outgrow this with a stable environment and training. Don't
get scared, the training is simple. :)
First lets make sure the environment is stable since he is
biting right now. That means for right now, I wouldn't have
strangers comming into his space and picking him up, etc. I
wouldn't have any other animals or people that scare him a lot
around him right now. I would make sure everything is consisitent.
Make sure he has plenty of cheweasils for his urge to chew/bite, and
for that teething. If he is younger than eight or nine weeks old,,,
make sure his kibble is softened with warm water. I had a kit that
was very immature once, and without that soft kibble I did notice he
was more aggressive.... I think perhaps he was constantly frustrated
and a bit hungry since he had so much trouble with hard kibble.
Ferrets should have softened food during those weeks anyway. Don't
take your baby outside and in the car, etc for right now. I say
this only because of the tail poofing and startling issue. He needs
to calm down so he doens't start fear biting...and that is a bit
harder to break.
I think your baby is just biting a bit because of his age and
being deaf. No worries. I have a deaf ferret site (listed after my
sig at the bottom of this post)... that has photos and steps on how
to behave around deaf ferrets and how to train them. If I were to
try to explain all that in a post I would certainly be lacking in
areas and I don't want to do that. I want you and your ferret to be
off to a great start ok? There are links on the bottom of the page
that will take you to a deaf ferret email list. And also links that
take you to deaf testing (to be sure your baby is deaf), and to a
fun deaf behavior page. On the behavior page is a link to a great,
great biting page. Please do NOT go to that quite yet. Although it
is a helpful site with excellent advice, it mainly addresses
incorrigible biters that are fear biters, and/or ferrets that have
had traumatic pasts. And this is not the case with your ferret.
Your ferret needs kind and firm discipline right now. He/she needs
to know the limits and boundries of things, and needs to feel secure
in what you expect of him/her. And that is what my page may help
you with.
Wolfy
Please visit:
http://www.geocities.com/wolfysluv/
for information on ferret deafness:
http://www.geocities.com/wolfysluv/deaf.html