From:
Kaye Nolan
Date: 2002-02-03 06:33:00 UTC
Subject: Re: [Ferret-Health-list] HELP! Biting Ferret
Hello, do you have any bitter apple, or bitter lime spray?, I am getting
some bitter lime today after searching for either of them for over two
months, hey presto i found some. The thing is great persistance, training
your ferret will only take time, at the moment, with all of mind, I am
holding them up, securly, but by the front of their chest and not the back
or the shoulders hold, and I am talking to them softly and stroking the back
of their necks, holding them close, and walking with them, so they will
hopefully in time learn that I am mom and I am the safest person they know!
If you do this, their personality wont change immediately, someone in a book
took i think it was about six months of this, but the ferret got better and
better and apparently is now a lil sweat heart. Another thing to do, was,
yes put them in a cage and scruffing, after saying no, but you when you
scruff them, say no, hiss, and the still in the scruff, drag them a couple
of inches across the floor, this wont hurt them, this is what the mom does,
especially the hiss, and looking into their eyes, when you put him/her into
a cage, be sure it is not their original cage, a cat carrier will do fine,
other wise, they will think their cage is a bad place. leave them in the
cage for 10 minutes, and don't give the a treat till after 20 mins after the
incident.
again, all this will take is time, and it may be a couple of
months before your ferret is a lap ferret. if you just work on him/her, they
should come through, if you are scared of handling at this present moment in
time, because of that very nasty bite,I would sugest gloves may make you
feel better, and safer, generally leather gloves are said to be better,
because they's more like our skin , but any will do!
Keep me posted if that's ok with you, i would like to say how your baby reacts to this picking up etc...with mine, when I pick them up, if they try to get down, like riggle a bit, i leave them, and when they sit still in my hold I put them down, so they try and think,if mom picks me up and I try and get down I wont get down, so if i sit still like a good lil baby i get to play, and I get a cuddle off mom!..if they have been exceptionally good at a time, a treat may
be a good way to go about it aswell. but not too many and not until 20 minutes after being naughty or biting...let me know how it goes
love Kaye
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