From:
Lccmtaylor@aol.com
Date: 2002-06-27 01:23:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Very nippy boy
You're description sounds a lot like my rescued P.J., only worse. P.J. was
about ten months old when he ended up with me, and a retrace of his history
revealed a good loving first home, which he lost when his owner died, to a
neglected lonely middle period. By the time he arrived at my place he was a
horrific biter and could not seem to get along with my older guy. Part of
the problem was lack of socialization and (I suspect) poor diet making him
feel crummy. Another part was that he is deaf. Sound repremands don't work if
he can't hear them. And scruffing didn't work, 'cuz he didn't know why it
was occurring. I started to lift him to my face when he bit, and say "no"
with an exaggerated angry face. It helped alot
I also suspect that your new guy, like P.J., needs time to feel secure. If
you could bring him home to get his bearings and gain some trust (remember,
likely he is a commercially bred ferret - little socialization- who ended up
in a pet shop for almost two months - little socialization, most contact with
people was probably a bunch of morons tapping on the glass at him, and
possibly some rough handling when taken out to see "if we want this one"). I
applaud your decision to work with him rather then just write him off. And
where do you work that they have ferrets in the office?!?!? What a moral
booster!!! Are they hiring?!
Good luck,
Cay
Princess and the naughty boys