By Holly

Ferret kits can be pretty nippy! This is how they communicate, and many ferrets bite to initiate play. They are still learning that humans don’t like bites as hard as ferrets can tolerate! I got my boys when they were 4 months old and they were nip-monsters, but once they hit 6-7 months old, only one was nipping when he's really excited. Or if I’m wearing lip balm...

Give them some time to grow out of it, while using the yelping/squealing method in the link below. If they get to 5-6 months old and are still really bitey, I'd get more serious with the training. What you can do in the meantime is hold them close to you and get them used to the affection and being handled. Usually this means the best time to snuggle them is when they’re sleepy. I gave my biter nose-kisses when he was super tired, and now he barely bites. Another thing you can do is dip your finger in some white distilled vinegar and give them a whiff while they’re latched on. It’ll shock their little nose and make them let go.

One thing I’ve seen (but haven’t tested) suggested a lot, is putting a little bit of salmon oil on your hand/arm. They’ll lick it off, and learn that your skin is for LICKING and kisses, not biting!!

Also - time outs RARELY work. Their attention spans are too short, and they won't know WHY they are being put in time out unless it is IMMEDIATELY after the bad behavior. All it will do is teach them that you are a grumpy mom (just FYI!) With that said, SOME people have had success with time-outs - creating a “sin bin” (small space with no toys, NOT their cage or a carrier). But this requires you catch them in the act and put them in the “sin bin” immediately. Only for a minute or two. (after that they’ll have forgotten why they’re there). You need to catch them EVERY time, otherwise they'll think that they can get away with it.

From Sarah Clark:

"For the first 7 days I did a level of average training for her, but it wasn’t enough.... she was still over-the-top bitey and was starting to lunge at faces when given the chance.

So I started with intensive training since this Monday just past. I’m a tad unconventional. I don’t use treats. I don’t scruff, hiss or time out. I use verbal ques.

Whilst training I equate them to the mentality level of a 2-3 yr old. I reward with pats and a kind gentle tone spoken but warn/punish with a stern UH UH and a cease of current action.

With Storm the basic of that worked perfectly. She was trained within 5 days max. Karma on the other hand... She understood it, but also didn’t quite click on as well as she should have.

So in my intensive training - I removed her from Storm completely for a day and kept her with only me. She spent the majority of it in my hands (even though she protested). She ran my errands with me and heard all the noises of the general world, she had different people come up to her travel bag and talk to her and she was forced to be held by me for as long as I said.

After some bruising on my hands, that evening she had learned the difference between a bite for another ferret, and an acceptable play bite for a human.

I started studying her pre-warning communication cues and also heavily monitoring her when the kids are out walking around the house (her and Storm are free roamers).

I also praised EVERY positive action. Even so much so that when she passed a bare foot and only sniffed then kept walking I would tell her how amazing she is and pat her as she passed me.

And now within 3 days of intensive training she has turned a corner and started showing actual proper affection! She is still learning proper play with certain body parts (like webbing of fingers, bare feet and the crook of the elbows) but that’s ok. That will be fixed by Monday with more play work."

By Holly

You can get a spray bottle and fill it with white distilled vinegar and spray it on whatever they're digging/chewing at. Some people say it'll stop them for good but my boogers come back after a few hours. The vinegar smell goes away after 2-3 minutes. My couch is probably half padding, half vinegar.

Another option is sadly just getting rid of the furniture...haha. Or blocking it off! If it is upholstery or something, you can also get a cover they don't like the texture of that you don't mind if they rip to shreds.

If it is carpet, you can get plastic carpet runner, cover your floor with vinyl, or buy a rug (or cut of carpet fitted to the area) to put over it for them to dig to their hearts content 😊

COUCHES

Digging from the bottom: Get a bed sheet and staple it to the bottom, or measure a piece of wood to fit the underside and nail it to the bottom.

Digging from the top: Hot glue, staple, or if you have a friend/family member who's a sewing master.. canvas or other heavy-duty fabric to reinforce it. OR get a couch cover. But they can usually figure out how to crawl under these. You can use wood-staples and staple the couch cover to the wood you used to board up the bottom! HA.

By Holly

Sadly a lot of toys are blockage hazards.. ferrets jaw strength is INSANE so they can chew pieces off most toys. The safest thing you can do is get them raw, unseasoned chicken leg or wing 😊 Though in my experience, not too many will take to it, but it doesn't hurt to try! Under STRICT supervision, heavy duty braided rope dog toys are ok (the smallest size). Remove AS SOON AS ANY WEAR IS VISIBLE.

PureBites and Hare of the Cat have a Jerky treat that are safe - make sure the ingredients are MEAT with no salts, seasonings, etc. You can also make your own with unseasoned raw meat and a food dehydrator if you have one.

Otherwise... ferrets aren't chewers by nature (it's not needed/instinctual), they just have a weird obsession. Even if they did have a safe chew-toy, they get obsessed with the specific item they like chewing. It's best to take away whatever it is they're chewing on and replace with something safe. For big things you can't do it with (ex: a couch) either block it off or spray the specific area with some distilled vinegar.