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Teaching a ferret to bite can be difficult. Ferrets are playful and curious, often tabbing or biting to start play. Some animals start biting in childhood and continue into adulthood. To wean the animal, it is necessary to determine why the ferret bites and what to do to stop this behavior.
Why do ferrets bite
Raising an animal of the Kunih family is a process that requires patience and responsibility. It is necessary to understand the reason that prompts the pet to bite and already act based on the analysis of the specific situation. Ferrets are intelligent and highly trainable.
Finding out the reasons for the misbehavior of the animal will require the owner to change their own style of communication with the pet. Biting out of fear requires a mild and gradual response, avoiding any form of punishment. Biting as an invitation to play is corrected by redirection of attention. A pet that has never bitten but suddenly becomes violent and aggressive may have health problems.
The behavior of ferrets during a change of scenery
Small predators explore the environment with their mouths, as they have rather poor eyesight. It is possible that one ferret bites at the same time for several reasons. The only control method chosen may not work in such a case. Ferrets often bite to get attention, to calm down, out of fear, or to start play. They do not understand that their sharp little teeth give little pleasure to a person.
Biting out of fear
Ferrets not trained in their youth, poorly socialized animals, may bite out of fear. The same thing can happen to mistreated ferrets. Some animals lack confidence and tend to be more prone to snapping. Behavior often worsens if it is suppressed. When ferrets are punished with a flick on the nose or a shake of the scruff of the neck, this worsens the behavior, frightens the animals and makes them bite even harder.
They start by accustoming a small predator to their hands with the help of treats. The owner uses any food that the pet likes. For fussy ferrets, fish oil or beaten eggs on your finger work great. The owner encourages calm behavior and gradually gains the trust of the pet. Instead of trying to grab the animal, you just need to bring your hand to it and treat it to delicious food.
Such workouts should be short. Eventually, the owner will be able to touch the ferret and then gently pick it up.
Bites to start the game
The pet must understand that the hands and feet of the owner are not toys, and if he bites, the game will be stopped. If the animal lunges at the owner to start the game, the person removes their hands and turns away or walks away. If the ferret is chasing the owner, you should not move and respond to the game. Rewarding with treats and attention follows calm play behavior. As soon as the bites start again, the game stops. This is how the owner should behave until his little friend realizes that biting is bad.
bite to communicate
The ferret bites both in order to attract attention, as well as in order to be picked up. At first, he can show that he wants attention in other ways:
- Follows the owner on the heels.
- He waits and stubbornly does not take his eyes off the person.
- Smelling the owner.
If the owner ignores the first request, the small predator will try to bite and thus attract the attention of the person. Gradually, this behavior can be fixed.
A ferret can also bite to tell its owners that it doesn’t like something, so it’s best to catch the animal’s signals before it resorts to biting. It is recommended to keep play sessions short and frequent, and to avoid “hard play” by teaching your ferret to play in other ways.
Some animals don’t like being cornered. Such a game provokes a pet to attack a person. It is necessary to analyze the behavior of the animal in order to identify certain situations in which it rushes into battle. And in the future to avoid such games.
Deaf and blind ferrets
If a previously well-behaved ferret suddenly starts biting, a visit to the veterinarian is necessary for a checkup. This behavior may be a sign of illness. A newly purchased animal may be deaf or blind. A resting blind or deaf pet, surprised or frightened, may accidentally bite the owner. The animal feels vulnerable, and its owner needs to develop a signal so that the ferret knows and senses the presence of a person.
Hormones in ferrets
Ferrets begin to bite more actively and more often:
- With hormonal changes during estrus in females.
- With hormonal changes in males during puberty.
- In diseases of the adrenal glands.
If the animal was fine from childhood, and after growing up problems with bites began, a trip to the veterinarian is necessary.
An animal that is in pain may also begin to bite: this behavior is the ferret’s only way to communicate its discomfort.
Smells or noises
A ferret can bite when the owner smells in a certain way. For example, communication with an animal occurs after cooking. And it is possible that the ferret does not like the smell, then he shows redirected aggression. It may also be that a person smells like treats for a ferret, and the animal cannot distinguish between food and owner.
Certain sounds can irritate a fluffy baby, you should try to avoid them. You can give a small predator a toy so that he endures bites as an expression of his condition on her.
The behavior of ferrets during a change of scenery
Ferrets are irritable when they are exploring the world. Often, their behavior unintentionally worsens if something new appears in life. When the animal has a new owner, a new family member, guests have arrived, there has been a move to another apartment, it may begin to bite. It takes time and patience to wean the animal from this behavior. A juvenile can be trained within a few weeks, but an older one often takes months to rehabilitate.
Training methods at home
The owner can train the ferret with treats and gentle handling.
You can also calm your pet by lightly pressing it to the surface, for example, the floor: this is how adult ferrets raise young animals.
You can use a water spray bottle: this is a simple method for the animal to immediately let go of the hand.
If the ferret has bitten and cannot open its teeth, it is necessary to rub its back and carefully put a finger in its mouth so that the beast releases the owner.
If the pet likes to fight, whenever he bites, it is better to redirect his attention to the toy and remove his hands. The ferret must learn the difference between hands and toys. It is advisable to use toys during vigorous activity. Using items in energetic play will help protect the owner from animal bites.
A few tricks to wean a ferret from biting
If an animal bites and becomes dangerous to humans, the easiest way to switch it is to put it in a cage for a few minutes. To transfer the animal, they take it by the scruff (folds of skin in the back of the neck). This is how a ferret mother moves her children. Both the animal and the owner’s hands will not suffer. A similar method of restricting freedom when lifting by the withers is not recommended as a punishment.
A pet can spend a “time out” anywhere. The main thing is that it should be a boring and isolated place, for example, a transport cage. Ideally, it is better that this is not a permanent cage, since the animal can transfer such a restriction to other situations. You can get a special cage with a drinking bowl and a tray. In animals of the weasel family, attention quickly dissipates, so the duration of punishment is from 3 to 5 minutes: this is the time when the animal will remember why it was isolated. When the ferret is released, they may bite the owner as revenge. It must immediately be returned back for a few more minutes.
Punishment by flicking the nose, throwing water at the ferret, hitting or throwing the animal will not teach the ferret appropriate alternative behaviors and will exacerbate biting. Physical punishment tends to reinforce inappropriate behavior in the long run and shows the pet that aggression is appropriate.
Video training, which clearly shows the features of the psyche of predators.
At what age to start
Trochee begin to train literally from infancy. It is better to immediately form the correct behavior than to wean an already adult animal for a long time. The more flexible the psyche of a ferret, the more malleable it is for the trainer. The kid will quickly remember the commands, get used to the tray.
Ferret training requires patience, time, consistent technique. Punishment should be avoided by using rewards for calm behavior. It will take a ferret about 3 weeks (longer in some cases) to learn to stop biting its owner.
What to do if the animal bites on the legs
The most important thing in such a situation is not to harm the animal with an involuntary jump or leg swing. If the ferret has a tendency to bite on its feet, thick socks or slippers should be worn. After each bite, the animal is carefully unhooked and placed in isolation for 3-5 minutes.
What to do if a ferret has bitten to the blood
With a strong bite to the blood, the ferret is placed in isolation, and then the wound should be taken care of. The bite of a ferret in the photo is similar to punctures with an awl – deep and thin. It is necessary to remove the blood, disinfect the bite site. If the punctures are deep, you can apply a gauze swab and fix it with adhesive tape or a bandage. Usually, punctures bleed quite heavily, which is good, as the risk of suppuration and inflammation is reduced. If this still happened, you should see a doctor.
It is important to remember that the ferret most often does not understand what he has done, and punishing him physically is pointless and cruel. Do not yell at your pet or click on his nose (for ferrets, this is painful and dangerous). An isolation break of a few minutes is best, allowing both the furry friend and the owner to calm down.
Conclusion
Any caring owner can wean a ferret from biting. The owner must pay close attention to his pet, notice signs of aggressive behavior and understand the reasons for biting: whether it is fear or a need for attention, fear, discomfort, etc. It is necessary to quickly respond to the first signals signaling the needs of the beast. You should control the vivid expression of the reaction to the bite: it is enough to get rid of the animal, switch it. The main thing is to encourage calm and caring communication.