# over-excitable ferret kit



## LisaCHughes (Apr 10, 2011)

Apologies in advance as this is long....... we are new to ferrets although experienced with raptors, pigs, poultry, horses and working dogs.

Last week we got 2 12 week old ferret hobs (brothers). We were told they were well handled but obviously as they are still young we are aware that they are still going to try and mouth everything. One is no problem at all and is beginning to get the hang of not letting his teeth make contact with human flesh, the other is more hyper and excitable. They are brought out to play either in a stable, or in the kitchen which is relatively easy to ferret-proof. They absolutely love it and roar about all over the place "dooking" and playing and my kids have been having great fun with them .However one of them is inclined to bite hard, and even if he is scruffed and his ear pinched (sometimes it is quite hard to persuade him to let go), he then makes it his personal mission to have another go. For the past few days we have been ensuring that they have had plenty of fresh meat before they come out to play, we have some ferretone (which of course they love) and if he looks like he is going to bite he is distracted with someone else where possible. The trouble is that he is really bold as far as people are concerned, and he naturally makes a beeline for someone with a view to climbing all over them. Mountaineering up legs is a particular favourite, but given that it is hard to trust him by the time he is high up enough to make contact with human skin (i.e. face and neck!) it is tempting to not let him - which just makes all the more determined to try. What is the best way to deal with this? should we let him climb up and then put him down, shake him off whenever he tries, wear slippery clothes/boots that he can't get a purchase on to see if he gets bored, or something else? I have been hand feeding them fresh meat and treats in their cage (is this a good idea or a terrible one?) and he doesn't attempt to bite then, nor when he is lifted in or out. it does mostly seem that he gets a bit OTT when he is let out to play. we have been encouraging them to really go for it so they get enough exercise, but perhaps this isn't the right approach?


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## Pear (Dec 8, 2014)

I am having this trouble at the moment also with kits who want to climb and explore my person sniff my clothes and ears etc but they are five and half months and i am nip training them, regardless of working with a rescue and have 12 ferrets of my own i would not even remotely trust my very friendly kits around my face. 
They are determined i would simple pluck them of and ignore, pluck them off and scruff with a gentle shake (repeat) and then time out in a carry box for five minutes. 
They eventually get bored with the lack of success especially if you entertain them with a tunnel, ping pong ball, rough play with a soft toy etc 

I also really encourage mine to run around and have a mad five minutes they have a indoor cage, and a indoor run but human time is for playing and belly tickles etc.
However when you have kits it needs to be controlled especially if you are nip training using toys they can bite and rough house with such as a alligator dog toy (QD) or the large rats from Ikea. 

I would definitely use ferret oil, salmon oil, salmon paste from zooplus or raw egg to teach him that humans have treats and if you behave nicely your get something nice if your nibble you go in the time out box. 

Hand feeding treats inside or outside the cage is a brilliant idea you are positively enforcing that your hands equal nice things whether this is in the cage or when your having play times. However if you have been nibbled when he has tried to grab food i'd be inclined to stick with oil or a paste from a bottle and then work towards the food from your fingers. My ferrets even now will lightly bite my fingers and try to dash off with my entire hand if it has salmon oil on it far too tasty to lick in front of others they've been with me 5 years nearly. 

All the best.


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## LisaCHughes (Apr 10, 2011)

Pear thank you for your very helpful response. I meant to post an update to say that I have increased the amount of raw food the kits are having and I make sure that they are not hungry before they come out to play. We have made enormous progress with the one that was biting - he has been offered a knuckle and when he tried to bite it was pushed firmly into his mouth, which definitely put him off the idea! He is no longer trying to bite (although he will try to mouth and will also hang on to a sleeve or a cuff). They are both extremely good about taking treats from a hand and will rush off to stash them and come back for another one. In fact every time I go past their cage they come over as they are convinced I am about to feed them. They can also be trusted to sniff my fingers and allow me to rub their faces without immediately trying to bite. They do get lots of vigorous exercise when they come out to play - they seem to absolutely love being slid across the floor tiles with a sort of bowling action and come rushing back again and again to have it done. They were back in their hammock after playing the other night and I managed to really rub the face of the one that was more inclined to bite, and he seemed to love it as he dropped off to sleep as his eyes popped wide open the moment I stopped. We are also better about anticipating when he might try to bite and handle him more confidently. No-one has been nipped since I last posted, so hopefully we are getting there!
I see you mention raw egg, we have loads of poultry so always have eggs, how much is OK to feed each week?


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## Pear (Dec 8, 2014)

Your very welcome it sounds like you have been making loads of progress since your first post.
The general guideline is 1 egg per ferret per week (mix the egg together and never feed the whites on their own i can't remember the science but it's definetely bad for ferrets long term. I also add in a dash of 100% salmon oil you can get a small bottle to test out from zooplus for £3 something it is really good for improving the quality of there coats.

During moulting season which should start in the next 4-6 weeks you can feed egg up to three times a week to help with moulting.
Ferrets can't hack up hair balls so you have to help the fur glide through there gastric system to prevent a blockage.

100% salmon oil
Salmon treat paste from zooplus - contains starch so special ocassional treat
Oil blends you can buy from various ferret rescues South Cheshire for example via facebook
Are far healthier treats then ferret vite, ferret tone which is full of veg, sugars, starch and general unnecessary crap.
There is also a brand of dehydrated meat treat 100% rabbit, duck etc super healthy option.


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## Pear (Dec 8, 2014)

http://m.zooplus.co.uk/shop/dogs/dog_health/skin_coat_supplements/other/306583

http://m.zooplus.co.uk/shop/dogs/dog_treats_chews/dog_chews/light_in_fat/520113


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