# My ferret is biting a lot



## Jaelyn (Aug 1, 2016)

Hi. I just bought my ferret from petco and he is biting a lot and very hard. He also looks to be pretty young. I don't know if he is just stressed from the sudden change of surroundings or he just has never been taught not to bite. I don't know if I should scruff him because that would just increase his stress, if that's even the problem. What should I do to help stop the biting?


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## Babyshoes (Jul 1, 2016)

Baby ferrets do bite - they play rough as other ferrets have tough skin.

Is he drawing blood or hanging on for more than a few seconds? If not, it's probably just play and you can teach him to play gently with you in time. I generally do it by imitating the ferret pain squeak & stopping playing when it's too rough. Scruffing is no longer considered to be the best technique for training - there is a lot of info out there on the internet, I suggest you spend some time reading up on the different techniques & choose one you think you can be consistent with. 

If he is drawing blood, then you are probably right about him being stressed - let him settle in his cage for a day or two without handling him unnecessarily & see if that helps. Patience and a good supply of first aid supplies may well be necessary!

Do you have other ferrets? It's generally recommended to have multiples, (except in rare circumstances where a ferret won't get along with others) because they do need a lot of stimulation & unless you can actively play with your ferret for several hours a day they will get bored - especially when they are young. A bored fuzz is more likely to bite and / or be destructive - or even worse get depressed!


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## Jaelyn (Aug 1, 2016)

Well he isn't drawing blood but he is holding on so he is most likely stressed right?


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## Babyshoes (Jul 1, 2016)

Probably, but it's difficult to be sure without seeing the body language! To the inexperienced eye, ferret play can look like an attack... Could you get a video? If not, can you describe exactly what he does just before & after biting? If he's bouncing around looking threatening, with his mouth open, that's an invitation to play! If he keeps his body fairly still then lunges for you without warning, that could be a deliberate attack - but could also be a youngster who has been taken away from the litter too young & doesn't know how to play... If you pull him away gently, will he let go or do you need to scruff him to make him open his mouth?

Either way, I would say read up (& look for you tube videos) on training techniques, & in the meantime let him know he is hurting you by making a high pitched noise, & immediately stop moving. If it happens during play, get a soft toy for him to attack instead of your hand. 

Ferrets are quite different to other pets, so please do be sure to do your homework - and don't automatically trust what the pet shop told you! They are notorious for giving out dodgy info, especially about things like cage size & food...


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## Frolicking Ferrets (Mar 1, 2016)

If he's biting and not drawing blood then he isn't biting and just nipping hard and holding which is usually a warning to say that he doesn't like something or........... He's just hungry. Kits eat a lot, especially when they're young and if you don't feed them enough, they get "Hangry" and often bite or nip a lot to say that they want feeding. Being hungry is the most common reason a kit will bite or nip.
However of this isn't the reason for his hard nipping then you can either scruff him for a few seconds then carry on with what you was doing or use the "ferret bite hold" whenever he bites.
This is the ferret bite hold, I've took a screenshot of the website to save you time looking for it.









I find the ferret bite hold is very effective at stopping ferret kits from biting and hard nipping.


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## Babyshoes (Jul 1, 2016)

Ah, I never knew what that hold was called, though I have used it.


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## Jaelyn (Aug 1, 2016)

Thank you very much for all your help. He is much better now and I haven't been bitten since, even if it wasn't long ago. But he is getting more comfortable with his surroundings and seems much more happy.


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## Frolicking Ferrets (Mar 1, 2016)

That's good


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