Posted by s_simpson on March 07, 2003 at 06:54:43:
In Reply to: Rug Biting and People Biting posted by Mike Otto on March 05, 2003 at 12:20:43:
The rug-biting is a bizarre problem, and I don't think I've heard of that before. Is she going after the same spot, or does she bite different areas? If its the same spot, it's possible there's some sort of stain there that is attracting her attention. If that's not the cause, I'm not sure what you can do. Scruffing her when she does it is probably the best bet.
As for the biting... I tend to disagree with the "conventional wisdom" on this. Most people will tell you that you just need to keep socializing her, using Bitter Apple, etc., and that she'll eventually "grow out of it".
I don't buy that. My Yuki, for as much as I love her, is a furry demon. She's a nipper and I think she always will be. Moreover, I've seen ferrets that live their whole lives as serial nippers/biters.
From what you said about the background, there are probably some real trust issues -- there was mistreatment in the past, so the ferret is very suspicious of new people. I think, then, that your best bet for the future is to continue nip-training when the ferret bites (bitter apple, scolding, scruffing, etc.), but also just accept the situation and make sure that any people who are around the ferret know the situation. Forwarned is forearmed....
