My new baby ferret bites hard. How do I stop her from biting me?

It could take Lyla a few weeks to get use to her new surroundings. I would make sure she is in a low stress location in the house. Also, allow her to have some space she can get away and relax. I recommend finding a special treat only you or your boyfriend gives her. that way she starts to look forward to you being around.

Thanks for reaching out about Bubba and including photos. Behavioral training in ferrets is often difficult. Is he young or older? If older, did he used to play nicer? Older ferrets (3+ years) can sometimes develop adrenal tumors that produce testosterone, and increase aggression. Otherwise, it is probably behavioral and just plays hard. Shorter periods of play time, and stopping prior to "rough" play might help alleviate problems. Consulting an animal behavioralist might have better ideas. Good luck.

Thanks for reaching out about Hoss. Behavioral training is similar to that in puppies. Training to know what is chewable (their toys) and what is not (fingers, furniture) is by a combination of positive and negative reinforcement. A good guide to training in puppies might be useful. Putting something like bitter apples or Tabasco sauce on your fingers might work some, but also don't want to make then hand shy. Good luck.

Ferrets can be very scared when brought into a new home. I would make sure that Major has a nice cage to give him room to play and hide. After a few days of him getting use to his cage you can allow him to play out side the cage with supervision. I would recommend trying to find a treat that he really likes and have you be the only person that gives it to him. That way he associates something yummy with you. The most important step is to move slowly but most of the time Major will start to relax. I hope that helps

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Teething toys such as nylabones for small dogs can be helpful. You can also moisten Bandits kibble with water or offer a small amount of canned cat food - any brand is fine, but you may want to try something specific for kittens that is high in protein.

You should discourage this behavior, ferrets can bite very hard even when playing, they will bite anyone in their way if getting used to, i definitely recommend discouraging this behavior from early age.

Every time your ferret nips you snap your middle finger at his nose and say no! The fact that he does not bite when you are wearing gloves, means that he knows that biting then has no effect, so he does not bother. Many ferrets nip because the person the pulls away and that is like a game to them. Another possibility to make it not interesting for him to nip you is to hold completely still, when he bites, and try not to show any reaction. After a little while he will realise "it's not working" and lose interest to do this.