UK WY store which sells ferret supplies, ferretone & bitter apple spray. + biting...

My girlfriend has got me to look after her 12 week old female ferret for 2
weeks while she goes on holiday with her family. The ferret likes to do lots
of biting which I'm not very fond of. I have tried scruffing her but she
instantly turns her head around and bites my thumb....

I just went to my local petstore, a paws for thought shop, but the things
they have are very limited. I asked if they sold "bitter apple spray" but
they said no and pointed me to something called biter bite intended for cats
and dogs and I thought I best to avoid it. I have read that spraying this on
your hand before picking the ferret up can help stop it biting and that you
can give it a treat with the other hand. The ferret only seems to want to
bite my hand and not eat out of it though....

I have found the following site, http://www.hubintsecured.co.uk which sells
bitter apple but i'd also like to get ferretone at the same time if
possible, unless anyone knows of a store in west yorkshire area, preferably
leeds which sells what I want.

Any help appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

"KG" <katgall@voyager.net> wrote in message
news:9ad00fda.0308061358.9258b06@posting.google.co m...
> Some simple tricks for working with a nippy baby. Since she isn't
> yours, I'll ask the following question. Did the ferret come with a
> carrier?

Yes. I have left it on the floor as she likes to play with it sometimes :-)

> The best way to work with a nippy baby is to always give them a treat
> when you pick them up. Olive oil, linotone, ferretone work well.
> Most ferrets kill for the stuff. Same thing when you open the cage
> door, give her a treat.

She doesn't seeem to like ferretone. Maybe it's because she hasn't eaten it
yet. I have mixed some in with her usual food which she does eat so
hopefully she'll get a taste for it.

For other treats I have tried Faveferrets with cheese (by beaphar) which she
won't touch at all. However, she will eat Vitakraft "Tropical fruits"
flavour drops out of my hand if she pays attention to it. Usually she'll
just grab it and drop it on the floor, sometimes forgetting about it and
needing to be given it again.

> A nippy baby needs to be scruffed adn told "NO" in a very firm voice.
> You can also hiss or growl. I've use all three and each works. Put
> the ferret into an empty carrier for 30 seconds to a minute. When the
> ferret comes out, all praise and a treat.

I have tried scruffing but she turns her head around and bites my finger.
Also when I try flicking her on the nose (which I don't like doing) she
tries to bite that too... I'm just no good at this, my girlfriend can train
her :-) lol.

> Handle the ferret randomly and give it a treat. When its awake and in
> its cage give it a treat. Always praise it. This ferret has to be
> the most loved, best behaved ferret in your universe.

She seems to be ok at being handled early on while being let out. However,
after about an hour or two she's almost manic and as soon as my hand goes
towards her she senses it and leaps to bite it then sort of runs away and
she makes it difficult to pick her up.

> Treats and praise, treats and praise. Takes a bit of time, works
> wonders. If she's basically a good girl, she should turn around in a
> day or too. If she's testing or being pissed about being left behind,
> more time.
>
> Another trick that works well with ferrets is to take them out
> somewhere and let them see the world is a bit bigger than they
> realized. I prefer a crowded pet store, but any store that lets
> animals in. have a carry sack, make sure the baby is harnessed and
> leashed. Put some bedding in the sack for the ferret to hide in.
> Keep the trip to around an hour. Under no circumstances let anyone
> pet the ferret. Don't want to run the risk of a nippy baby doing what
> it tries to do best.

Not sure why that would work in theory but it sounds worth a try...

Thank you for your tips and assistance...

Good luck! You'll find some advice from someone that works for you.

I wonder how you are scruffing the girl. She shouldn't be able to
turn around and nip you. I can scruff all my ferrets, a couple of the
big boys have a lot of muscle and little scruff, I can (but don't
recommend) scruff the mink with a quick grab and release to get their
attention.

Another trick would be to use the V of the first and second finger
placed under her chin. She can still turn her head, but she can't
bite. Another simple trick is to lay her along your arm, tail side
against the crook of you elbow the the head near your hands so you can
control it.

KG

"tHatDudeUK" <random_chars@btinternet.com> wrote in message news:<bgs849$ro550$1@ID-158809.news.uni-berlin.de>...
> "KG" <katgall@voyager.net> wrote in message

> > Another trick that works well with ferrets is to take them out
> > somewhere and let them see the world is a bit bigger than they
> > realized. I prefer a crowded pet store, but any store that lets
> > animals in. have a carry sack, make sure the baby is harnessed and
> > leashed. Put some bedding in the sack for the ferret to hide in.
> > Keep the trip to around an hour. Under no circumstances let anyone
> > pet the ferret. Don't want to run the risk of a nippy baby doing what
> > it tries to do best.
>
It works by "scaring" the ferret and make it more dependent on you.
You do need the bag for the ferret to hide in so it has a safe space.

KG

	#1
tHatDudeUK	UK WY store which sells ferret supplies, ferretone & bitter apple spray. + biting... My girlfriend has got me to look after her 12 week old female ferret for 2 weeks while she goes on holiday with her family. The ferret likes to do lots of biting which I'm not very fond of. I have tried scruffing her but she instantly turns her head around and bites my thumb.... I just went to my local petstore, a paws for thought shop, but the things they have are very limited. I asked if they sold "bitter apple spray" but they said no and pointed me to something called biter bite intended for cats and dogs and I thought I best to avoid it. I have read that spraying this on your hand before picking the ferret up can help stop it biting and that you can give it a treat with the other hand. The ferret only seems to want to bite my hand and not eat out of it though.... I have found the following site, http://www.hubintsecured.co.uk which sells bitter apple but i'd also like to get ferretone at the same time if possible, unless anyone knows of a store in west yorkshire area, preferably leeds which sells what I want. Any help appreciated. Thanks in advance.

	#2
tHatDudeUK	Re: UK WY store which sells ferret supplies, ferretone & bitter apple spray. + biting... "KG" <katgall@voyager.net> wrote in message news:9ad00fda.0308061358.9258b06@posting.google.co m... > Some simple tricks for working with a nippy baby. Since she isn't > yours, I'll ask the following question. Did the ferret come with a > carrier? Yes. I have left it on the floor as she likes to play with it sometimes :-) > The best way to work with a nippy baby is to always give them a treat > when you pick them up. Olive oil, linotone, ferretone work well. > Most ferrets kill for the stuff. Same thing when you open the cage > door, give her a treat. She doesn't seeem to like ferretone. Maybe it's because she hasn't eaten it yet. I have mixed some in with her usual food which she does eat so hopefully she'll get a taste for it. For other treats I have tried Faveferrets with cheese (by beaphar) which she won't touch at all. However, she will eat Vitakraft "Tropical fruits" flavour drops out of my hand if she pays attention to it. Usually she'll just grab it and drop it on the floor, sometimes forgetting about it and needing to be given it again. > A nippy baby needs to be scruffed adn told "NO" in a very firm voice. > You can also hiss or growl. I've use all three and each works. Put > the ferret into an empty carrier for 30 seconds to a minute. When the > ferret comes out, all praise and a treat. I have tried scruffing but she turns her head around and bites my finger. Also when I try flicking her on the nose (which I don't like doing) she tries to bite that too... I'm just no good at this, my girlfriend can train her :-) lol. > Handle the ferret randomly and give it a treat. When its awake and in > its cage give it a treat. Always praise it. This ferret has to be > the most loved, best behaved ferret in your universe. She seems to be ok at being handled early on while being let out. However, after about an hour or two she's almost manic and as soon as my hand goes towards her she senses it and leaps to bite it then sort of runs away and she makes it difficult to pick her up. > Treats and praise, treats and praise. Takes a bit of time, works > wonders. If she's basically a good girl, she should turn around in a > day or too. If she's testing or being pissed about being left behind, > more time. > > Another trick that works well with ferrets is to take them out > somewhere and let them see the world is a bit bigger than they > realized. I prefer a crowded pet store, but any store that lets > animals in. have a carry sack, make sure the baby is harnessed and > leashed. Put some bedding in the sack for the ferret to hide in. > Keep the trip to around an hour. Under no circumstances let anyone > pet the ferret. Don't want to run the risk of a nippy baby doing what > it tries to do best. Not sure why that would work in theory but it sounds worth a try... Thank you for your tips and assistance...