An aggressive ferretis a real problem both for him and for us, his family. They are highly appreciated pets around the world for their intelligence and restlessness, but despite this, sometimes this friendly mammal can show hostile attitudes.
To solve this problem, the fundamental thing is to understand their language and identify the reasons why they might bite us. In addition to basic care for him, the ferret is a pet that needs a family that takes care of him and offers him affection of all kinds.
Keep reading this article on our site and find out the solutions for an aggressive ferret.
The language of ferrets
Before starting, it is important to know how ferrets express themselves, they may bite you because you do not properly understand their language, here are some guidelines:
Do not handle him constantly, remember that the ferret sleeps from 14 to 18 hours a day, for this reason if you notice that he yawns frequently the meaning is clear: let him rest. Teasing him will only result in a ferret that will mistrust you and will not want to spend time by your side, for this reason the bite may appear.
Do you have more than one ferret from puppyhood? Between them the games and the bites are constant, but as they have a harder and thicker skin they do not hurt each other.
In a fun situation you will see the ferret jump on all fours and make sounds similar to "doc-doc", that means your pet is happy.
Ferrets have a hard time regulating their body temperature, for this reason when it's very hot you'll see them with their belly stretched out on the ground, a good position to cool off and when it gets cold it will shrink shivering until it feels better in its "nest".
Can you see his bristly tail? This attitude clearly means that the ferret is afraid or distrustful of you, probably it can bite you.
The snorts are a communication system between ferrets that usually expresses pain or discomfort. Stop handling a ferret that makes these sounds as it may bite you.
Does he bite you playing?
As we have mentioned before, sometimes and especially in the growth or development period, the ferret begins to bite. These are innocent games in which running and playing begin to stimulate their teeth, thus preparing them for the future hunt.
If you have touched a rabbit, mouse and even a cat that you are not familiar with it may bite you upon sensing the potential scent of prey. It is also likely that it has a predilection for biting your feet. His sense of smell is highly developed.
If you have an aggressive baby ferret in your care (in addition to letting it rest frequently) you should try to put your fear of bites on holdsince these are intelligent animals that will detect your fears. Play with your pet and caress it without fear so that it understands that you feel calm and that you don't have any problems.
Does he bite other people except you?
If your relationship is very good and close, your pet may experience an attack of jealousy. In this case and as the owner you must get involved and make him understand that this is not appropriate behavior.
It is very important that your pet can relate well to other people or ferrets so that, in very exceptional situations, it cannot hurt anyone. Remember that a child or other ferret owner could approach the ferret and inadvertently be bitten.
He is afraid?
If you snort or show a bristling tail when he sees you, your ferret is definitely scared. You should know that it is normal for it to happen when moving to a new environment or when faced with a situation that they consider stressful or unpleasant.
Try to leave him some time to adapt if you have just adopted him, do not bother him, although it is important that he gradually begin to get to know you. This process must be gradual and we must always do it with great sensitivity.
For these cases the prizes and treats for ferrets are a fundamental and very useful tool that will allow our new friend to understand and understand us that there is nothing to fear.
The correct communication in the face of an unwanted reaction
This process, like that of any pet, requires a large dose of patience, positive attitude and persistence We are not going to educate a ferret or to get used to us in just two days but you can try to advance the process with these three tricks:
Try to get him used to you by leaving a piece of clothing with your scent on it in his cage
Let him explore the house, what will be his home, until then he won't be totally relaxed. If you see that it smells, it is a very positive sign
Don't scold him if he bit you 5 minutes ago, he won't remember
If your ferret bites someone or directly bites you, you must inform him that this is not allowed. An aggressive ferret has as a consequence for him a state of generalized stress that directly affects his state of mind.
To begin with, whenever you do something wrong, we will use the word " No" without shouting but forcefully.
We will never hit or hurt you
- We will try to reward through treats the behaviors that we do like of our ferret. This will create a special bond between you as well as allowing us to repeat this action (as it will associate it with a positive reward).
- If our playing ferret bites us we can give him some soft touches on the nose, something they don't like but it doesn't hurt. Do not perform this action if it is a very aggressive specimen.
- In the wild his mother reacts to bad behavior grabs the ferret by the fold while shaking him. Never hurt him or shake him excessively, it is a ritual that he will understand. In addition, this procedure relaxes the animal to a certain extent.
If these tips do not help you and your pet continues to show excessively aggressive behavior (even if he is playing) we recommend that you isolate him for a short period of timein a carrier (not in its cage) where it stays in the dark, then you must allow it to go out and you will try to interact correctly with it.
You want to know more?
Keep browsing to learn everything about the ferret, find a suitable name for your ferret and even learn about ferret diseases.
