"Problem" Ferrets and the People who Love Them

This is a page about the ferrets who really need our help. Those are the adult ferrets who have for one reason or another turned to problem biting as a means of communication with the world. I stress here and throughout this web page that adult ferrets with serious biting problems are not normal. Very few healthy, happy ferrets with conscientious owners are biters; in this one respect, happy ferrets are all the same, more or less. While some of the topics addressed here might help with training a kit not to nip, the ordinary kind of training that any young animal, whether it be ferret, puppy, kitten, or even child, needs will not be a major focus of this page. If you are looking for tips on training your kit or young ferret, a better resource would be Mary Schefferman's The Ferret: An Owner's Guide to a Happy, Healthy Pet or Deborah Jeans' A Practical Guide to Ferret Care, available at many bookstores or through your local shelter. Ferret Central contains a nip training FAQ with many suggestions for training kits. The Ferret Mailing List is also an excellent resource; you can subscribe by sending a message to ferret-request@cunyvm.cuny.edu asking to be added to the list.

So, what does this page contain? I've attempted to bring together and synthesize the experience of the people who have brought problem ferrets back into normal ferrethood, both to provide the information to others who may need it and also to provide support for people going through the often stressful process of rehabilitating a problem ferret. My experience with one of my own ferrets prompted the creation of this site, and I have to say right at the outset that I have tremendous respect for those who work with problem ferrets on a regular basis. I will also say that there are few things in life quite as rewarding as earning the trust of a scared little animal who may have had little reason to think of anybody as his or her friend in the past.

Before getting started, I would like to thank the people who have contributed to this site, and I have tried to provide credit wherever possible (please let me know if I've missed anybody). I'd also like to thank the many, many folk on the Ferret Mailing List who have helped form much of my thinking about ferrets. And, of course, I must thank my own ferrets, who have helped form much of my thinking about everything else. However, any opinions and mistakes are those of the author, not any of these fine people or ferrets unless otherwise stated; I'm always happy to listen to constructive criticism, but I'm the one to address it to, not the others. All materials as presented herein and on the following pages are copyrighted by the author, Regina Harrison, and while you are free to print a personal copy, you must ask me for permission before distributing these pages by any means physical or electronic. Sorry to be hardnosed, but this is a sensitive topic.

So, without further ado…

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