Ferret Training Day 1 – Benny

This is the day my malt paste finally arrived, allowing me to start training my two ferrets (Frankie and Benny) to stop biting. Up until this point I had had to resort to handling them while wearing heavy-duty gardening gloves.

This video shows Benny on his first day of training, and despite a few nips and alot of chews he gets along quite well. By the time I put him back home he was barely biting at all.

While training him I use 2 different techniques recommended to me:
1) When he bites hard I scruff him and hiss loudly at him. This is exactly what their mother would have done in the wild to let them know that they’re biting too hard.

2) If he gets a good hold of me and scruffing doesn’t seem to be having any effect then I gently push into his mouth with the finger he’s got a hold of. This is quite uncomfortable for a ferret and they don’t expect it, so they tend to let go quite soon afterwards.

Neither of these techniques hurt the ferret in any way, and are a great way to let them know not to bite.

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11 Responses

  1. Fiona Smyth
    | Reply

    Just got two ferrets and (not having any previous experience am lacking in confidence about techniques and what to really expect) it is great to see someone actually doing it with a ferret that is nipping lots as opposed to seeing someone scruffing an already tamed ferret. Thanks!

  2. GabE BeckeL
    | Reply

    if u want to train them u cant be scared of them

  3. Crimson Divine
    | Reply

    My ferret seems to play bite like this, to be honest I was expecting worse when you had gloves on but yeah, its a bad habit and even my ferret doesn't seem to stop.  I'm guessing he was still young in this video and perhaps had no ferret companions?  If so then this is really common behaviour for them.  Did you manage to get him to stop?

  4. sylverclaws
    | Reply

    @Austin Bordelon sounds like he got a bit food/object aggressive(it can happen out of nowhere if they find something good, really unexpected when they do lol I've never had that happen to me before, but I know a few people who have), you may have surprised him too. lol You did the right thing. 

  5. Don Brown
    | Reply

    hmm maybe they are different in Europe ive yet to have to wear gloves with my ferrets yes they play bite but nothing hard more like them scraping me w their nailes  

  6. jack thomas
    | Reply

    I've had my baby boy for about a week and a half now, and he bit me for the first time last night. He was out for floor time and he found something under my audobon (don't know how to spell that) and he was licking/smelling it. I pulled him out and tried to see what it was and he latched down on my left pinky finger. He didn't draw blood or break the skin, nor did it hurt. But what I did was scruffed him with my right hand then he let go.

  7. SeriousCamber
    | Reply

    Awesome video! Whys he biting? Playing? Also does it hurt much?

  8. Marilyn Wyatt
    | Reply

    Wtf. No. You dont 'flick' your ferret. That will make them chase/bite you even more.

  9. Marilyn Wyatt
    | Reply

    Uuugghh this never stops being painfull to watch!! Haha, i know how ferrets tends to go for the soft area between your index finger and thumb, hurts so much. Theyre so smart. Im in that phase right now too, where im teaching my own to stop biting too hard, its only been 2 days so i dont expect provement any time soon, just taking it day by day. Had ferrets before so i have some expierence, but its my first timer raising a baby from scratch, its exciting, and ofc, really frustrating hahaha.

  10. Wade Roberts
    | Reply

    Iv'e seen a girl on you tube who uses bitter apple with training her ferret.

  11. keeran morrow
    | Reply

    All ferrets bite playfully but. Sometimes they hurt then u flick them on the nose

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