How can I control my out of control ferret?

I have tried Bitter Apple, scruffing and caging for time-outs with no luck! After each punishment, he goes right back to being bad. He gets in and digs in the cat box, chews on the toilet brush, bites my feet, hands, etc very hard.


He has plenty of toys, chew snacks, and even a sock he destroyed.


I don't want to make him stay in his cage forever, but he is driving me crazy!How can I control my out of control ferret?
Don't take offense...but it is you and not the ferret. I can tell by the details of your question that you give your ferret too much free reighn. I can also tell that you only have one ferret. I can also tell that your home is not ferret proofed. All in all, we can not blame our pets behavior problems on them because it always stems from the owner somehow. Trust me, I completely understand! I was in your predicament years ago but instead of giving up on my little guy, I got educated!!





There is a book called ';My outa control ferret'; that I have seen in every single pet shop I have visited in the last 3 months. I recommend purchasing this book and giving it a go. I also recommend this ferret website: http://www.ferretuniverse.com This website also has a very nice message board with very experienced ferret folk who can help. I will list some of my personal tips to help you with the problems you have mentioned...





Please do not utilize bitter apple, scruffing, and time-outs. Ferrets are not smart like people...they do not know why you are making them taste that yucky stuff or why you are throwing them in their cage. Ferret behavior is ferret behavior after all and they see nothing wrong with it. It is time to start adjusting to the type of animal you own.





The first thing I would do is pick a room to contain your ferret in, for example, your bedroom. Make sure the room you choose is 'ferret proofed'. Ferrets are like small children...they do not know that toillete brushes are off limits! If the room is properly ferret proofed you should be able to safely let the ferret roam that room all day without incident.





Ferrets bite...it is normal for them, and it is how they 'play'. You really should own another ferret. If you simply cannot own another one then you have to learn to safely play with your ferret. Scruffing can be utilized here in extreme cases where a ferret is biting to hurt BUT is not applicable here because your ferret is biting in play. There really is no sense in punishing your ferret for playing. Gather all your ferret toys and store them in a basket or box. When its play time, carry the box or basket with you. If your ferret gets too nippy, grab a toy and distract him/her with it. This gives your ferret something else to bite other then you. If you do not have enough time to devote playing in this manner then GET ANOTHER FERRET! :) They do much better in pairs and will keep eachother occupied.





I wish you luck...and please do your research. It will benifit you both.How can I control my out of control ferret?
you need to ferret proof the house and read ferret books.
I know how you feel when i got my ferret she drove me crazy did all the things yours does and when i would put her in her cage she would get so upset that she would start biting the wire and make all kinds of noises till i would let her out, this is what i did for the nipping If your ferret nips too hard, scruff him by grasping the loose skin on the back of his neck like a mother ferret carrying one of her babies. Then say ';No!'; and gently put the ferret down, As far as him getting into stuff the best thing to do is ferret proof your house because ferrets are very very curious little guys and will get into anything they can.
Maybe he needs more exercise? Do you walk him on a harness? I would try that. Walk him twice a day and you may notice a difference in behavior. If not I would contact an animal behaviorist.
Some ferrets are easy to train, others just like getting into trouble and are near impossible to train. I find the best way to stop a troublesome ferret is to prevent the problem from happening in the first place. If he chews on the toilet brush, close off the bathroom so he can't get to it, etc.





For things you can't block off, like the litterbox, give him an alternative. I'd suggest getting another box and filling it with a diggable material like sand or kitty litter (a different type though, so he knows the difference) and when he digs in the real litter, give him a firm ';no!'; and put him in the digging box.





As for the biting, I found that making a high-pitched ';OW!'; noise and then scruffing seems to work after a while. Only do it for the hard bites. They'll eventually learn the difference between a playful nibble and a painful bite.