Curb your ferret! - Disciplining do's and don'ts

For those of you new to the ferret world, or perhaps just looking for some new approaches to disciplining your ferret, here is a list of DOs and DON'Ts that will help give you the tools to teach your ferret how to behave without becoming the bad guy.

***DON'Ts are things that may injure your ferret, render discipline ineffective, or damage your relationship with your ferret. In other words: to foster a happy and fulfilling realtionship with your ferret, don'ts should be avoided AT ALL COSTS!

DO keep in mind that every ferret reacts differently to different forms of discipline - what works on one may not necessarily work on another; it is best to try multiple approaches until you figure out what works for your ferret.

DON'T nose flick!!! Besides being mean (a ferret's nose is very sensitive) and teaching your ferret that people are something to fear, nose flicking can lead to permanent damage of the nasal cavity.

DON'T spank, smack or hit your ferret in any way!!! These forms of 'discipline' border on abuse and tend to lead to less than friendly relations between ferrets and their owners. Remember: ferrets are SMALL ANIMALS - what may seem like a light tap on the bottom to you is in fact a jarring full body blow to a ferret. You wouldn't appreciate a large hockey player body checking you every time that you did something wrong, so why replicate the feeling by smacking your pet?

DO use time outs. They can give you and your pet a brief cool-down period.

DON'T use the cage as a time-out room. Doing so will cause your ferret to associate his cage with punishment and will leave him wondering what he did wrong come bedtime!

DON'T give more than 5 minute time outs. Any more than 5 minutes and your ferret will forget why he or she is IN time out, making the time out pointless.

DO try squirting the ferret with a spray of water for misbehaving. I find this one effective for deterring unwanted carpet and couch digging/ scratching for both ferrets AND cats.

DO use a firm "NO" to let your ferret know when he or she is doing something bad. I recommend using the firm "NO" before a time out, or in conjunction with a spray or a scruff, though it can be effective on its own.

DON'T yell at your ferret!!! You may frighten your ferret, and a ferret that considers humans to be a source of fear is not a happy ferret.

DO scruff your ferret and say "no". A gentle scruff and drag can also be effective for curbing nipping and other unwanted behaviour some in ferrets.

DO use praise to reinforce good behaviour. Positive re-enforcement is always a good thing, and the odd treat along the way certainly doesn't hurt.

DO pay attention to how your ferret reacts to different forms of discipline to determine what is effective for your ferret. At the moment, I have one ferret that reacts negatively to the "scruff and drag" but responds well to time outs and the firm "no". I have another ferret that responds to praise, but ignores the firm "no" and is impervious to time outs (he cannot be scruffed due to injuries sustained in his previous home).

Good luck figuring out what works for your ferret, and avoid DON'Ts like the plague!!!

Ferret Lingo

Yes, it exists!
For those new to the ferret world, you have undoubtedly heard other ferret owners and enthusiasts speak of feeding their little carpet sharks duck soup, or of their hobs, jills, sprites, furkids, digboxes, n-bones, ferretvite etc, etc, etc....

Here is a quick guide to help you grasp "ferret lingo" so that you too will be able to "speak ferret" with the best of them!

Adrenal: A ferret with adrenal disease. For more information on this or various other ferret diseases, read "Ferrets for Dummies" by Kim Schilling.








Ferret suffering from advanced adrenal disease.

ADV: Aleutian's Disease Virus. Debilitating and incurable disease originally spread to ferrets by the Aleutian mink. Awareness of this disease is spreading in Canada and the United States. Ferrets can be carriers without showing signs themselves. For more information on this or various other ferret diseases, read "Ferrets for Dummies" by Kim Schilling.

Bib: Ferret pattern (see previous entry "Checkered Ferrets" for detailed description and photo)

Bonded: Two or more ferrets that have been together so long that they are virtually inseparable. Separating a bonded pair is NOT recommended as one or more of the ferrets may become depressed and refuse to eat following separation.







Bonded pair of ferrets

Carpet shark: Ferret (because they like to glide along the carpet and sometimes attack toes)

Cheweasles: Edible rubber textured chew treat for ferrets. Similar products include: Superchews by Marshall and Edible Chew treats (also by Marshall)

DEW: Dark Eyed White - ferret colour (see previous entry "Colour Me Ferret" for detailed description and photo)

Digbox: Container filled with dirt, sand, rice, beans or similar for ferret to dig in (see "Toy Tips" for more information on digboxes and other great ideas for ferret entertainment!)

Dook: Sound made by ferrets when they are happy. Here is an example (approximately 30 seconds in)



Duck Soup: High protein diet for sick ferrets; contains no duck, but a mixture of baby food, soft cat food, soaked kibble and other ingredients. Named after the creator's ferret "Duck", there are now about a million different recipes with each recipe claiming to be the best.

Ferrents: Ferret owners (or ferret parents)

Ferretvite (also known as Furovite): ferret vitamin supplement and treat. The best stuff (with taurine added) comes in a tube and has a molasses-like colour and texture.

Ferretone (also known as Furotone): ferret coat supplement and treat. This is an oil that most ferrets go nuts for!

Foamy Fries: edible foam - textured chew treats for ferrets.




Ferret enjoying foamy fry edible chew treat




Furkids: Ferrets

Fuzzbutts: Ferrets

Fuzzies: ferrets

Giggle: See dook.

Guardhairs: Coarse outer hairs on a ferret's coat (see previous entry "Colour Me Ferret" for detailed description)

Gib: Altered male ferret

Happy Dance: Sign of a happy and playful ferret. The ferret hops and flips about with its mouth open. Really good example of a happy dance can bee seen approximately 30 seconds in.

Hob: Unaltered male ferret

Hood: Ferret pattern (see previous entry "Checkered Ferrets" for detailed description and photo)

Jill: Unaltered female ferret

Marshall ferret: ferret from a large ferret mill in the United States. Ferrets are generally known for their laid back temperment and can be identified by two blue dots tattooed into one of the ears.

Milled ferret: Ferret from a large ferret mill such as Marshall as opposed to a private breeder. Some claim that milled ferret are more prone to cancers and other diseases common to ferrets, but it is more likely that this is due to the small ferret gene pool in North America.

Mitt: Ferret pattern (see previous entry "Checkered Ferrets" for detailed description and photo)

nbones: edible ferret chew treat intended to help keep your ferret's teeth clean.



Nbone chew treats for ferrets.





Rat tail: May be a sign of Adrenal Disease in ferrets; swelling of the adrenal glands causes, among other things, the ferret to lose the hair beginning at the base of their tail. This disease is serious and any ferret exhibiting signs of the disease should be taken to a knowledgeable ferret vet for treatment immediately. For more information on this or various other ferret diseases, read "Ferrets for Dummies" by Kim Schilling. Hair loss beginning at the END of the tail, however, is probably NOT adrenal disease. This pattern of hair loss (assuming that it does not progress up the ferret's back) is associated with tail acne (which can be treated by washing the affected area with anti-bacterial soap daily) or possibly related to heat. The hair on the tip of the tail may grow back during the next coat change, but this is not always the case.

Hair loss related to acne or heat. Notice how the baldness does not extend to the base of the tail.







Adrenal pattern tail baldness - hair is thinning on the tail, INCLUDING at the base.








Real Canadian Ferret: Like Marshall, Real Canadian is a large ferret mill. Ferrets from this mill are often considered to be larger in size than Marshall ferrets, and slightly more ranbunctious (though I have seen rambunctious Marshalls and laid back Real Canadian ferrets, so I don't buy into the stereotype). These ferrets can be identified by small X (for females) or Y (for males) tattoos in their ears.

Roan: Ferret colour (see previous entry "Colour Me Ferret" for detailed description and photo)

Sable: Ferret colour (see previous entry "Colour Me Ferret" for detailed description and photo)

Sprite: Altered female ferret

War Dance: See happy dance.

Woozel: Ferret

If you can think of any ferret lingo not on this list, or hear something a want to know what it means, please feel free to comment or e-mail me!

Fostering good relationships - when the ferret is the mean one

I've noticed, when looking for information about fostering relationships between ferrets and cats or ferrets and dogs, that the assumption seems to be that the ferret is the innocent one, and the other animals are the aggressors; it is excellent information, but what is the other animals LIKE the ferret and the new ferret is the aggressor?


I recently had such a situation and found little information on how to deal with the issue in any ferret book, so I posted the question on my facebook page to see if other people had had similar situations, and, if so, how they had overcome them. Sure enough, the online ferret community came through! Here is some advise that I was given...

FIRST - try to figure out whether the ferret is acting aggressively or simply afraid. If you have just gotten the ferret this is more difficult to determine as you are not yet familiar with his or her body language. Here are some tips to try and determine whether what you are seeing is fear or aggression: FEAR will cause the ferret to back away from the dog or cat and lunge only when the animal comes to near, AGGRESSION will cause the ferret to lunge at the dog or cat without backing away. To make matters more complicated, some ferrets will be fearful of the dog or cat immediately and then begin to act aggressively towards it as it begins to feel more comfortable in the home.

SECOND - keep in mind that if the ferret is aggressive, he or she will likely never be friends with your dog or cat and will likely feel the need to snap at or chase them on occasion; it is possible, however, to get them to co-exist at least part of the time. If the ferret is fearful, it is your duty to teach the ferret that he or she has nothing to fear from the other animals; bear in mind that if you do not teach the ferret that the dog and or cat is not something to be afraid of, you will ruin any chance of a friendly relationship between the animals.

THIRD - use treats, not discipline. Find a treat that your ferret loves and feed it to your ferret when the other animal is around. This technique works best when the other animal receives treats at the same time. Begin at a distance in an area that the ferret feels safe (such as a cage) and gradually move the animals closer together over a period of weeks. If you have a relapse of aggression or fear with the ferret lunging or trying to nip at the other animal, take a break, move them a bit further apart again and continue the treating. Discipline, especially is form of nose snapping or bum tapping is a real no no as it will teach your ferret that the other animal is a bad thing that causes people to attack him or her. Time outs, if used correctly, can be effective, but only when used in conjunction with treats. If, for example, the ferret decides during play time to run over to the dog and (aggressively) bite or chase the dog, then a brief time out is in order. The time out should be followed up with treating both animals together.

BE PATIENT! Fostering positive relationships is a long process. If your have a set back, don't get discouraged, take it as a sign that you are moving too fast and slow it down. It is better to take months introducing the animals and have them get along or, at the very least co-exist than to constantly have to separate your pets and worry constantly about them severely injuring each other.

GOOD LUCK! Hopefully this information has been of some use; if you have any more questions, don't hesitate to e-mail us!