Fabulous Tips For Training Ferrets

Training ferrets is both a daunting and exciting task. You never know what you’ll exactly get from doing so, but if you are a true blue ferret lover, you know that every drop of perspiration is truly worth it.

Fabulous Ferret Training Tip Number 1: Easy does it.
There is a heavy excitement and set of expectations that besets every eager ferret owner, but if you really want to keep the training into a positive experience, easy definitely does it. If you rush your pet to do tricks even for a single second, they will have it etched in their memory and may not be as open for new tricks the next time you try to teach them. Develop the relationship and enjoy each stage.

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Fabulous Ferret Training Tip Number 2: Do it out of genuine love.
Ferrets are lovable creatures with high instincts. If they feel threatened in any way, they will quickly scurry off your grasp and you will be back to square one in the training process. Save yourself some heartache by ensuring that the training is not mainly performance-based but something that you will do for free and genuinely out of love for your pet and the desire to have it belong in your household in the best possible way.

Fabulous Ferret Training Tip Number 3: Get some tips from experts.
Experts may have their own tricks up their sleeve with regard to training ferrets. There is much risk and many things could go wrong as you train your ferrets. Having someone older who can readily help you with the training can be of substantial importance. Aside from this, the ferrets themselves may also do well to have a senior ferret accompanying them as you train them. This way, they will have a fellow ferret to emulate. Just make sure that the senior ferret is trained well and advanced.

Fabulous Ferret Training Tip Number 4: Brush up on your background knowledge.
Hate biology? Well, if it’s for your ferret, you need to brush on some of the basic things you need to know about your ferret: color, type, age, behavior and other idiosyncrasies included. This background knowledge will save you time and will answer most of the questions you can encounter as to why your ferret responded a certain way when you did something.

Fabulous Ferret Training Tip Number 5: Have a consistent time and place for training.
Consistency will condition your ferret best. Have a constant time and place for training. Associate it with the indoors or your home if possible so that the ferret will be conditioned to be at their best behavior at home. Once they have mastered the tricks at your specified place, slowly deviate and have them do the tricks at another place so that they can be more versatile in their learning.

Fabulous Ferret Training Tip Number 6: Develop an instinct for your ferret trainee.
If your ferret is sick, under some form of attack or unusual condition, they may not be open for training. Heighten your senses and be attuned with your pet’s pain tolerance. Though they are generally strong creatures, have regular checkups with the veterinarian to ensure that they are fit and ready to be trained with new tricks. The adjustments may take a toll on them, considering the fact that these ferrets are naturally wild.

There are no clearcut rules in training ferrets. In fact, there may even be unexpected events that can occur midway in your training. Despite the desire to achieve results with your ferret, do not sacrifice important things such as health and ability to roam free at dusk or dawn. This way, they will be as happy as you are in training them and making them into better pets.

Nurturing Baby Ferrets

Ferrets can be purchased from a breeder or adopted from a shelter even when they are young. Baby ferrets are better known as kits and if you choose to get a male, it is called a hob while a female is called a Jill.

When you acquire them, they have already been weaned and they now need adult nourishment. Since their teeth are not yet sharp enough to chew anything, it is best to soak the food in warm water for 5 to 10 minutes before this is given. You must never give them cat food because studies have shown that this causes health problems.

Kits need more fat and protein than kittens. This is because they have a short gastrointestinal tract and a rapid intestinal transit time which means it takes some time for the food to pass through the stomach and into the intestines. When you are looking for the right food product to buy, look at the label and see to it that this contains 35% protein and 20% of fat.

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The baby ferrets need a balance of meat and poultry products as this will decrease the risk later of urinary tract obstructions later on in life. Aside from that, they must also be given water constantly either in a dish or bottle.

As the baby ferrets grow older, you can give them occasional snacks such as bananas, crackers and raisins but only in small amounts.

Aside from food, baby ferrets should be housed in acage. This should be big enough to let them move around and be easy for you to clean. There should also be narrow bar spacing so they are not able to escape. It must also have a large door so the kit will not have a hard time getting in or out.

The bottom of the cage should have a plastic bottom so you can easily clean it. This will allow you to change the bedding or simply wash it. If buying one is expensive, you can make one by sewing a few scraps together and putting it inside.

When the ferrets are still young, you should already begin toilet training them. This will enable them to put their waste in a litter box instead on your carpet. The best way to do this is by putting a small amount of waste in the box and when they do this correctly, you give them a snack as a reward. You should be careful not to punish or hurt them when they are still learning because these creatures do bite back.

Eventually they will get the hang of it and to protect your home and your pet, it is best to ferret proof your home to prevent any untoward incidents.

One of the things that a baby ferret needs is a toy to play with. There are plenty of these in the market. Just make sure that they can withstand the ferret’s sharp teeth. In fact, some baby toys and rattlers are fun for them to play with so you should supervise how they use it because they will eventually eat their way through it.

Baby ferrets need constant love and attention. Don’t forget to also bring them to the vet for vaccinations and anti rabies shots so they will be able to stay with you for a long period of time.

Training Your Ferret Not to Bite

Like puppies and kittens, kits (baby ferrets) are very mouthy. They use their teeth to nip and explore. But since they're so small and sharp, that can be a painful experience. Fortunately, with patience, most ferrets can be trained not to injure a person or another ferret.

Scruffing in response to a bite is the most common technique for 'disciplining' a rowdy ferret. It consists of picking up a ferret by the loose skin of the neck, then holding his mouth closed between thumb and forefinger, while issuing the verbal order 'No!' Then, drag the ferret across the floor a short way to establish dominance.

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Be sure not to shake, squeeze or press the ferret during the procedure. They may wiggle to get free, and the more aggressive may even hiss. But the whole idea is to establish that you are the dominant one. That will be easier or more difficult, depending on the ferret's individual personality.

Ferrets who have bonded with their companion will often want company. Isolating a rowdy biter for a few minutes can be a form of behavior modification that reinforces the need to 'play nice'. Distracting them from a finger or another ferret with a toy or treat can also help reduce biting. Take care not to over treat them, though. You don't want to alter their diet, nor to make them overweight.

Beyond behavior modification and training, there are chemical aids that will help redirect them. Fooey and different brands of bitter apple spray can make a finger distasteful. They quickly associate the unpleasant taste with the biting behavior and taper off. For those who are especially aggressive, you can spray a little on a small tongue depressor and let them bite it. Then issue the order 'No!' at the moment of contact.

Just as with dogs, the spray doesn't work with all individuals. Some ignore the bad taste, while others don't find it very distasteful. In some cases, it's preferable to go the positive rather than negative route. A bit of Ferretone can turn biting into licking as they usually enjoy the taste.

But don't expect the ferret to have a human, or even dog-like, understanding. They're intelligent and can 'get the idea', but it will require many repetitions of any and all techniques. They're not small, furry humans and can't be reasoned with.

Still, even though they don't reason in a human way, there are some things that are definitely similar. They can feel pleasure and pain, and even a form of happiness or sadness. They become emotionally attached to the human they share quarters with, and they can be affected by the attitude of that human.

As such, they should never be subject to physical punishment beyond a scruffing or a slight finger tap. The goal is to adjust a natural behavior so that it doesn't cause injury. Harsh punishment makes for a fearful animal. Fearful animals either become even more aggressive or withdraw. Neither of those is the desired response.

Keep your temper. They don't know they are 'doing bad'.

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Tips for Training Your Ferret

Training puppies requires patience, proper technique and tons of time. Ferrets are harder. They're not unintelligent, but they're less eager to please and not as socialized as dogs. Though domestic, they're simply a different kind of animal. But they can be trained. They may not do tricks (though some do), but they can be litter trained, taught not to bite and perform other activities.

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Ferrets were trained centuries ago to hunt rabbits and mice to rid rodents from areas where food was stored. Grain in particular was a problem. But, ferrets are meat eaters, and they can get down vary narrow burrows, so they were perfect for the job.

In modern times, ferrets have been trained to string wires and cables through conduits on jets, and in setting up computer and telecommunications facilities. They love to explore tunnels and getting them to carry a light wire while they do it is a natural extension of a natural behavior.

That's the key to training your ferret. Work with their nature, not against it.

Litter training, is a good example. To the ferret, that paper or pellet filled litter box isn't (at first sight) for pooping, it's for playing in. They love to shove a nose down into the pellets, like they were snorkeling. It will take good timing on your part to watch for their backing up behavior - signaling they're about to go - then moving them to the litter box.

Ferrets, like dogs, prefer not to eat where they eliminate. Given little choice, either species will, but their tendency is to avoid it. Separate the litter box as far as possible from the food and water area. If they do eliminate near the food, clean it immediately and wash any cloth nearby. Any remaining scent will encourage them to use that area again. If necessary, move the food and water to a new spot.

Toys and treats are helpful adjuncts for training. But they need to be of the right type, in order to ensure the ferret's health and safety.

Ferrets have very sharp teeth and claws, and they love to chew and scratch. That means any toy has to stand up to a lot. Avoid soft rubber or other toys that can break off small pieces easily. Ferrets are exploratory and will eat things that are not good for them. Styrofoam is particularly dangerous, but even ordinary plastics can be a problem.

When using soft cloth as part of the training kit, try to avoid materials that can produce small dust-like particles. Ferrets have sensitive respiratory systems and inhaling the fibers or small granules can cause infection.

It will take many repetitions, with a lot of patient reminders, to teach your ferret to understand the purpose you intend. That goes for both behaviors and objects. The ferret just wants to explore or play. You want it to do so in a certain way, and with a certain object. Getting on the same page, will require a lot of inventiveness on your part.

Remember that physical punishment and loud voices encourage fear, not compliance. You'll need to keep your temper, just as you would with a very young child, while remembering they are ferrets not humans. That's not easy, but the reward is peace of mind for you and your ferret.

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