them even more. Instead of yelling,
try cooing at your bird by making
subtle movements with your head
and lips, and slowly stroke the bird
on his breast. These are relaxation
cues which will show him that si-
lence is rewarded and screaming
is not. If the shrieking persists, ig-
nore him and walk away. When
he quiets down, come back with a
treat.
er back on as punishment. The
bird will be forced to sit in the dark
and he will quiet down. When he
does, give him a treat. Also, make
sure your bird has plenty of toys
and puzzles to work on, otherwise
the screaming will result from
boredom. Remember, screaming
is natural for birds, so you won't
completely eliminate the noise,
but if they don't calm down with
these methods, consider a visit to
the vet. Screaming is also initiated
by pain and/or stress.
bite because they are mean little
boogers with no conscience. They
bite because that is their main form
of interaction. A ferret's skin has
an extra layer just under the coat
that is thicker and less-penetrable,
so when ferrets bite, it doesn't hurt
them like it hurts us! They're social-
izing in their natural way.
pecially if there are children in the
home, teaching your ferret not to
bite is the most important tech-
got a kit, training should take be-
tween 2-4 weeks until they learn
"no bite!" If you've got an adult
that has never been properly
trained, you're looking at a longer
time frame, and some serious bite
wounds in the process.
the same, no matter the age, but
hand-on-fur contact is the key.
Begin by scruffing (grabbing your
ferret by the loose patch of skin on
the back of their neck). Scruff your
ferret when he bites and drag him
a few inches to show that you're
the boss. While doing this, stern-
ly say, "No bite!" Your ferret will
know he is being punished and as
long as you're punishing him im-
mediately after biting, he'll know
ward your ferret when he plays or
cuddles without biting.
deterring solutions available) as
another "no bite" method. Spray
the solution directly on your
fingers and on things you don't
want the ferret
to chew, but
never spray it
on their face.
Most ferrets
despise apple
bitter and
will not put
their mouth
anywhere
near it.