I recently got 2 ferrets, a male and a female, from someone else who didn't know all their background. She said that she was told they were 3 years each. They are both well trained as far as the
litter box goes, and they are very sweet and playful. However, the girl does like to nip. A lot of times she'll just be licking a foot or hand and then bite, then go back to licking. I was told by the lady I got them from that she thinks they didn't get a lot of attention from their previous owners, so there may be a history of abuse. She doesn't seem scared during these times where she bites, and often times she seems like she's having fun. I know it'll take work to get her not bite, but I'm just wondering if anyone knows WHY they do this. Is there a way to tell if she's doing this out of fear (sometimes she does seems jumpy when I put my hand down near her real quick), or had been mishandled, or not been handled at all in the past? Is there a way to tell if she's just trying to play, or that maybe it's a comfort thing? The boy doesn't do this, and they were raised together. I thought perhaps she was actually still a kit and not been trained, but she's supposedly three. Also, does anyone know why she alternates licking and biting? Sometimes it seems rather sweet- but it makes me wonder why she likes to bite ME. She doesn't seem to bite the other ferrets (I have four others).
Thanks.
