Monday, March 29, 2010

Nip Training a Deaf Ferret.

Yes, it can be a bit trickier than nip training a ferret that can hear. The classic "OW! NO!" response to a nippy kit will not work - they can't hear you say it! Fortunately, a gentle pinning scruff or scruff and drag works just as well with deaf ferrets as it does with ferrets that can hear and can be used to teach the little guy what sort of behaviour is appropriate and what is not. Again, this does not hurt the ferret. As with any ferret, consistency and patience are important - some ferrets will get the idea immediately while others take a bit more time to figure out that people are not chew toys. You should NEVER flick, hit or spank a ferret - deaf of not - for any reason. Rather than teach the animal what behaviour is appropriate, hitting, flicking and spanking will teach the ferret to be fearful at best and aggressive at worst.