How to tame, handle and bond with a ferret

How to tame a ferret, step by step

Taming a ferret is about trust. Ferrets are naturally curious and fearless, but a ferret that has been handled roughly, or hardly at all, may nip out of fear or habit. RSPCA Australia's advice is to be gentle, kind and patient, use rewards, and let the ferret choose if, when and how it interacts with you. Here is the method we would follow, built from that advice and Woodgreen's.

1. Give it a few quiet days. Let a new ferret explore its home and get used to your voice and smell before you start lifting it.
2. Talk before you touch. Ferrets are short-sighted and startle at sudden noises and smells, says Woodgreen, so speak calmly as you approach and let it sniff your hand.
3. Play first. RSPCA Australia says ferrets are more willing to be held after burning off energy. Let it run and play before each handling session.
4. Use food as the bridge. Offer a lick of meat-based ferret paste from a spoon or a tiny piece of cooked chicken while you stroke it. Keep your fingers away from its mouth.
5. Lift it properly. One hand under or around the chest, the other supporting the back legs, then bring it in close to your body.
6. Keep it short. Hold for a minute, reward, and put it down before it starts to wriggle. Build up slowly.
7. Repeat every day. The RSPCA says daily handling from an early age is how ferrets form strong bonds with people. Several short sessions beat one long one.
8. Add new things slowly. Introduce a harness, nail trims, a carrier or new people one at a time, rewarding each step and only moving on when it is relaxed.

How to pick up and hold a ferret

Support the whole body. Ferrets are sturdier than most small pets, but RSPCA Australia warns that their long backs can be hurt by twisting or rough handling.

• Scoop with one hand under the chest, just behind the front legs, and the other under the back legs and bottom.
• Hold it against your body so it feels secure.
• For a calm, well-handled ferret, Woodgreen says one hand under the armpits, drawn towards you, is fine for a quick lift.
• If it wriggles, Woodgreen suggests both hands under the armpits, a gentle side-to-side sway, and stroking down its body to settle it.
• For a ferret that is not yet tame, use a towel over your hands or guide it into a cat carrier instead of grabbing.
• Sit down for cuddles at first, so a wriggler does not fall far.

The MSD Veterinary Manual says not to pick a ferret up unless you need to, and that a frightened ferret usually calms if you talk to it quietly. Plenty of bonding happens at floor level, with the ferret climbing on you by choice.

Should you scruff a ferret?

Only gently and only when you must, such as to move a biting ferret. RSPCA Australia says to gently scruff a ferret if you need to move it after a bite. Ferrets grab each other's scruff in play, but support the bottom with your other hand for anything more than a second or two. Never lift or shake a ferret by the scruff as a punishment.

How to stop a ferret biting

Find out why it bites, then take away the reason. RSPCA Australia lists the common causes:

1. Stay calm. Do not yell, hit or throw the ferret. The RSPCA says ferrets do not understand punishment and it makes them more nervous.
2. Free your hand gently. If it holds on, gently scruff it to move it, as RSPCA Australia suggests, rather than pulling your hand away.
3. Put it down and walk away. Give it 2 to 3 minutes of no attention, as RSPCA Australia advises. Fun stops when teeth start.
4. Redirect. When you come back, offer a toy it can bite and wrestle.
5. Reward soft mouths. Give a treat when it plays or licks without biting.
6. Clean any bite. Wash broken skin with soap and water and ask a doctor whether it needs treatment.

RSPCA Australia also advises against vigorous hand wrestling and tug-of-war with your hands, because they teach a ferret that skin is a toy. Our ferret behaviour guide explains the sounds and signals that come before a nip.

How long does it take to tame a ferret?

It depends on the ferret's age and past. Our sources give no fixed time. RSPCA Australia says the key socialisation window is roughly 4 to 10 weeks old, so a kit handled kindly by its breeder or rescue usually settles quickly. Young ferrets are too busy for cuddles, but it says they calm down and enjoy snuggling as they mature.

An older or rescued ferret that bites from fear can take longer. Keep to the same short daily routine and let it set the pace. Rescues know their ferrets well and can tell you what it likes. Our page on where to get a ferret lists rescues to ask.

How to bond with your ferret

Bonding comes from play and routine. Woodgreen says regular handling and interactive play build the bond, and that tired ferrets enjoy gentle cuddles. RSPCA Australia suggests trying different activities, noting what each ferret enjoys, and offering those often.

• Play every day: chase, hide-and-seek under a towel, string toys
• Be there when it wakes: a ferret just out of bed is ready for you
• Hand-feed a few pieces of its daily food
• Cuddle when it is sleepy, not when it is wired
• Keep the same daily times for play and food
• Learn its favourite treat and save it for handling

Older ferrets often greet their owners with excitement and "ferret kisses," says RSPCA Australia. Our ferret playtime guide and ferret enrichment guide have more games.

Ferrets with children and other pets

Ferrets and young children need close supervision. The BVNA says very young children should not handle ferrets, as they miss warning signs and get bitten, and that children aged 10 and over can handle them with an adult watching. RSPCA Australia suggests a child sits on the floor with a treat and lets the ferret come to them.

Ferrets must never meet rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, mice, hamsters or birds: they are predators and may kill them. Cats and dogs can live with ferrets after slow, careful introductions, but the BVNA warns that a dog or cat can seriously injure a ferret, so never leave them together unsupervised.

How to harness train a ferret

Use a snug, adjustable harness made in two sections, never a collar. Woodgreen recommends a dog-style two-piece harness, and RSPCA Australia says not to use collars and never to tether a ferret.

1. Let it sniff the harness. Leave it near the bed for a day or two.
2. Put it on indoors. Fit it for a minute or two with a treat, then take it off.
3. Build up the time. Leave it on longer during play, rewarding calm behaviour.
4. Add the lead. Let it trail the lead indoors while you follow.
5. Go outside somewhere quiet. Woodgreen warns ferrets can slip out of a lead in grass, so check the fit and watch closely. Pick it up if a dog comes near.

For everything else, see our complete ferret care guide and ferrets as pets.