Many people may adopt a ferret from a pet store or a shelter only to realize that the ferret is not tame, or fond of hands at all. Untamed ferrets will often bite, nip, or run away from hands when they are close to being touched. Hand-taming a ferret isn't hard, but it does take a bit of time and patience. Remember that time truly does make a difference and developing a healthy positive relationship with your ferret where you can handle them with ease does take a little while.
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Interact at night: Ferrets are nocturnal- which means they are most active in the dark. During the day many ferrets only want to sleep and get aggressive if they are handled. They get crabby- just like humans do, when they're worn out and want to rest. The best times to work with taming your ferret is dawn and dusk. Morning and evening are prime times to get to know your little furry family member.
Move slowly: Quick movements make any animal nervous. And for a ferret who may have been picked on at a pet store or never even handled before, a hand suddenly coming towards them would seem very scary. So move slowly. Make sure all of your gestures are kind and gentle. Don't be too quick and energetic- you're more keen to overwhelm your ferret by doing that.
Talk quietly: Loud noises are not a normal ferret thing. They themselves don't really have any extremely loud vocalizations, so screaming toddlers and boisterous laughter are foreign to them. Opt to talk in a quiet voice, slightly above a whisper. You'll sound more reassuring and approachable.
Sit next to the cage: For the first few days, spend a lot of time sitting next to your ferrets cage. Move the cage to a spot in your home where you are often at and let your ferret get accustomed to your company. Talk to them, let them get to see your normal movements, and just basically introduce yourself to them.
Place hand on outside of cage: A great first step to hand-taming a ferret is to let them interact with your hand through the cage bars. By placing your hand on the outside of their cage, you allow them to approach you with the safety of the cage keeping them away from you. Allow them to sniff, lick, and even lightly bite. This will show them that you are not trying to harm them, and it will get them used to your hand being close to them.
Feed snack through cage bars: Once your ferret sees that your hand means no harm, bribe them to come over to your hand regularly by feeding snacks through the cage bars. Find a bit of food that your ferret really enjoys and then feed it to them, from your hand, through the cage bars 3 to 4 times a day.
Place hand on inside of cage: Once your ferret begins to eagerly approach your hand, you can move it inside the cage. Don't approach your ferret. Simply rest your hand near the door, holding a snack. Let your ferret come to you. They may be shy at first, but be patient. If they take the snack and run away- that's okay. It will take time for them to feel safe enough to eat next to you.
Approach ferret with snack: After a while your ferret should begin to approach your hand excitedly when it enters the cage. Now you can begin to approach the ferret yourself. Bring the treat to them. Again, moving slowly and talking reassuringly. This simple action will let your ferret know that when the hand comes towards them they will not be hurt- but rather rewarded with a treat and love!
Set snack down, attempt to pet them: Once your ferret is used to you approaching them, set the snack down. As they eat, attempt to pet them. They may back away at first- and it may take many days (or even weeks) to get them used to you stroking their back. But over time the touch of your hand will no longer frighten them and you can slowly work on picking them up and holding them for extended periods of time.
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