A ferret which has been bred to be a pet shouldn't be vicious or bite, but ferret play does include mock combat, and young ones won't know how hard they can put their teeth on you without hurting you. A playing ferret may run at you with his mouth open or even put his teeth on your hand, but if he presses down hard enough to hurt, you need to discipline him. Just remember, ferrets aren't malicious, they just need to learn what behavior is acceptable...

Years ago I had a pet male Ferret that never bite me or anyone else. It is amazing they can curl up in your hand. I had a Guinea Pig that would bite but after several times of a light tap on the nose and saying a stern NO he stopped biting. Make sure you are not hurting your pet because biting is their only defense. Each and every animal is going to have its own personality and will differ in how it behaves. Always talk to your pet in a low tone of voice and get his/her attention before picking it up - there will be less chance of it biting. Scratch & rub your pet and watch how it responds, if it closes its eyes, it will be a sign of enjoyment. Remember it takes time to build up the animal’s trust.

My dad has had 2 ferrets and i have had the privilege of being around them both for a considerable amount of time. In this time I've learned that ferrets are in some ways different from each other. For instance, my dad's first ferret, mollybear, was a rather moody ferret. She would bite rather hard at times- especially as she was young. As she grew older she began to grow sweeter to the one who had been raising her, however, she would still enjoy "mock war" and nipping on you every now and then. My dad's second and current ferret, luct lui wasn't like mollybear when he got her. Now, lucy lui was already grown up mostly so there is a difference between the young and older ferrets. They seem to calm down more in their age if you could say it like that. Ferrets are full of energy however and willl still enjoy playing around by way of nipping, but their bite should not continue to be hard after a little while of maturing. There are ways to train the ferret which can be researched- mostly tapping the nose if the ferret bites too hard- however, one must realize that age does make a difference. As age comes along, the ferret will ease up a little bit and make for a great pet.