My ferret bites the air and seems aggressive. Is he sick or scared?

Question

My ferret goes from sitting down one minute to the next biting the air. He also looks like he is going to bite me so I get kinda scared and pull away. I just got got him from Craigslist I have had him for 3 weeks now. He is only 1 year old maybe that is why? But when I 1st take him out his cage he is perfectly fine, after 5 minutes he goes back to biting the air. I need help because I love him way too much to get rid of him. Pet's info: Other | Unknown - Other | Male | neutered | 9 months and 20 days old

Rebeccah Wood · Accepted Answer

Hello there, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am concerned about Stewart. While this interesting biting behavior may be simply that - a strange behavior - I strongly suggest that medical conditions are ruled out by a veterinarian before chalking it up to a weird idiosyncrasy. If Stewart is biting at the air above his head, as if trying to catch a bug, I worry about a secondary condition called "fly-biting," which is essentially a type of seizure. Fly-biting is most common in dogs, but there are certain diseases that can cause seizures in ferrets as well, like an insulinoma (a mass on the pancreas that messes with glucose regulation), a vitamin deficiency, or toxin ingestion. These are unlikely considering Stewart's young age, but I always feel that a physical reason for strange behaviors should be eliminated first. If he's biting the air towards your hands only, I'd feel better about calling it a behavioral issue, but biting the air randomly doesn't sound normal. If everything seems okay after the vet visit, you can talk to him or her about behavior modification. There is a veterinarian that sees exotic animals near you: Mercury Animal Hospital 2500 W Mercury Blvd, Hampton, VA 23666 (757) 826-4951 Good luck, and I hope that Stewart is indeed a healthy ferret!

My ferret bites the air and seems aggressive. Is he sick or scared?

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