Yes they love to explore and will normally get into trouble if your home is not ferret-proofed. They require sterilization yes, as for the nipping part, just train it. Mine stopped nipping me after a few weeks, but he wld still nip strangers. I had a friend over to see him, and without asking me, he popped his hand inside his cage and got bitten at once. LoL That's actually real dumb lor. Should wait for the ferret to come out and play, then pet him. He just want to reach in and anyhow grab.