You're right. I used to own a ferret. Once when my infant granddaughter was asleep in her bassinette, the ferret jumped in with her and started to bite her face. Thank God I was right there and grabbed him away. Needless to say, said ferret had a new home pronto.
As the proud owner of 5 ferrets, I'd have to disagree wholeheartedly with your perspective! Ferrets actually have atrocious PR in many areas. They're banned in Kalifornia, and I believe they're either banned or you need a permit to have them in NY. So many stories of "feral ferrets" sneaking into cribs and killing babies while they sleep make these relatively docile animals seem like killers.
Truth is that the only thing my ferts have killed were cockroaches, and while they'll chase stockinged feet around the house all day, they'd never bite.
Ferrets and pits are on the same continuum: they can be vicious or they can be sweet as sunshine, it all depends on their environment! My cousin has 3 pits, and they are the most even-tempered dogs I've ever met. And they're amazing around the little ones! It's all about upbringing.
String up the parents, regardless of which animal did the nibbling. A dog could do the damage, but I doubt a ferret could. One ferret eats about 1/4 C of dry kibble per day. Human toes don't fit their normal menu, unless the owners starved it.