Can you mistake the smell of a wet dog for something other than a dog? Have you ever been near a horse? Horses have a scent that is uniquely equine. I imagine that humans have a different scent to dogs and horses than it is human. I wonder if they like the way we smell. Ferrets naturally smell like ferrets, and this scent is strong and musky. They will always have a musky smell, but ferrets don’t need to stink. Consider the ferret’s scent glands, food, bedding, and bathing schedule to control its odor.
food I like garlic. There’s a scalloped potato dish I make that has a lot of garlic in it, and my husband and I think there’s no such thing as too much garlic. Inevitably, the day after eating garlic potatoes, I smell garlic. My breath smells like garlic. I sweat garlic and mosquitoes avoid me. Tacos are similar. A ferret, like a human, smells like what it eats. Look at the ingredients in your ferret’s kibble. Are the ingredients stinky? I don’t buy ferret food that contains fish. My ferrets get food made with chicken, turkey, venison, and duck. (I prefer Totally Ferret). If you change your ferret’s food, do it slowly. Mix the old food with the new food and slowly increase the proportion of the new food in the mixture. Once you’ve completely switched your ferret to the less stinky food, wait a couple of weeks and then smell your weasel.
anal scent tassels In the US, most ferrets descend before reaching the pet store. (This is not true in the UK). What does that mean? Just like cats and dogs, ferrets have anal glands. Ferrets are mustelids (just like skunks), and part of being a mustelid is having strong-smelling things in those anal glands. This stinky discharge is a form of protection when out in the wild. Lowering a ferret takes away the ferret’s ability to poof, so if the ferret ends up in the wild, it has lost that defense mechanism; however, ferrets have a less strong overall odor when their scent gland is removed, so they stink less. Ferrets still excrete musk through other body scent glands, as only the strongest, the anal glands, are removed with surgery. If your ferret has its anal glands intact, do some research before removing them. If the ferret tassels do not leak, and if your ferret is not easily spooked, you may not need to lower it.
Litter Have you ever seen a mink? Go to YouTube and search on mink. Look at the fur of the mink. it’s classy. It looks a bit oily, and that’s because it’s a bit oily. The oil, which does not mix with water, helps keep the mink dry. Now, most ferrets don’t like water, however, ferrets, like mink, are mustelids. Mustelids release oil on their fur. The oil comes off on everything it touches. Since your ferret sleeps a lot, the oil comes off on his bed(s). Replace your ferret’s bedding every week. (I have several different sets of bedding, so I may have one set in the washer/dryer cycle, one set in the ready-to-use stack, and one set in use.)
bathroom schedule A very important part of ferret odor maintenance is bathroom schedule. Do not do Bathe your ferret more than once a month. Less is better. The soap removes the oil from the ferret and the ferret’s body works to make up for the missing oil. If you bathe your ferret too much, your ferret will be a crazy oil producer and stink more than before. So again, don’t bathe your ferret more than once a month. My ferrets usually only get four baths a year. If your ferret gets too dirty, dirty or something similar, rinse your ferret only on the affected area or gently wipe it with a baby wipe or damp cloth.
What about the products? There are products designed to reduce the body odor of ferrets. A couple of products are a clear liquid that you put in the ferret’s water. I have tried them. They actually work and reduce ferret odor. However, I don’t notice that it works. What I notice is that when I stopped using the product, my ferrets had a stronger odor. I no longer use these products. Why? While these products claim to be natural and claim not to harm the ferret, I have yet to see the ingredient lists on any of these products. Also, these products are expensive.
Perfumes are another product. Perfumes do not remove the ferret smell, but cover it up with a stronger smell. My grandfather used to say that people shouldn’t wear perfume; they just need to be bathed frequently. While ferrets shouldn’t be bathed often, I agree with my grandfather’s sentiment. The only time I spray perfume sprays (designed for ferrets and sold in the ferret aisle of your pet store) is when I know my sister is coming to visit. She hates the ferret smell and the dew covers it up. It seems cruel to me, however, to cover their noses with the smell of cucumber, watermelon and talcum powder.
The most important odor control Take a look at your ferret’s food. Change your bedding once a week. Do not bathe your stallions too much. All of these are great for controlling odor. However, the best way to keep your ferret from stinking is to clean his cage. Ferret urine and ferret feces have a much stronger and more unpleasant odor than that of a ferret. Think of yourself. What smells more: you or your output? Your best bet to keep the odor down is daily, or depending on how many ferrets you have, maybe even twice a day, clean the litter boxes and clean up any stray exits in the litter box.