Do ferrets stink?

Answer 1

all ferrets Cary a small Oder boys more than girls so easy to take care of their are so many new items out their to keep a ferret smelling good other than bathing them at least once a month or less because stripping their oils cause smell, their is dry shampoo love it it smell great i use this once a week or less and ferret body mist just like us girls put on ferret have some and it smell so good. I have always had complements on how good my ferrets smell never has any one said they stunk, Also very very impotent food high quality food because ferrets burn up food and cheap food just goes in them and out them no nutrition and causes them to smell another a must clean cage clean bedding if you do this you will have a good smelling ferret.

Answer 2

The ferrets you buy in the pet store and most of the ones in the shelters right now are already descented and neutered/spayed. What you smell after that is taken care of is a natural musky smell that comes from oil glands on their body. And it's like anything, some people don't mind it, some like it and some hate it.
You can keep the odor to a minimum though by changing their bedding weekly at least(I use old t-shirts for bedding, it's washable and ferrets love playing and sleeping in laundry piles anyway). Also clean and change their hammocks and sleepy tubes. Scoop their litter pan at least twice a day and use a good quality litter that is safe for them, like Yesterdays News for instance. Once a week take the litter pan or pans and wash them out with hot soapy water and also wipe the surfaces in the cage down.
You CAN bathe ferrets, but the more often you do it the worse they smell. Bathing a ferret strips the oils from his body which makes their skin and coat dry. Ferrets are already the itchiest critters I've ever seen and having dry skin makes it worse, so their oil glands go into overdrive to replace the oils. As a result you have a ferret that smells worse in no time at all. You're better off bathing them no more than once a month or less, unless of course they've gotten into something nasty or sticky.
Another reason for them being smelly could be listed on the back of the food bag. If their ferret foods main ingredients comes from fish or fish by-products it can make their poop quite smelly. Just something to keep in mind. Mine eat food that has chicken and lamb as a main ingredient and they are not that bad. Ferrets will use a litter pan moderately well, but they do not bury it like a cat will.
I keep my four in a well ventilated room and since it is a big room I run a Febreze Noticeable. I wouldn't use it in a small room with ferrets in it , because it is quite strong, but it's okay in a good size room and smells nice.
Good luck and contact me if you need to know more.
PS: I noticed that my youngest male actually smells like corn chips when he's asleep, weird eh?

Answer 3

Yes ferrets do stink even after they are de-scented, but that is fixable with a supplement that you add to their water. You still need to clean their cages about once a day, but they don't produce their body weight in waste each day. Mine only go about four times a day. More info at www.ferretcentral.org/faq/

Answer 4

Yes and even if they have been descented they have a natural odor, and the food you feed them stinks, but you can buy a spray to spray on the food. It helps some and clean the cage at least every other day. this will keep the smell down some.

Answer 5

The ones I had didn't stink except when annoyed. They were females, maybe that makes a difference. When having fun, they emit a pleasant musky scent, not a stink.

Answer 6

TERRIBLY and the oils get on the furniture, clothes, rugs/carpets and pretty soon you will also carry some of that aroma with you and not even know it. But others will!! But-they are no where near as bad as a prairie dogs smell so keep that in mind!

Answer 7

YES!!! My aunt has two and there have their own room, like an actual room, becuase they stink up the house.

Answer 8

I actually dont own one simply because I've heard they DO stink, are hard to keep clean and defecate like humans. Blech. They are cute, but dont think I'll ever get one.

Answer 9

yes they do unless you get the stink bag cut off.

Answer 10

Yes.