Thanks for all the answers about Ferrets. I'm still confused. My question is....?

Question

Do they stink because of their poop. I already change my cats litter box on schedule. Or, do thy stink as an animal like a skunk?

Answer 1

Ferrets stink because if their scent glands. They actually have 7 of them and only 2 are removed when they are descented. Males can also stink if they are not neutered. Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Ferrets will always smell like ferrets.
The majority of ferrets available on the market have the anal scent glands removed, if you're living in the US that is (it's illegal to descent ferrets in the UK, but ferrets don't "spray" that often once they're settled in and comfortable in their home).
However, ferrets have other musk glands on the rest of their body, especially around the head and neck area which put out that typical musky smell.
Bathing a ferret more often then once every 1-2 months may actually make the odor worse, since it sends the glands into overdrive resulting in a smellier ferret even sooner since the body is trying to replenish the beneficial oils on the ferrets coat that get stripped during bathing.
Another way to keep the odor of their waste down is to make sure you feed a high quality ferret food. Ferret foods need to be high in protein and fat and low in carbohydrates. Check for the main source of protein in the food. Foods that get the bulk of their protein from fish may make your ferrets feces smell really bad. I found that Marshall's food makes it stink too, but it's not that great a food anyway, so I don't feed it anymore. Here's a list of foods for you to check through if you like:
http://www.mdferretpaws.org/care/food_treats.html
Pet stores and pet websites (I love www.ferret.com) carry wipes to cover the odor on their coat for inbetween baths.
Their litter will stink if not cared for properly. I scoop the waste out twice a day at least and scrub the whole litter box thoroughly once a week. I change all their bedding(old t-shirts and sweatshirts) at that time as well.
My cage sits in a well ventilated room that is large enough for me to run a Febreze Noticeable(the scent is too overpowering for a small room).
There is something available in pet stores called Bi-Odor. It's a chemical that can be added to your ferrets water and supposedly takes away all odor. I do not believe in feeding chemicals to any living being just so I am not offended by their natural odor. If you think it's that big of a deal maybe you should look at a different pet, but I think that all pets come with some kind of odor.

Answer 3

Their poo and pee (just like any other animal or human) smells. Keeping their box very clean is the only way to eliminate that. Their food also has a pungent odor...I mean, seriously...that stuff smells! Their body has a slight odor but its not any more offensive then the odor from a dog or a cat. They can be bathed every few months with baby wash. For in-between's I like to use baby wipes to keep paws and faces clean.

Most people make the determination that ferrets stink from pet shops. People walk into a pet shop...get 5 feet from the ferret cage and think "My god...these little things stink." If people would just look a little closer they would see the wet sloshy food (which stinks) as well as the over abundance of feces from the 6 or 7 that are in the cage. Understandably pet store employees do not have the time that an actual owner would to dedicate to cage cleaning.

Answer 4

Most of their ferret smell comes from glands in their skin. Try not to bathe too often, as that will encourage more smell. Keep the cage really clean, wash the litter pan frequently, and most importantly change the bedding/blankets every day. That will keep the smell down the most. Part of having a ferret is accepting that musky smell that is normal. :)

Answer 5

they have a mild odor. descenting and neutering/spaying can help with this problem. honestly the smell never bothered me, but the main stink people have a problem with is the smell of the litterbox, but since you already clean your cat's litterbox, you could just add that in! depending on how many ferrets you get would determine how many times a day you clean the litterboxes and how many you get. i had 2 ferrets, and we had one room that they were allowed to run around in. we had one litterbox in their cage, and one litterbox outside of their cage. i also found that females are MUCH cleaner and less smelly than males. they definitely, though, don't stink like a skunk. even though they are in the same family as skunks, its not as bad.
i really hope i helped!

Answer 6

I have 2 ferrets in my classroom and the students have decided that they smell like sweaty socks. I was told not to bathe them often because they just put off more scent. I just keep their cage clean and use air freshener. I saw a spray at the pet store to spray on them to help neutralize the odor, but I didn't try it.

Answer 7

Poop stinks

Not as much as the animal itself. De-scented ferrets smell musky, sort of like cigar smoke.

It really bothers some people (me, I really don't like the smell of ferrets) but others like it.

Answer 8

they have scent glands and also they have a reddish ear wax that you need to clean out about once a week, you can buy a solution at your nearest pet store an you use a q-tip to cleat out the wax. ask your vet if your not sure.