is there anyway to take away the gross smell of my ferret?

Question

hi, i just bought my ferret about 2 days ago and he stinks... is there anyway to minimize the stench even a little... any help would be appreciated... thanks

Answer 1

You can feed a high quality food.
You can spray them with a fresh smelling spray sold by marshalls.
Chances are your ferret is already descented.
DO NOT bathe them everyday!! The more you wash a ferret, the worse its going to smell, trust me. It will cause the oil glands to work over time and smell worse.
When you bathe them, wash them with ferret shampoo and nothing else.
Clean the ears
Clean the litter box often
You will get used to the smell of them after a while too, I actually like the musky smell of mine now.

Answer 2

Ferrets are always going to have that musky odor to them. It will never go away completely but there are a few things you can do to cut it down some:

First, diet. Diet makes a huge difference in how they smell. Feed them a high quality food with as little fish as possible.

Second, clean their ears. Their earwax builds up a lot daily and the earwax stinks. That will take care of half the odor right there.

Third, clean the litter box daily. Most of the odor doesn't come from the ferret itself but from it's waste. Scoop out the feces everyday and change the litter at least every other day. A tip: Sprinkle baking soda in with the litter. That helps the smell a lot.

Fourth, don't bathe it. I might bathe mine once a year. Bathing strips their skin and coats of their oils and their glands go into overdrive to replenish the oils and that makes the smell worse.

Contrary to popular belief, descenting only helps a little bit. The anal glands only get fired when the ferret is frightened and the smell goes away after a few minutes. Descenting is actually an unnecessary procedure and can lead to health complications later in life. However most ferrets that are available commercially are already descented anyway (Marshall's and Triple F descent and fix theirs before shipping them out).

There are products being sold that supposedly help with the odor but I personally don't like them. I don't trust those Bi Odor chemical drop things that you are supposed to put in the water to make their poop stink less. It's too risky and the poo isn't that bad as long as you keep the box clean and give them a good diet anyway. And the sprays and powders to me stink worse than the smells they're meant to cover up.

Keep in mind too that the stench can also be heightened by stress. Your ferret is in a new environment and isn't fully adjusted to it yet, so a lot of the stink is probaly being caused by nerves. Give him a couple of weeks to settle in.

Answer 3

Ferrets will always have a bit of a musky smell. You can bathe him with a kitten shampoo, just use warm water and rinse well. Don't bathe too often, this will only make him produce more oils and smell more! Keep his litter box and bedding very clean. I would change my ferret blankets every day, and this kept the smell down the most. Keep the entire cage spotless. Also, almost every ferret bought at a pet store has already been descented.

Answer 4

The only way ferrets do not smell disgusting is if they have good owners. :) Seriously!

You can bath your ferret but do not go overboard. Once every 3 months is sufficient. You can use baby wash. It is very gentle and is cheaper then ferret shampoo. It will also not burn your little guys eyes out if he accidentally gets splashed.

You must be VERY clean with your ferrets cage and environment. You have to scoop your ferrets litter pans twice a day. I recommend using a quality litter such as Feline Pine. It is, in my opinion, the best litter out there for ferrets. You will have to wash the whole cage down with soapy, hot water once a week. Make sure to switch out your ferrets bedding (old t-shirts and sweatshirts) every 3 days and replace with fresh ones. Don't forget the hammock! That thing traps odor! Wash it with your laundry once a week. Air dry it. Driers kill hammocks. :)

Good luck! With a very clean and organized approach the odor will be reduced in no time!

Answer 5

I had ferrets for several years. You will not ever eliminate the order completely but you can improve it quite a bit. I had mine descented at the vet. They actually remove their musky scent glands. That does help a lot. We also made sure that we cleaned their litter box regularly. That makes quite a difference. They are also extremely easy to bathe in a sink. This does help as well. Good luck!

Answer 6

you have to clean his ears that is the main way to get rid of the odor and you can clean them with rubbing alcohol or you can buy ear cleaner and use that but they both work pretty much the same and he probably has to go to the vet because the vets have a process that gets rid of stenches

Answer 7

They have stuff to put in their water that help eliminate the smell, you can also have the vet remove the scent glands, you also need to bathe them daily and they love it, keep their ears very clean and the cage clean and all the toys and bedding washed buy extra if you have to. We had three and I know they are a lot of work cutting toe nails and bathing and cleaning and washing but what great pals they are! Good Luck!

Answer 8

Why didn't you educate yourself on these wonderful creatures, before getting one? They are part of the skunk family- and YES they smell.

Do not bathe him- they don't bathe in the wild and it only makes the smell worse.

You should just take him back or get him a GOOD home. HOW SAD.

YOU"RE GROSS- GROSSLY STUPID

Answer 9

marshall farm products work real well they have spray and stuff for ferrets

Answer 10

You should know that "gross smell" and "ferrets" (as cute and adorable as they are) go hand in hand. ^^;