Fighting Ferret ODOR

Question
I was just wondering what is the most effective way of eliminating the smell of ferrets? Using a special ferret odor spray, washing the ferret or getting their scent glands removed. Please be honest and tell me if any of these methods actually work. If so would you please rate the efectiveness for each method out of ten, ten being the best and one being the worst.

Thankyou, Steven

Answer
I am assuming that you do not have ferrets?  Most ferrets in the U.S. who are purchased in pet stores already have their scent glands removed.  "Whole" ferrets, who have not been neutered, have a MUCH stronger smell than neutered ferrets. ( Just FYI:  "whole", unneutered ferrets, make my eyes water and I love ferrets, but that's stronger than I can stand)

HOWEVER, all ferret have *some* smell.  Most people who own ferrets find the smell pleasant. People who find the smell yucky really shouldn't have ferrets because there are times that ferrets just smell and there's no way around it other than lots of work.

Here are the things that will keep smell down with ferrets in the house:

Keep the ferret cage immaculately clean (I wipe mine down with a weak PineSol solution twice a day)

Keep the litterbox scooped (especially the WET litter) - Ferret urine is very strong smelling and if not removed regularly (I do this twice a day also), it can really smell up the whole house.

Keep all the ferret's blankies, hammocks and bedding clean. Changing/washing them about twice a week will keep the house basically smell-free if you do all the other suggestions too.

Keep your ferret's toys clean - toss them all in a weak blean solution in the bathtub about once a month; then dry them off. Anything with fabric, such as struffed animals or cloth tunnels need to be tossed in the washer (or washed by hand) at least once a month because they hold smells.

Every time I clip my ferrets toenails, I also use baby oil and clean their ears with Q-tips. Dirty ears can smell baaaaad.  I love them to smell all fresh and clean, so this gets done pretty often (about every 10 days to 2 weeks max).

Ferrets have scent another set of scent glands on their face just at the bottom of their faces under each eye. These glands continue to produce that "ferrety" smell that those of us who love ferrets love so much.  If you actually lift a ferrets tail, I've heard various descriptions, but some people say that ferret's bottoms smell like everything from grape to lilacs, but there his a definite smell there also.

The more you bathe a ferret, the more oils and natural scent he/she will produce in these glands on the face and the bottom under their tail. Their skin also has natural oils that keeps their fur shiny.  For a very fussy person, you *can* bathe a ferret daily - I did this with my first ferret because I didn't know any better. He went everywhere with me and he just *couldn't* stink. LOL  He was 'none the worse for wear' in my opinion, but I did receive a lot of criticism from more experienced ferret owners about that.  I do not do this with my current ferrets, but I don't take them out with me as often either. I do give my ferrets a bath if I know they are going to be going to the vet or visiting outside the house (usually the night before and put them to bed in a clean cage with clean blankies and hammocks).

Be very aware of anyplace your ferret goes potty outside the cage and make sure there is a litterbox there; keep it clean (again, especially the wet litter - that's what smells worst).

Some foods fed to ferrets can cause their poops to smell stronger. Pet foods that contain fish or fish oil, even tho it's good for the ferret, will cause poops to stink a bit more than a purely chicken kibble diet.

Have carpets and and upholstered furniture cleaned at least 2 to 3 times a year in any room the ferret has access to.

When people visit my home, they are always surprised when they look in the cage in the corner of my livingroom and see that I have ferrets - and every single person comments "I thought ferrets stunk! I don't smell anything in here!!"

They don't smell anything because I keep my ferrets on a strict cleaning schedule and grooming schedule. There are a lot of things that *can* cause odors around ferrets - everything from their ears, their toys, their bedding, their litterbox - and eventually, if they climb up and down enough times, your couch/chairs and carpets will get a 'ferrety' smell.  Even the most particular nose will require the furniture and carpets to be cleaned regularly.

Because I do all these things, people are suprised that I have ferrets and often don't smell them AT ALL until they actually pick the ferret up - then SOME say they still can't smell anything; others say "oh, now I can smell it a little bit".

I have been in homes who had ferrets and just stepping inside the front door made my eyes water and made me gag.  The difference is constant and consistent cleaning, cleaning, cleaning.  My ferrets have been 100 times more work and "clean up" than any pet I've ever owned......but they've also been my favorites, the sweetest and truly my heart.  It's a trade off.  If you want a ferret bad enough - you will do what you need to do to keep your home smelling 'ferret free'....but yes, it's a LOT of work and there are NO DAYS OFF.

If you use ALL the above suggestions to keep ferret smell down, I would say there is a 10% chance you will think that ferrets stink.

If you don't do ALL the above, take off about 20% odor for each single thing that you don't do....so you can see that very quickly you will add up to 100% stinky ferrets if you don't clean, clean, clean EVERY SINGLE DAY.  It's just part of our lives as ferret parents. They reward us greatly with their little antics and their love. There is NOTHING in the world like a ferret - but there's not one other thing in the world that I'd do all this work for.  I imagine when the day comes that I no longer have ferrets, I will not have a CLUE what to do with my day!  I spend 3-4 hours a day out playing with them on the floor; probably average of another 1+ hours a day cleaning. This is JUST the DAILY stuff....none of this includes the carpet, couch, and other items that get done several times a year.

You will go thru about 2-3 rolls of paper towels a week; at least a big bag of litter, premium ferret food is about $20 for an 8-lb bag (varies, of course), I use Johnson & Johnson Baby Shampoo (no tears), which works fine. My kids have toys galore - mostly from yard sales and thrift stores, but I have gone over them very carefully inspecting anything that could come off and endanger them.

Here's a great website that will tell you all about MANY aspects of owning ferrets - not just the smell.  The smell, to me, is a VERY small part of owning ferrets. I do a LOT of daily cleaning and upkeep that makes keeps the smell so it's not really an issue.

In addition, some ferrets who are purchased as kits (babies) don't get enough one-on-one time spent with them and the potential for some serious destruction is there if they are not supervised closely. The most common problems I think are digging carpet all the way thru, getting under couches (or on them) and digging to get the stuffing out, chewing any household item that is made of soft rubber (shoe insoles), totally ruining indoor plants (no ferret owner has live plants in their home....in addition to constantly having to check the things that are and are not safe for them to be around, soft plastic, anything that feels good to dig on (ferrets do well with a 'dig box' and that helps a LOT) - but the bottom line is they still need SUPERVISION and there is a LOT of cleaning on a DAILY basis if you want to have ferrets and not have the smell.  Again, if you don't like the smell of a ferret, I would NEVER recommend getting one - it's really something that you smell when you clean every day; when you hug and kiss on them (I LOVE IT!!) Their smell in the pet shop is always stronger than when you get them home and in clean quarters - if you can stand to smell a pet store ferret, and are willing to do the work, you can stand ferret smell at home. It's just a personal decision for everyone.  We took a BRAND NEW sectional couch: the first thing we did when we got it home was turned it upside down and screwed wooden "apron" on all sides of it so the ferrets can't get under the couch.  Ferrets aren't a pet, they are a lifestyle.  I have toys scattered from one end of my livingroom (lights flash, musical toys, balls galore, stuffed animals, Playschool stuff galore, a remote controlled car, etc....and I have no children living at home - they are ALL ferret toys). One entire closet in my home holds their bedding, syringes (in case I have to hand feed), lightweight and heavyweight blankies, harnesses and leashes, basic 'emergency kit' supplies, a humidifier for colds, medications for everything from an upset tummy and diarrhea to a cut, ear wash, grooming supplies galore,  a hospital cage and puppy pads, extra litterboxes, water dishes, water drip bottles, hammocks, boxes of toys, their shampoo and cream rinse, towels, even a sensor that calls my cell phone if the temperature in my houe reaches 80 degrees! Last year for Christmas, the kids got their own "ferret stroller" so we can go for walks outside! :-)

I think you will find MOST ferret owners - even if they don't start out this way - they eventually get 'the bug' and are prepared for about any situation.  So, hopefully you can see that the money for the initial purchase of a ferret is actually the LEAST cost of owning a ferret - TIME, supplies,laxatives, treats, chew toys, lighted mobiles *like on a crib) that play music (I rotate it on and off thier cage) vet bills (last year an intestinal blockage for over $2,500 to save one's life)..it's a serious commitment...not to be taken lightly. My freezer is full of blue ice (in hard, navy blue plastic covering, because the other in clear wrap is poison) to put in their cage in case the air conditioner goes out. Sometimes I get aggravated because it takes up half my freezer - but we live in the desert, so they could be lifesaving at any moment.

There are MANY pets out there who require MUCH less one-on-one supervision EVERY single day of the week - NO WEEKENDS OFF EITHER and NO SICK DAYS, unless it's theirs and you spend the night up trying to get fluids or food into them and rocking them waiting for them to die :-*(.  Having a ferret is very much like having an eternal 2-year old in the house, except they get sick, run up horrendous vet bills as they age, and then die waaaay too soon, leaving a HUGE hole in your heart.

Another thing to be considered is that having a ferret greatly limits your traveling. You can get a travel cage, I actually take a small vacuum cleaner, a ferret playpen and they are GREAT travelers!! They sleep until you stop, then they are always interested, looking around, etc, but due mostly to the outside temperatures (if you vacation in the summertime), ferrets CANNOT be in temperatures over 82 degrees.....the best you can do is a quick drive-thru for lunch (no sit down meals unless the ferrets are settled in the motel - and it IS difficult to find motels who will accept ferrets). Even traveling, it is even MORE important that you keep to your cleaning schedule (I take a small vacuum with us) because when you are in the car with ferrets, you are REALLLLY glad that you keep that cage, that litterbox, that bedding, those toys and those ferret ears CLEAN!!

That's the REAL "down and dirty" of ferret ownership.  At at least all I can think of at this moment -  I'll probably think of a half dozen more when I finish and click on "send" LOL.   Hope that answers your question adequately.  If you have other questions, please don't hesitate to ask!

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers