Poop in Fur Around Ferrets Butt

Question
I have 2 ferrets, one is 8 months (Molly) and the other is 6 months (Ginger).  They have a large multi level cage and both use seprate litter boxes which are kept clean daily.  Molly is a very clean ferret and grooms herself regularly, but the area around Ginger's anus in VERY dirty and smelly. I clean it with warm water often, hoping she will figure out how to do it herself.  This has been going on since I got her and she dosen't seem to picking up on cleaning it or wiping it herself. What should I do? am i doing the right thing?

Answer
Hi Kate:

One of my ferrets has this exact same problem and I do exactly as you do - just make sure the water you use is nice and warm; I hold Kylie's little bottom (legs, tummy, anus and tail) under warm running water while talking soothingly to her, or singing her a little song and gently try to work the poopies out that are stuck in the fur around her anus, back legs and sometimes her tummy even! Then I blot her dry with a couple of paper towels. She is always very very grateful for the assistance in grooming
:-)

My ferret has the problem because she is older and a little chubby, and she just doesn't pull her belly up enough from the litterbox to keep from gettting into it.

One thing that does help - I do a 'partial' litterbox cleaning several times during the day. Whenever I walk past the cage and see a poop in her box, I grab a tissue or paper towel and just remove it - it saves a lot more cleaning later.  Of course, if you aren't home all day, that would be difficult to do, so just continue cleaning it as best you can and as often as you can. Especially check for litter and/or poops that are stuck BETWEEN THE PADS on her feet. These are particularly uncomfortable for them.

I guess it's just part of being a ferret mommy.  Does Ginger have firm poops, or diarrhea?  IF she has this problem because of chronic diarrhea, that would be a problem, but as long as her poops are normal and formed, it's not really anything to worry about. The more often you clean her, the more she will appreciate it :-)

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers