Bathtime for Maya

Question
Maya = 6months
Food=Premium Baby Ferret Formula {Hot water added}
Brown with yellow spots = poop
I just fave Maya a bath and she hates it! I put her under middle water and hold her there. I only apply three drops of shampoo which is: pet scentsations
Premium Ferret Shampoo
sun ripened rasberry
Its also tearless
When I take her out and dry her, she goes crazy running all over the house!!!!

Answer
Hi Betty:

Sounds to me as if Maya is a normal ferret when it comes to bath time!  I have found that it helps a lot to talk very soothingly to them during bathtime, possibly even sing nursery rhymes with their names stuck in here and there as often as possible, which distracts them from what is going on.

The other thing you need to know is that the more often you bathe Maya, the more oils her skin will make, which means her ferrety smell will actually become more ferrety after bathing. Most ferret owners only bathe their ferrets maybe once or twice a year, usually when they get into a mess that requires a bath.

Also, always remember that a ferret's normal temperature is higher than a person's temperature (normal body temperature for a ferret is 100 to 104 degrees, so you need to keep the water as you would want a very warm bath (think of yourself taking a bath when you have a fever and treat your ferret accordingly).  Water temperature is critical, especially if they really pull away, shiver, etc - the water is probably too cool - that's probably the most common mistake when bathing ferrets.....the other is to rinse twice and make sure ALL the shampoo is out of the fur all over the ferret.

When bathing the ferret, if you keep the bathroom door closed (if you do it in the bathroom), or have a small area blocked off and have several big fluffy dry towels for the ferret to dry herself in. I actually have one ferret that prefers for me to give her a really brisk rub all over with a dry towel before I turn her loose in another dry towel for her to finish the job.  It's also a good idea to give your ferret a good dose of ferretlax (or cat laxative) - at least 1" ribbon - which will help move along the fur they swallow when grooming themselves after the bath.

Always support your ferret well during bathing and use your hand or a washcloth to get the soap away from the ferret's face. When you do these 'grooming' activities, bathing *can* be enjoyable for your ferret in time - just don't expect it to happen overnight.  After your ferret settles down a bit after a bath is a great time to put a little ferretone on her belly and clip those toenails - a real danger for ferrets is too long nails.  I clip my kids nails about every two weeks - if you keep the hooked part cut off, they can't get caught in bedding, etc. A little Ferretone on the belly will keep them very busy and give you plenty time to clip.

Bathtime is also a good time to clean ears....again, once they have settled down. Using a Q-tip dipped in baby oil, wipe the outer folds, then continue using clean Q-tips and go straight down into the ear canal. The canal is actually in an "L" shape and you are only cleaning the upright part of the "L", so you really can't hurt your ferret as long as you use oil and are gentle.  This is also another thing that a ferret vet or vet tech can show you if you need hands-on instruction.  Never be afraid to ask your vet for help on how to do something properly - your ferret will benefit from a good exchange of information.

Also, I am wondering why you are still adding water to your ferret's food. At six months, the ferret is nearly full grown (a ferret is fully mature at around 7 months old).  Moistening the food makes is spoil a lot quicker,  so as long as you are sure that your ferret is over two months old, she should not need to have her food moistened. You may want to put less and less water on it each time until she is eating it dry; or offer dry bits of kibble to her as a treat to be sure she will take it and eat it dry.  She should have dry food avaiable at all times; in addition to fresh water (I freshen my kids water three times a day because they like to eat/drink/eat/drink and they get little bits of food in the water).

If you have not found a good ferret vet in your area, I would highly recommend getting established with one before you need them. If you don't have one, write back to me with your city and state, and I'll be happy to check for someone in your area.    Also, you didn't say if the poops are firm or runny, but that might be something you would want the vet to check out, if it hasn't been done already, in addition to getting all her vaccinations - that first year is really important. I haven't gotten a ferret from a pet store yet that didn't have an intestinal parasite that needed to be treated; just a suggestion, if she hasn't been to a vet regularly.

Have you considered getting her a playmate, or are you at home with her all day?  If you're not home and can spend at least 3-4 hours a day with a young ferret, it's a good idea to have two so they can keep each other company. The more the merrier with ferrets - they are like potato chips, rarely can anyone have just one!

Best of luck with your little girl!  If you don't already have it, a book called "FERRETS FOR DUMMIES" is a GREAT handbook and a "must-have" for all ferret owners!


Sincerely,

jacquie rodgers