Ferret Odor - 5 Ways To Reduce Odor From Your Pet Ferret

Ferrets have an odor that is not always the most attractive smell to have in your home. This is a very manageable issue and knowing what to do to minimize the smell will allow you to share many happy years with your pet. Here are 5 ways to successfully deal with the odor.

Bathe-Giving your pet a bath with shampoo that is specifically designed for ferrets will lessen the smell. It is important to strike a happy balance between too often and not enough as too many bathes will actually strip their skin of oil, and cause them to produce even more odor as their bodies try to replenish the oil lost from bathing too frequently. How often is a question best answered by your vet.

Clean up Waste Frequently-Because they can be trained to use a litter box, it is essential to keep it clean. Unlike cats, they do not cover their waste, and so clean up of solids should be done at least twice each day, and a high back litter box that contains the urine will prevent it from spraying your walls, floors, or both when they back up to urinate.

Wash Bedding and Toys-Blankets, mats, bedding and cloth toys should be washed weekly to cut down on odors from oils that transfer from their skin.

Have Hormones Removed-Spaying or neutering your pet will lessen the smell that they give off. This procedure should be done by your veterinarian between the age of 5 and 7 months to make sure that the reproductive organs are fully developed and can be completely removed. Performing the procedure earlier may result in missing some of the parts that produce the odor because they are not fully developed. Better to wait and only have to do it once, than to do it too young and not solve the problem completely. Neutering is particularly helpful with male odor, otherwise when they are trying to attract a female to mate they cover themselves with urine. Even after the operation is done, be prepared for a 30 day wait before you notice a lessening of the smell.

Use an Air Purifier Designed to Remove Odor-Even after you've done everything suggested here, there is still usually some smell. Your ferret may sometimes blow musk smell from its anal sacs when it is frightened, sleeping, playing, or sometimes just because. Using an air purifier that is specifically designed to remove pet odor will keep your house smelling fresh and clean all the time while still enjoying having a ferret as part of the family.