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Since ferrets are a member of the mustelid family, the commonly have a bit of a musky odor about them. A well maintained ferrets odor will not be noticable unless you are holding them
Factors that play into ferret odor:
-The litter is not being scooped often enough. For the most part, it is the poo, not the ferret, that smells. Litter boxes should be scooped at least once daily and washed/disinfected weekly.
-The bedding is dirty. You wouldn't want to sleep in the same bedsheets for months at a time. They would get pretty stinky! The same goes for ferret bedding. All hammmocks, beds, etc. should be washed in a hypoallergenic detergent weekly. Don't forget to give the cage a scrubdown too!
-The ferret is being bathed to often. Sounds counterintuitive doesn't it? Ferrets are fairly clean animals and can groom themselves. They should not be bathed more than once or twice a year, unless they get really mucky. Bathing too often dries the skin out and causes the skin oil glands to overcompensate.These oil glands are the causes of the musky scent (Not the anal glands, as most people think)
-The ferret is being fed a low quality diet. Ferrets are obligate carnivores, meaning that they can only digest meat. They cannot digest fruits, vegetables, grains, carbs, sugars, and milk. Feeding these items can make the skin oilier. hence smellier. Of course it is impossible to find a commercial kibble without some vegetables since they need a binder, but try to find something that is high in meat protein. At least 4 of the first 6 ingredients should be meat. Ideally, a kibble should be grain free.
What else can I help you with?
Why do ferrets smell?
The ferrets smell is a musk odor that comes from the skins glands that secretes oils. Unaltered ferrets produce more oils during breeding season, making them smell more. Ferrets also have an anal sac that they can expel when frightened or threaten, most ferrets in the US have the anal sac surgically removed.
Is there a deoderizer spray or soap for ferrets that smell like fruit?
A deodorizer spray or soap for ferrets that smell like fruits include Marshall's Ferret Odor Remover, GoodBye Odor for Ferrets, and the Super Pet Clean Cage Habitat Deodorizer.
Are rats attractive to ferrets smell?
Actually since ferrets are natural rodent exterminators, their scent will actually repel rats.
Do mice have a bad smelling cages?
If they are not cleaned weekly they will, but if you didn't flush your toilet for a week it would smell bad too. ha ha. But mice do have a lower odor than some rodents such as ferrets.
Do ferrets smell like skunks?
Ferrets have an odor that comes from their sebaceous glands in the skin that secretes an oily/waxy matter, which is a musk odor. Ferret that have not been altered will have a more pronounced odor during mating season (especially males - hobs), altered ferrets have less of a smell. The odor will accumulate on their bedding and must be kept clean and washed. The litter box must be cleaned daily and avoid feeding any ferret food that has fish ingredients, which makes their feces smell more.Ferrets that have been altered do have a musky smell from the oil their skin secretes. Some people like the smell and some people don't. Bathing ferrets frequently actually makes them smell more because their oil glands start to overproduce from their dry skinFerrets do smell especially hobs but the smell changes and gets a lot better when they have been neutered . once they are neutered the smell is so much easier to tolerate.
Is honey is bad for ferrets?
Yes, honey can be bad for ferrets as they are strict carnivores and cannot process carbohydrates. Too much sugar in a ferrets diet can cause them to have insulinoma, in which honey can be used if they have a seizure
Why do ferrets have a bad reputation?
In the wild, ferrets hind foods. When you have a pet ferret, it is only doing what its ancestors did.
Do ferrets stink or is it the cage?
Ferrets have an odor that comes from their sebaceous glands in the skin that secretes an oily/waxy matter, which is a musk odor (which some people find offensive). Ferret that have not been altered will have a more pronounced odor during mating season (especially males - hobs), altered ferrets have less of a smell. The odor will accumulate on their bedding and must be kept clean and washed. The litter box must be cleaned daily and avoid feeding any ferret food that has fish ingredients, which makes their feces smell more.Advice from another contributor:Ferrets have a very strong smell, that comes from their body, and from their cage. The smell of the body of a ferret isn't a bad smell, although some people think it is. The cage is what smells the most though, because of their "droppings". There are products that help to lessen the smell, although it does still linger in the air. The individual ferret has a smell but it isn't quite as strong or bad, and some people even love that smell. It all depends on the nose.
How can you train your two ferrets to hunt house mice?
You really don't have to train your ferrets to hunt house mice, it should be a natural instinct for them to kill the mice. Also, just the smell of ferrets should keep mice away.
Do you have to clean ferrets butt?
Not usually no. After going to the bathroom the ferret scoots its bottom along the ground. This cleans the ferrets bottom whilst also leaving some of the ferrets scent for other ferrets to smell.
Does Albania smell bad?
No Albania does not smell bad !!
Are there such things as odorless ferrets?
No not that i no on any way but if you clean there cage often there shouldn't be that big of a smell, ferrets are like rats they clean them selves at least 5 times a day .
