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Is there any way to neutralize the odor of a ferret? I had a friend who owned one a few years ago and his house smelled really bad. The smell is the only thing stopping me right now. Sorry for this common question. You've probably answered it a thousand times but i checked all three pages and didnt see another question about it. Thanks for you responses!!

i have 2 ferrets and i don't think the smell is that bad unless i get lazy and let their litterbox back up. if you change the litter box daily, the smell isn't that bad. it's noticeable, similiar to keeping a dog or cat indoors but not bad. i think most of the smell comes from their food, actually.

when i got my ferret stinky, his glands were already taken out, ,which was suppose to eliminate some of the musk. but like you i could still smell him. so i would give him a bath all the time. come to find out giving a ferret a bath will just make his skin produce more oil, thus making him smell more. the less bath you give him or none at all unless he is really dirty makes the smell less strong. i have had stinky now for 9 years going ten and even though he gets to play outside of his cage a lot. i seldom let him play in the grass, but he does get to play on the porch on nice sunny days. I also have him on a ferret diet but would also give him raw chicken at least once a day. this he truly love and would eat it with much gusto.But most of all, in order to keep the smell in control. you really have to keep his cage spotless. I have tried using all kind of litter to just end up finding stinky rolling in it and thinking it's a sand box. But what has worked for me is shredded newspaper. he poops and pees on it and his cage has a grate so most of the pee goes to the bottom of the cage which is also lined with newspaper. but him pooping on the newspaper makes cleanup easier. i use a paper bag from the grocery has gloves and just gather the soiled newspaper and wrap it in the plastic. this i do once a day preferably in the morning. So giving him fresh news paper everday keeps it clean. plus not letting have any treat unless it's a meat base product does help. Ever since have started to give him a more natural diet his poop has never been runny or stinky. He eats ferret food as a base of his diet and chicken pieces once in the morning. Sometimes this he will tire and i would give him chicken heart or liver, but not that often. or i would not give him any chicken for a couple of days and he'll want it again.

i hope that this helps. My stinky is 9 going 10 this year and is still going strong. I have read that most ferret don't live this long and i'm glad that my stinky is still here. Read and educate yourself. And try out what you think is good for you and your ferret. All ferret are not alike. What might work for ferret A may not work at all for ferret B. But keep in mind. keeping it's cage clean (meaning setting a routine that you can easily follow) do make ferret care easier to live with plus, keeps your ferret happy as well. By the way if you buy a cage pick one that has a grate, this helps to prevent him from rolling in his own stink. :O)

No, there is no sure fire way to neutralize ferret smell. You can lessen it in the ways previously posted, but it also depends on which smell you are referring to. Obviously if it the smell of excretions, that can be remedied by daily cleanings. If it's the musky smell, then that's part of the deal. I rarely even notice it anymore! I have a ferret that is 5. He has never had a bath! He does a very fine job of grooming. Plus, as posted above, the more you wash a ferret the worse it gets. Food for thought! Nancy, Hocus & Hobbes

I have two ferrets and have noticed that some people are more sensitive to their smell than others. I have never really been bothered by their natural odor (and they are descented so it's not that strong) but my mom notices it all the time, as does my grandpa, but my grandma is like me and isn't bothered by it, so it could just be that you're more sensitive to the smell.
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Ferrets do have a musky smell that some people love and well others hate. I have had my little boy now for almost 3 years, and the only time that I have a problem with smell is when I am lazy or forget to change his litter box. What I find works best for me is to scoop his litter box everyday at least once and sometimes twice. I usually do it when he is out playing around. Then once a week I take out his bedding (old t shirts) and give him new ones and about every three to four weeks he gets a bath. That seems to work for me at keeping the smell at bay and all of my friends never notice his smell and he is right in the main room of the house. Hope this helps some.