Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello, i'm new here. I have had 1 ferret for about 2 years, and just got a new one last week. Now that i have a new ferret the Ferrets Both smell really really bad. I mean i know there subpost to smell alittle. But its to the point i cant even walk into the room without getting sick. Any advice on how to get rid of this smell ? Maybe a Bigger cage??? any help would be great.. thanks

How often do you clean their cage? And what type of litter do you use? Also how often do you give your ferrets a bath?
-----
Rose

I have to clean out the little pan every other day. i try and clean the whole cage once a week, and the ferrets get bath's once a week... Do you think a bigger cage would help at all... all i have is a 2 story cage for 2 ferrets ... its about 4 ft tall, 2 foot wide. somewhere is there.

One thing i do see is that you give your ferrets a bath way to much. i know that sounds kinda weird but they do. First its not good for their coat and two after ferrets take a bath they do smell worse then they did before(for some reason, I really don’t know, but they do). At first after the bath they smell really good, a day later that is not the case but after another day or so they smell fine again. There is daily spray that you could use on them instead of giving them a bath every week.

I wouldn’t say that the size of the cage would be a problem at all since I had the same size cage once before and I was able to keep down the smell. Another question do your ferrets go in the litter box every time? If they don’t, cleaning the bottom of the cage more then once a week would help. And one more thing, I don’t know what type of litter you use but compressed newspapers help absorb the smell.
-----
Rose

I agree, too many baths. During the warmer season I give them a bath once a month or around that. I don't bathe them between mid-November to mid to late April. Giving them a bath too often stimulates the oil glands too much..their skin is meant to have those oils. Also, what's in the food you give them? If fish is one of the 1st five ingredients, it'll cause a smell on their body and in their poop. Stay away from the fish products. I use a paper product also for litter. I really don't have a problem with that. Wash their bedding once a week, no fabric softner though. I clean(wash) the litter boxes about once a month. I clean out the droppings every day.
Let us know if you notice a difference in a month or so after trying different things.
Good luck!
-----
Kat
Ferret mom to Jasmine and Daffy
A Cheesehead from Wisconsin