Ferret Life

Do Ferrets Stink Up Your House?

Do ferrets stink up your house?

Ferrets stink up your house, most of the time people like the animal but don’t bring them home as they considered a smelly creature but some find no offense to keep them. They are not worried about his musky smell, however; a ferret can smell quite strong and can stink your house. Do ferrets stink up your house?

Do ferrets stink up your house? If it is well maintained then no issue will raise, female ferrets are less smelly than male ferret as building up the hormones. Your house may stink up not because of the ferret but ignoring the pet and its housing where he sleeps.

If ferrets stink up your house & you love your ferret then you should be careful and raise him like a child and fulfill your duties. The following are details, about how to get rid of the ferret stink at the house.

Do ferrets stink up your house?

Not all the time, but when a ferret is frightened, it leaves a smelly bomb occasionally as these bombs can be intense but disappear in few seconds but this will stink up your house.

Some of the other animals use this mechanism for the defensive condition if such a situation is alarming for them they actively use it to spray the content of anal sacs. The mustelid family is famous for it due to carnivore’s skunks you can find smelling strong.

This is why people are confused in thinking of this family and ferret as pet smells bad as their skin and content of anal sacs smell common & ferrets stink up your house.

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Most of the animals when threatened or afraid in some condition spread smell or even poop as well but if you treat your ferret properly he will empty his sacs rarely as a result ferret stink up your house.

In mating season male ferret smell is highly strong and musky if he is unneutered from the other animals with odor and ferrets stink up your house.

Why do ferrets smell so much?

There are two main reasons

  • Due to the musky smell comes from the oil glands in the ferret’s skin.
  • Excreted from contents in its anal sacs and ferrets stink up.

Due to its fluffy body, it can gather different smells along with its own sweet and musky smell, whenever you sniff it. He uses to rub off his body on its bedding and build up oils on the bedding so it makes a smell to the cage.

For the solution to the reason, you should keep your ferret cage and bedding clean on a regular basis to remove excess oils that spread smell in the environment.

Bathing doesn’t remove the odor

Be careful, while bathing your ferret your regular bathing can make him sick and remove oils from his skin that will cause more smell. The oils protect the ferret’s coat and skin so when you will wash out regularly glands will go into overdrive to produce more oils. Therefore, it will make the ferret smellier along with dry skin and flaky which will lead him to skin issues.

Desexed your ferret

Fixed ferrets are less smelly than the unfixed ones due to the increase of hormones their bodies start to release more oils when they reach the age of maturity. Especially, in mating season, their smell is pungent and unbearable so having a fixed ferret has no issues and will help solve about 90% of the odor problem.

When you buy a ferret you should also consult a vet as he will recommend you to desexed your ferret from around 5-7 months of age if you want to pet him indoors.

Removing of scent glands

The ferrets undergo the surgery of scent glands (desexed or descended) when supplied to the pet shops from the large commercial breeder of the United States before they reach the age of 8 months.

So, when you decide to keep a ferret as a pet in the U.S then you should have had both surgeries done. Because unneutered ferret has a strong smell and of course their residence makes them smellier if not treated well.

Some safe grooming practices to help control the smell in ferrets

There are some grooming practices that can help you control the smell of ferret with tactical maneuvers, though, it will not completely eliminate the smell in the house until your pet lives in it but can reduce odor and avoid ferret to stink up your house.

Making your ferret fixed

First of all, you should ask your vet to make your ferret fixed like (desexed, spayed, and neutered) once, you have done it, and you will not feel a smell in the house.

Keep their ears clean

You must wonder know that the ferret’s ear produces a smell because of the waxy, musky odor so you should keep them clean at least once a week by using an ear cleaner liquid. Be careful, while cleaning its ears, and don’t push too deep to hurt the eardrum or puncturing the ear of the ferret, this will cause a less smelly ferret around.

Cleaning your ferret’s litter box every day

Just the way we keep our bathroom clean and tidy. It is necessary to keep the litter box ferret-free of urine and feces. A,s they will contribute to stink up the house it stays for a long time. Ferrets are clean animals and not messy.

When they find a place to litter they don’t make a mess everywhere in the cage or house. So, the litter tray or box should be clean on a daily basis as a ferret doesn’t like to go to a dirty bathroom or smelly. That should be put back to its original place in the cage.

Wash the ferrets bedding and blankets every week

Ferret’s bedding can be the major factor of a stinking house. Think about, that if someone visits your house and complains about the smell. How would you react to it?. Keep the ferret’s bedding clean and dirt-free, as its skin releases oils that cause the smell. Even if you have a fixed ferret. Wash the bedding, blankets, hammocks with unscented detergent. So, your ferret doesn’t feel the strange or toxic odor of the blanket.

Deep clean your ferret’s cage once a month    

Putting the ferret cage indoors can cause a lot of smell in the house. If not maintained properly or clean at least once a month. While rubbing its body with the bars of the cage it can produce the smell. So, cleaning and washing the whole cage top to bottom is needed to avoid a stinking home.

Air your house out regularly

Just like the cage house must be airy for breathing ferret. The house also should be airy or you should open the windows for fresh air in your home. When cleaning the house on a daily basis. This will blow out the smelly air from the house and reduce the odor level.

Keep a clean and tidy home

Keep your house clean. Especially, when you have a pet like a ferret as he loves to snuggle in your blanket, jump on your bed, and roll himself in the socks drawer. They cannot be confined to the cage 24 hours a day. They needed to stay out of it for at least 4 hours.

So, if your house will already be messy and spread things everywhere. Then your ferret will cause more trouble than you think. Because of their oily skin to carpet, rugs and clothes will make them stinking so keep your house tidy and wash the things washable.

Feed your ferret a high-quality diet

Always keep in mind that poor food causes more smell in the litter. So, feed your ferret with a high-quality diet. If you don’t know, what is best for your ferret consult your vet. Or you can even search online for the best food for a ferret.

Don’t bathe your ferret

Put warm water in the tub and put your ferret in it. The head should be out of the water then use a ferret shampoo and wash his furry body. In the beginning, they may not show interest. And try to run out of your hands but you should hold them firmly. 

You must treat him like a mother. As they will be habitual of it and won’t cause a problem next time.  This bathing task should be done once a month, not more.

The protective oils in their fur coat can be washed away leading to the glands in their skin. To overdrive and spread more smell in the house.  Beware, over bathing can cause skin damage to the ferret.  He may have skin problems like dry, scaly, itchy skin. Which develop blackheads and also hair loss.

Is your ferret ill?

When your ferret is sick its smell can get stronger make sure he is not ill. If he is, then going to the vet for a ferret’s check-up. It is a better idea to keep him healthy and odorless as well.

Thank you for visiting  theferretcage.com. Stay in touch for further information material.

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