Clean Ferret

[lgray88 4]

i have 1 ferret at the moment , i like to keep him reasonably clean but maybe 3 days after hes been cleaned he seems to be dirty again like his coat seems to be very dark quite dirty round his neck for example, i was led to beleive that ferrets where quite clean animals apart from there smell. i try my best to clean any excrement out of the hutch daily and the hutch is fully cleaned every week , im switching over to using a ferret court as im gettin more ferret do you think with abit more room he will be a cleaner animal

[wabbithunter_15 0]

if its round his neck and its really small bits of "dirt" it could actually be mite eggs, i thot it was dirt on my ferret but when it didnt go away after a few days i knew something was up and when i checked his coat he was riddled with mites and fleas.

 

spray it with some duramitex i think its called which kills mite ticks and fleas and see what happens, i think its around 7quid a bottle in a local petshop.

 

although your not supposed to clean ferrets to much as it reduces the amount of natural oils on there skin which can make them actually smell worse as their bodies are trying to renew these oils. this means there bodies produce more oils. try not washing your ferret i wash mine maybe once a month if that.

 

hope this helps.

[lgray88 4]

i did have him at the vet not long ago and he treated him for that, but ill try that spray and see how it goes, i dont try to wash him too much maybe every 3 weeks but since ive seen him so messy i just try to clean him up abit , but ill give the spray ago cheers mate

[Kay 3,709]

i have 1 ferret at the moment , i like to keep him reasonably clean but maybe 3 days after hes been cleaned he seems to be dirty again like his coat seems to be very dark quite dirty round his neck for example, i was led to beleive that ferrets where quite clean animals apart from there smell. i try my best to clean any excrement out of the hutch daily and the hutch is fully cleaned every week , im switching over to using a ferret court as im gettin more ferret do you think with abit more room he will be a cleaner animal

 

if the animals entire they produce a lot of oils which does make the coat feel a bit greasey. clean out the bottom of the cage daily & change the bedding once a week or if you think it needs doing more often then do it more often

[stubby 175]

stick a picture of him up, as what you class as dirty, we might not

[lgray88 4]

well i just washed him but ill put a picture up when i think hes dirty again

[Kay 3,709]

well i just washed him but ill put a picture up when i think hes dirty again

 

Mind if you wash him to often he will smell worse & get filthy again, my hobs coat feels really greasey right now & it makes me hands itch after i have had him out as well

[lgray88 4]

just hes an entire hob , so hes got a good smell with him, but as i caught him out wild , i have to work with him alot in the house as the its not a big hutch i have , but when the court is built il be able to be out there with them instead

[lgray88 4]

its still feral though its been brought up around humans its whole life , i dont have a clue about where my ferret came from that why i work with him alot , ive never tried him rabitting as hes that shy i reckon he would just stay down there

[Julia 0]

Stop washing him. It destroys the natural fat and oil in his skin, and drys his skin out.

Besides, it he is entire, it will only take a couple of days before he starts smelling again.

When he is entire, he want's all the girls to be able to smell him, thats why he starts smelling again when he gets washed. The same if you have a couple of entire hobs together, they will try to oversmell each other, so the jill will pick the one she smells.

When it is a hob's first season in "heat" he can accedently "over do" his smell. So think of him as a teenager who's just started to date, and uses to much eau de cologne.

 

The smell comes from glands in his skin, you can't wash them away. The only way to make him stop smell like p*s, is to neuter him, he will get a more neutral scent.

 

As to the fact that he gets dirty. It is normal that they get a little dirty when living outside, and being used for hunting. It is thow more easy to see on a light colored ferret than a dark ferret.

If the ferret is covered in mud or dirt, then use clean water, no soap, to get the dirt of. And make sure it is totally dry before putting it outside again. Wet coat and winther don't mix well.

 

I will recommend that you take your ferret to the vet. I don't think it is normal if a ferret who lives alone get covered in dirt in just a couple of days. I wonder why he is dirty in the neck, that is a place he can't reach for him self. I would also like to see some pictures of the ferret when you think he is dirty and maybe where he lives.

Edited February 17, 2008 by Julia

[Kay 3,709]

If the coats got a slight gresey residue on it, its going to attract dust & general grime, try brushing his coat & keep bedding changed regular, sounds perfectly normal to me

[lgray88 4]

il get some pics up shortly , i try not wash him very much its not me that worried about the smell , its just family members , yeh thats right about the coat being slightly greasy i understand that part just his neck seems to be dirty after a couple of days , i see how he is this next couple of days then ill take soem pics

[Kay 3,709]

il get some pics up shortly , i try not wash him very much its not me that worried about the smell , its just family members , yeh thats right about the coat being slightly greasy i understand that part just his neck seems to be dirty after a couple of days , i see how he is this next couple of days then ill take soem pics

 

Do you also notice that at the hair root these also like a brown plug of grease as well just in certain places

[lgray88 4]

just checked over him now , but i dont see this plug of grease at the root

[Kay 3,709]

just checked over him now , but i dont see this plug of grease at the root

 

Its all just part & parcel of him being in season basically