Aah, A Nice Relaxing Bath

Just like other pets, Ferrets occasionally need to address bath time. They do have their natural odors which can be quite smelly.  You can have your pet Ferret de-skunked (remove the glands that cause that stinky musky odor) but they can still benefit from a nice bath to keep their coats looking their best and for the added foo-foo smell a nice shampoo can add.  However, you should not bathe them too often or they can end up with dry itchy skin, which could become a problem for your pet.  It’s recommended you bathe your Ferret only once every other month.  Bathing does strip your pet of the natural oils in it’s coat.  Don’t be surprised if for the first couple of days after a bath, you smell that musky smell.  The bath may actually stimulate an increase in the production of the natural skin oils your Ferret produces.

There are Ferret Safe shampoos on the market, but if you can’t find one at your local pet shop, you can use a shampoo for kittens.  Otherwise, be sure to use one that is made specifically for Ferrets.  You will want the bath water to be luke-warm, not hot!  Test the water with your hand, if it feels too warm, cool it down a little.  Some Ferrets actually enjoy the water and don’t mind soaking in a nice tub of bath water, however, some don’t like the water and are fearful of it.  Never force your Ferret into a tub of water.  If he/she is fearful of water, try using a laundry sink or kitchen sink with less water in it and set him/her in the water gently, reassuring your Ferret that no harm will come to it.

Wet the Ferret’s coat gently with your hands getting the fur completely wet.  Put a drop of the Ferret safe shampoo in the palm of your hand and rub it thoroughly and gently into the fur, working up a little lather.  Be careful not to get any soap in your Ferret’s eyes.  Use the water in the tub or sink to rinse out as much of the soap as possible.  Drain the soapy water from the tub.  I recommend having a pitcher or plastic container of clean luke-warm water and slowly give him/her a final rinse with the clean water.

Look Mom, No More Dirt

Dry your little Fuzzy with a nice dry towel.  It’s probably not a good idea to use a blow dryer on your Ferret, it can cause overheating to your pet and may scare the hell out of him/her.  Now your furry little friend is good-to-go for another couple of months and you will both enjoy the soft, clean fluffy new coat.  If you want to keep his/her coat looking and smelling nice, try changing the bedding on a weekly basis to keep bedding odors from absorbing back into your Ferrets fluffy clean coat.  Your little friend will be happy and so will you.  Happy Bathing!

Oh, and don’t forget to have your camera ready to get some really cute photos of your Ferret’s special bath time, like the ones here.