Cleanliness

Ferret after a bath

Ferrets are very clean animals by nature. They will very quickly develop their favorite sleeping spots and their preferred spots to use the bathroom. (Hopefully you will have a litter box in that corner).

Like a cat, a ferret will clean himself and prefers to stay clean. Remember, this means daily cage cleaning by you. If you have more than one ferret, they usually pal around and will often take turns licking each other. Since they also frequently lick their human companions, I’m assuming that this practice is a social habit as well as cleaning. Who knows, maybe they see us as dirty !

How often should you bath your ferret ?

Most sources will tell you that your ferret only needs to be bathed once a month or so. More frequent bathing will cause their skin to dry or their musky smell to get stronger. The reasoning is that as a ferret’s skin dries up from the bathing, they will actually secret more oil to keep their skin and coat healthy.

In our household however, our ferrets get baths or showers several times a week. They really enjoy this practice and will often beat me to the bathroom and wait by the shower door. Or, as I am showering, they will come sniiffing around at the door wanting to be let in. There is nothing wrong with bathing your ferrret more frequently but keep an eye on their fur – making sure that they aren’t getting too dry. Also, be careful that any shower soaps or gels that you use don’t irritate their eyes. You should keep a bottle of ferret shampoo handy, using it now and then to ensure that their coat stays healthy and their skin doesn’t dry out and flake.

BTW: When you towel dry and sit your ferret down on the ground, they instantly turn into little tasmanian devils. They will run, drag, flip and flop like they are possessed in an effort to have fun and dry out at the same time.