What are some good ways to mask ferret odor?

by Lauren
(Mechanicsville, VA)

I recently bought a house, and it smelled wonderful...until I moved the ferrets in to the house! We put them in the sunroom, which is at the very back of the house, but they still smell through the kitchen and into the living room. My mom recently came over, and it has been hell being around her since. All she keeps complaining about is how my fiancee and I have ruined the house by letting the ferrets live there. We should put them out in one of the sheds, take them to the vet, etc.

They are my babies, they will not go anywhere, but it is making my life difficult. I work with my mom, and so the discussion is often brought up at work.

Are there any tried methods to keeping the smell down? Any ways to keep the litter boxes in a corner? My carpet sharks have a tendency to move the boxes away from the corners and poop behind them :( Do you have a stand on the deodorizer that you put in their food?

ANSWER: Hi Lauren, I do feel your pain.
Unfortunately ferrets do have a very strong smell and there is only so much that you can do to mask it.
Here are a few suggestions and questions:

- Have you have your ferrets de-sexed? Ferret odour decreases considerably once they are spayed as they don't have as many hormones rushing through their bodies.

- Change your ferrets litter box and clean their cage everyday. The longer you leave it the stinkier it gets.

- Wash their bedding once a week. The majority of the smell actually comes from the smell settling in their blankets. If you wash it once a week it will make a huge difference!

- Do not wash your ferret more then once a month! When you wash your ferret it's oil glands go into overdrive trying to replace the oils which have been washed out of their skin. Therefore they can smell way more after the wash. I only wash my ferrets if they get fleas or get really dirty. Normally about twice a year. The less the better!

- Try out and experiment with different litters. Some litters catch the smell more then others. Never use woodchips or any other dusty litter as the dust settles in their lungs and causes respiratory problems. I use recycled paper pellets for my litter box and find it is the best product out there (in my opinion).

- I also had a problem with the ferrets moving out their litter box from the corner and came up with this solution: Burn some holes into the litter pan so that you can put sting through them and tie it to the cage. There is no way for them to move it if it is properly secured. (See photo)

- Burn incense and essential oils - these are natural and will not harm your ferrets.

- Feed them a more natural diet if possible - Raw meet (see healthy ferret http://www.ferret-world.com/healthyferretfood.html food for more details. The more essential nutrients ferrets get in their food the less they poop because their bodies absorb the nutrients.
Lots of specially made ferret foods have too much grain in them which their bodies lack enzymes for to digest and cannot absorb them. Therefore the body eliminates it.

- Tell your mum to be more considerate of your feelings. Especially at work. The ferrets are your babies, you have to live with the smell and she should be more understanding. After all...did she never put up with smelly nappies when you were a baby? Would she ever give you away because of the smell and mess you made? Nope...then why would you?

- I am against adding unnecessary things to ferrets food as if you intend to keep ferrets, you better love them for what they are including their smell. You don't know what kind of an effect additives will have in the long term. We want our fuzzies to live long healthy lives. Natural is always best.

- Join the Ferret-World Facebook page so that you can ask other ferret owners about more suggestions of masking ferret smell.
http://www.Facebook.com/FerretWorld

Hope these few suggestions help. If I can think of more I will be sure to add them.

Cheers
Stef