If you have decided to adopt a ferret as a pet, you may be wondering if this is the ideal animal for you. Among the frequent doubts about ferrets and their care, bad smell always appears as a cause of rejection.
Inform yourself correctly in this article on our site to find out what is true about the bad smell of ferrets and what we can do to prevent it and feel more comfortable with it.
Sterilization
Most of the ferrets that we find in shelters available and ready to be adopted are sterilized, why does this happen? Does it have to do with the bad smell?
The male ferret, when it is one year old, it begins to develop glands to attract specimens of the other sex or mark the territory and chase away those from their own. By sterilizing a male we manage to avoid:
- Bad smell
- Territoriality
- Tumors
Sterilizing the female ferretalso has certain advantages and that is that they undergo hormonal changes to attract the male that also involve the use of the glands her. By sterilizing it we manage to avoid:
- Bad smell
- Hormonal problems
- Hyperestrogenism
- Anemia
- Alopecia
- Reproduction
- Tumors
- Reproduction
Perianal glands
Ferrets have perianal glands, there are two of them and they are located inside the anus, communicating with it through two small channels.
We should know that a sterilized ferret, since it is not in heat or sexual arousal, no longer produces a bad odor regularly but it can suffer from having a fright, a great excitement or a disturbance.
The removal of the perianal glands should always be carried out by a professional already experienced in this procedure, otherwise our little pet may suffer from incontinence, prolapses and other diseases derived from the operation. It is optional and must be decided by the owner.
As the owner of the ferret, you should consider whether you want to carry out this operation or not and weigh whether the problems that the surgery may entail outweigh the bad odor that it may produce in a spontaneous moment, although you should know that you will never eliminate the bad smell 100%. From our site we do not recommend the removal of these glands
The perianal glands are not the only ones your pet has, they have others scattered throughout the body that can also produce a bad smell. The uses of these are diverse, among them providing them with ease to defecate, protection against a predator, etc.
Tricks to avoid bad smell
The best option is undoubtedly not to remove the perineal glands, therefore, on our site we offer you some useful tips to prevent and try to avoid the bad odor that can detach a ferret:
We will clean his cage almost daily or every two days, including the bars that we can clean with wet wipes, for example. When you clean, use a disinfectant and neutral product that does not harm the skin or can contaminate the food
Daily you will pay attention and clean the area of the cage or designated space where he usually relieves himself. By doing so, you avoid the appearance of diseases, infections, etc
As we do with other pets, we must clean the ferret's ears, removing the wax weekly or fortnightly. Performing this process reduces the risk of infection and also reduces odor
Bathe your ferret once a month at the most because we find a fat on its skin that protects it from the outside. In addition, and as happens with dogs, excessive bathing produces a bad smell
Finally it is important that you leave your ferret alone during the day trying not to excite, frighten or startle him. In this way you reduce the chances that it will emit the strong odor that we are trying to prevent us from
Do you want to know more about ferrets?
Learn about the most common ferret diseases, solutions for an aggressive ferret or find a name for your future ferret.
