Can i bathe my ferret with tear-free baby shampoo?

i've read over and over again that your ferret will become more stinky if you bathe him too often because it strips their coats of their natural oils causing them to over produce. some say once a month and others once a week. i read that one woman bathed her ferret with baby shampoo cause it doesn't strip the oils. so my question is.... can you bath your ferret once a week with the ferret shampoo so it has the right ph balance and then bath every couple of days or so with the baby shampoo without causing a smellier ferret? i love my ferret but my husband is constantly complaining of the smell. im very good however with daily litter box cleaning and changing the bedding every couple days. any imput would help emensly. also, does bi-oder actually help?Can i bathe my ferret with tear-free baby shampoo?
Baby shampoo can be used on your ferrets (I've only ever used Aveeno's baby shampoo on my ferrets), however, no matter what kind of shampoo you use, they still should not be bathed that often. Any shampoo is going to strip their skin and lead to the over-production of those oils. When I first got ferrets, I was bathing them once a month, because that's what I read and was always told. After reading other stuff and hearing what other, more experienced ferret owners had to say, I decided to cut back on their baths and they now get, at most, two baths per year (but there are people that never bathe their ferret unless it gets something on it that isn't safe to be licked off). Since cutting back on their baths, I really think they smell a lot less. If you can't/won't cut back that much, then at least try to cut it back to every other month. Remember most of the ';stink'; comes from the cage, not the actual ferret.





Other things that I do (it sounds like you already do at least a few of these things):


*scoop litterbox at least twice a day and thoroughly clean the litterbox at least once a week.


*wash and change bedding at least once a week.


*daily spot cleaning in the cage (I spray the pans and shelves down with a safe cleaner and wipe them down at least once a day and remove any litter or food that is laying on the cage shelves).


*thoroughly wash all pans and shelves at least once a week with hot water and soap.


*I know longer have carpet in my room, but when I did, I shampooed it at least once a month (just like their bedding, the carpet can absorb that ferret smell, too, and get rather stinky).


*wash any toys that they can roll around on or go through tunnels, blankets, etc.) at least once a week.





That's pretty much all I do and I notice very little ';stink.'; As for the bi-odor, I've tried it and didn't think it seemed to do anything. Some people swear it works though. All I can say is get a small bottle and try it and let your and your husband's nose be the judge. One other thing, is your ferret neutered (if you got it from a US pet shop, then it should be)? If not, having it neutered can help a lot with the smell. Unneutered ferrets tend to be stinkier.





Good luck and hopefully this info helped a little.Can i bathe my ferret with tear-free baby shampoo?
no you cant wash them every week.. their skin dries out.. even with baby shampoo. i bath me ferrets every 2-3 weeks. with pet sensations ferret shampoo (i use the sun ripened raspberry)


then in between i use the coat refresher also sun ripened raspberry. all so. if you wash their cages out good with a natures miracle and wash their bedding. when you bath them...(meaning put them into a clean cage) the smell will be brought down a lot.





I have never used or heard of bi-Oder so i don't know
i dont have one but most people say bi-odor DOES help
Bi-oder is for the waste of the ferret...not the ferret itself. If you are cleaning the ferrets litter pans properly (scoop twice a day) then the odor is not from your ferrets waste and bi-oder is a waste of money!





You really should not bath your ferret more then once every three months in my opinion...some people will say never but lets face it, ferrets get into EVERYTHING! Sometimes bathing is just necessary. ;) Baby bath/shampoo is absolutely an acceptable means of bathing your ferret. I use baby bath when I give my guys a tubby.





I will venture a guess that the odor you and your husband are experiencing is not from your ferrets pans (IF you scoop twice a day) and not from your ferret. The bulk of the odor is probably from the cage, bedding, and hammocks. Try replacing bedding (old t-shirts and sweat shirts) every 2-3 days and putting in fresh. Wash hammocks weekly. Completely empty and scrub out litter pans once a week. Completely soap up and wash down the entire cage once a week. Then worry about bathing your ferret once every 3 months.