Well, the last couple of posts were about that hot summer weather outside, so I decided to continue in the same way. We tried everything, we are cooling with bottles and fans, but I think the time is perfect for some bath!
There are two kinds of ferrets. The ones who adore water and the ones who hate it. There aren’t any rules when it comes to keeping your ferret clean. You don’t need to bathe a ferret every week if he has a stronger odor, it won’t help. The best thing to get rid of the odor is neutering and spaying. The best period between two baths is about around a year at least. If you make it more often and your ferret has sensitive skin (yes, they can have sensitive skin) his skin will become dry and that is not a pretty picture. Also, you can increase the smell that way.
What do you need for a bath?
Before bathing your ferret, the best thing is to make preparations. What do you need for a bath? A clean towel (big enough they are crazy when they are wet), a shampoo, toys if you have them, a distraction like a treat or a paste (that is something I use almost daily, great thing), a washbowl (you don’t have to, but you can use it) and I think that is about everything. Oh, and a ferret.
The best thing would be to run warm water in your washbowl, tub, (wherever you will bathe him) and when the water is ready, you bring your ferret in. Frida hates the sound of the shower, she is crazy when she hears it, so I don’t use it at all. The water mustn’t be too deep and not too cold, or hot. Their body temperature is higher than ours, so you have to make it warmer than for yourself, but not too much. The best depth is around 5 – 10 cm, where your ferret can walk in water, swim, dive, anything he likes.
Bath time!
The first contact with water is the most important one. You can lower your ferret slowly in the water, legs first, and then the rest of the body. It is better to wet your ferret first with your hand or another little bowl. If your ferret loves water, then just sit down and enjoy the show, he will dive, swim, play, it is really fun to watch. But that is IF he loves water. If he hates it, do it as quickly as you can and give him a treat when it is over.
Now, you must apply shampoo. You can use shampoo for ferrets and baby tearless shampoo because it is for sensitive skin. Rub it on his body, especially above the tail, and at the back of the neck. Be careful when it comes to his head, you don’t want to put the shampoo in his eyes, mouth, nose, or ears.
Ferrets like the taste of almost every cosmetic product, so when you shampoo him, water him quickly because he will start to lick the shampoo and that isn’t the best idea.
When the bath is over, here comes the hard part. When ferrets are wet, they start to run around like never before, they jump, run, flip and they are extremely fast. The real challenge is to put a ferret in the towel, while he is in his crazy mode. You must hold your ferret really tight and dry him off in a short time. When he is dry, let him go and watch. It is extremely funny to watch them run around like rockets.
