BATH TIME!

[Jack & Jill]

Ok. I need some advice. I have heard that you should NEVER bathe your ferret and I heard every few months.I know their skin is very sensive to soaps.and that they get very dry..which I know ,jack cannot even have his blankets washed in laundry detergent(just hot water) or he breaks out in itchy dry patches.

they havent been bathed now in a good few months.every now and then I take a warm wet cloth and wipe their body and feet down.But I just bought new ferret shampoo...should I bathe them now?

and any suggestions to make it EASIER would be great.
Jack will kind of accept it has to be done and just sit there,MISERABLE.
and Jill..well By the time Im done,My arm looks like a Edward scissorhands just had his way with me.

I feel so bad because I know they hate IT!
HELP

[Johnny and Demon]

Johnny loves water so its easy with him .. I put him in the bath with some bath toys and he dosen't really care of what I am doing .. but Demon .. well .. a real cat ! lol He HATES water ! So I keep him in one hand and I bath him with the other one .. saying he's pretty and I am almost done If I let him free in bath he will scratch my arms to get the hell out but if I keep him in my arms he's okay. I never put the 2 together because when Demon is scratching my arm and try to get out Johnny starts to panic too lol A friend of mine told me that she has to bath her ferrets together so they are having more fun .. maybe you can try this ? I know that dosen't work with my babies lol Bath toys seem to work a little with Demon. Good luck, you'll need it lol ;D

[Jack & Jill]

Oh its always a huge build up to bath time.anxiety! lots of coos and "its okayy..mommys almost done" but it still ends up in a blood bath!! lol one time I got in my bathing suit and got IN with Jill while my boyfriend stood by with the fluffy towel.

how warm to you have the water?and how often do you bathe them?

My cousins ferret,Roxy,HATED bath time and she took a washed out Butter container and put her in it like a little boat ..worked perfectly lol

also,jack looks like he has callouses on his back feet..have you ever seen this? we have hardwood floors so maybe thats why.but in their playroom I always lay down LOTS of blankets for their feetsies!

sorry lots of Q's!

[Johnny and Demon]

I guess some ferrets (well .. some pets) simply hate bath time lol
I put them in warm water .. not too hot .. not too cold and I bath them only when they are really dirty - that usualy happens because sometimes we take a walk and they go into mud lol

[christina127]

Rickey is afrade of baths.. breakes my heart.. but i'm worried that he may be scared because of his old home.. I would be bringing back bad memories from his past.. .. Can they rember there past?

[Johnny and Demon]

I believe they can because they are so smart. But I am not sure its about his old home .. I have Demon since he was just a kit and he always was afraid of bath time. Just like treats, its 50/50 - some ferrets like bath times and some don't.

[Tressie]

Ferrets do not need to be bathed. Unless a ferret gets into something like a dirt pile, it is absolutely not necessary.

If your ferrets finds bath-time anxiety invoking DO NOT bathe him/her at all. Ferrets can get an ulcer from very little stress then you've got a bigger problem than just a ferret who is nervous about bathtime.

I bathe mine once or twice a year maximum. My friend Phyllis, who is the president of Massachusetts Ferret Friends never bathes her.

Ferrets do not get dirty unless they are incontinent or as stated earlier have dug up your flowerpot. I've had a couple I've done hospice care for who have been incontinent, however, even then I only rinsed their bottom halves in the sink with a teeny bit of ferret shampoo.

NOW their bedding does get dirty from their natural oils which rub off on the material and get rancid if not washed. I use hypoallergenic laundry detergent with no fragrance. Same thing for dryer sheets.

Tressie

[christina127]

Rickey smelled like smoke when i first got him so i had to bath him..
Also like last week i had to bath him.. he roled in pee..

[Johnny and Demon]

I found out that Johnny loves water and of course bath time. Is it okay to put a bit of water in a box or something for him to swim as he wants with towels all around to get dry and warm when he's done or its not a good idea at all ? I was just wondering if it was the same with water and snow as Johnny loves to swim and tunneling in snow instead of Demon that hates water and snow lol

[Tressie]

If a ferret enjoys water - go for it! I swear my Cannoli is part otter - he LOVES water. I fill the tub with warm water and let him swim around to his heart's content, supervised of course. That is distinctly different from bathing him with shampoo, etc.

However, he is the only ferret I've ever had who enjoys water that much. He used to stick his head underwater in his water bowl and open his eyes

The other extreme was Carissima who screamed the first time I put her in water. It was also the first time I heard a ferret scream and it was blood curdling. Needless to say, Carissima never had to worry about any future water torture ever again.

Tressie

[christina127]

Ferrets can scream??

[Tressie]

Yes, they can scream - IF severely frightened! Its unbelievably loud. And not a sound you'll ever forget or want to ever hear again.

They can also bark if really ticked off! I had heard they could bark but found it hard to believe until one of mine did. One of my Ohio/DMK rescues, I think it was Bellissima. This was when I first got them and was trying to integrate them. Needless to say it wasn't successful. The only ferret they ever accepted was Sampson, my 5 lb. gentle giant. He actually looked like a blown up version of them, black sable. I think the only reason they accepted him was that he was like a walking tank and they just rolled off his back, then gave up trying to wrestle with him and accepted him. Plus Principessa had just died and the remaining two sisters were grieving her loss so Sampson filled the hole left by her departure.

Anyway Bellissima did not like Dolcezze and barked at him for daring to come near her. I think he was as stunned as I was when she barked at him. That was the end of my attempt to integrate them.

Now Donnola who is as deaf as a post makes some really unusual sounds that I have never heard another ferret make. I assume its because she can't hear herself.

Tressie

[christina127]

wow, Rickey spueeks when he is mad .. but u can barley hear it..

[Melanie]

My newest ferret Pippin is also deaf and he makes some pretty strange noises sometimes. Also, when he is startled by me or my husband (doesn't hear us coming) he screams and runs under the nearest piece of furniture. But as soon as he realizes its just us he comes back out straight away. Poor guy, I've learned to walk a little harder when he is out and about so he can feel the vibrations and know where I am..

[christina127]

awww.... id feel so bad if i made a ferret scream.. i think id cry..