From:
"April Armstrong Campbell"
Date: 2003-12-05 05:00:47 UTC
Subject: bathing
To: <ferrethealth@smartgroups.com>
Message-ID: <27994366.1070604338844.JavaMail.nobody@strontium.smartgroups.com>
I've had a black ferret a couple of times, too, Caity... same albino twice in one
day, in fact... (you would think the hubby might ask WHY the fireplace door is
taped to the wall BEFORE he removed it...)
Anyhoo, I rarely bathe my ferrets-only when things like that have happened, or
when they've backed into a sappy tree outside. My ferrets really aren't that
stinky on their own (I've had people who aren't keen on ferrets comment on it)-
I think one of the keys is frequently changing their bedding, which tends to
trap the smells, and not using products like newspaper/CareFresh for ferret
bedding (that also traps smells). I do, however, have a couple that very much
enjoy getting into the shower every chance they get! :)
I used to have to give my Renate extra bathies because she became incontinent
when she slept at the end of her life; we had a whole supply of little Renate-
sized washcloth blankies for her to sleep on (she preferred sleeping on my lap,
so we went through a lot of washcloths).
They certainly can get stinkier and greasy if bathed too frequently, as it strips
their skin of oils that their bodies then go into overdrive to reproduce. It's kind
of like how people can actually get acne from washing too often, because our
bodies also go into overdrive to replenish the oils and moisture we've stripped
from our skin.
-April