Yeah..  ferrets are pretty musky.  I wouldn't get one if you don't want to smell them, lol!     You also won't want to bathe them very often since that can actually make them smell more...  the key is keeping their cage clean.

That's the thing...the one I held I thought kinda smelled good...just musky....like I said, beagles smell worse   or as bad anyway....well, I'm going to visit a shelter in Philly in a month and I'll get to see a bunch all at once....maybe I can find someone who just has one to see how see how the HOUSE smells after they're around for awhile...

but they are oooooh sooo cute.

thanks guys!

 Unfortunately ferrets never lose that sweaty gym-sock/corn chip smell. After a while you get used to it, and it gets kinda better if you give em a bath every 3 weeks and clean out their litter-box regularly. This is especially true if you have more than one ferret, me and my husband have 4.
  Ferrets are like children, they get into everything, and they run headfirst into walls repeatedly, due to bad eyesight. Females are generally smarter than males, but they're a little more bitchy, but I love them anyway


Sorsh

actually, putting fabric softener in with the dryer isn't a good idea for ferret laundry.  it can actually give them upper airway issues.  you've pretty much got the right idea from everyone else about the smell of ferrets, though.  it really depends on the person as to whether you can stand it.  they will always have that musky smell, even right after bathing.  some people, like me, don't mind it, ut others, like my mother, hate it and will do anything not to have me bring the furkids home for the holidays.  if you're living with someone, i would advise having them visit the shelter with you and having them check out the smell, too.  hope you love them as much as i do!

haha..me too..but I'm biased. My spoiled rotten furbutts stink. But I love their stink. I bathe them about every other month, not for the smell, but because they get into things. Mine freerange alot and are clingy to all hoomans that reside in the house, so they get lotsa stuff. It takes a different kind of household to deal with freeranging ferts. I tried the cage thing, went and bought a huge one. Needless to say, the cats like to sleep in the hammocks.
 Bear Bear, my fat butted boy...smells more than Cindy Loo. He also gets this orange color at the top of his neck and I bathe him for that, and to apply their flea treatments. Mine also walk outside and like to dig in the dirt, so bathing after those episodes are a must!
  Before you jump into the world of ferrets..please PLEASE read. Rats require much research before deciding to own them, but ferrets are even more of a responsibility. They are not naturally caged creatures, and they require alot of contact, like a puppy or a kitten that never grows up. You can train them quite well, too.
 I wouldn't trade** my ferts for the world, even when they stash my utensils and my brand new box of feminine products..yes, those...when I needed them the most!!

**edited because I typed the word "train" instead of "trade"..I HIGHLY recommend training..lol.. Silly me.

the fabric softener thing is something that i have maily heard from shelters.  here is a link to a bronchial website that talks about the dangers of fabric softener tto humans.  since fabric softeners also have a really strong smell, it's almost assuridely worse for ferrets because their sense of smell is so strong.  you're right, i've never heard of anyone having problems specifically related to fabric softeners, but i have heard of strong smell related issues, and fabric softeners have a really strong smell.  so it's just something to think about.

http://www.bronchialinfo.com/Article24.php

I personally like my fuzzies smell! Sorta like cornchips and Cheerios combined. Their ears can get stinky after a while, but I have this cleaner that smells fruity, so I clean their ears with that and then they smell good!

Bathing too often only makes a ferret stinkier. Bathing strips their skin of their natural oils. The skin has to work overtime to get those oils back, thus making a stinkier ferret. If you keep bathing, the skin has to work harder, which makes dry,flaky, itchy skin. I only bathe every few months.

Tips to keep a ferret's smell down:
- Wash bedding weekly (or every few days, depending on the number of ferrets)
- Scoop litterboxes once daily (or more, as noted above, on the number of ferrets)
- Wash litterboxes (empty them out first ) with hot, soapy water
- Only bathe when needed, no more than once a month
- Clean the cage at least once a month
- Keep their ears and teeth clean

Also some people may be used to one smell, and the smell of a ferret might be strong and different for them.

Just a note, petstore ferrets usually do stink, especially at Petco. Combine lots of ferrets in one not well ventilated aquarium/tank with bedding that isn't changed often and plenty of poop which stinks because they get fed Marshalls and that's a crappy food (which also makes the poop smell because it has fish in it) and you get stinky ferrets

dragonflye-- You are right! Good diets help alot! I can't believe it--HAMSTER food? Hmm...there's a reason it says hamster and not ferret!! And you're right, if you don't clean the litterboxes, it does have a sweetish earthy scent--good way of describing it!

Thanks for that tip! I'll have to tell my mom that! (She does the laundry) But how much is a little? How much exactly do you put in it?

man that vanilla idea is great. I've got to try it. it can also be used as an enrichment item...

since ferrets love to smell things, rubbing a bit of vanilla extract and other smelly spices on a piece of cloth and then tossing that into the cage or on the floor adds lots of entertainment for them..

Can that vanilla tip be used with rat laundry too? Probably a dumb question....but just curious!

Mine are litter trained for their poopies...but they pee wherever they want (mostly where they sleep). So maybe the vanilla will help with their pee stink and them maranating in it until I change the fleece in their cage. I change their cage every 3 days...sometimes every other day depending on how messy their dinner was that night

i have 2 rats and they are ouderless, but my friend has a ferret and when ricco was smaller, he didnt really stink. in an enclosed space and once they get older, they stink pretty bad. Ricco was de-scented & neutered.