questions about the scent.

[shorty16]

 i was wondering at which age its best to descent a ferret. and does it help a lot? also how often should you bath them b/c i know u shouldnt bath them too often or they smell more due to dry skin? and wat foods do you reccommend b/c i read that better, healthier to help them smell less and well, i want a healthy food for it's well-being also? 

[nakedrats]

Most pet store ferrets come already descented.  If you get a breeder baby, it'll probably be scent glanded still.  They recommend keeping them in if you can.  The anal glands in a ferret are used defensively as a deterrent to what's bothering them.  A poof of scent from a glanded ferret smells pretty bad for a minute or two and then is gone. Typical everyday "ferret smell" doesn't come from the scent glands.  It comes from oils in their skin.  This is the lingering musk odor that people have so much trouble with.  The best thing to do for it is to regularly change the bedding in the cage, and most people recommend bathing once a month with special ferret shampoo.  Ferrets rub on their bedding so the musky oils soak into the fabric.  Cleaning out the cage can do a lot to reduce the musky smell.  The final thing is to make sure you have clean litterboxes.  Ferret poop is stinky and can do quite a bit to stink up the cage.  If they aren't litter trained, stick a litterbox in all the corners of the cage and they'll use them.

[BLM]

There is no medical reason to descent a ferret. It's not necessary, but mass suppliers do it anyway, because it helps ferrets sell better, due to people's lack of knowledge. Even when ferrets are descented, they retain a musky odor, which is from their skin glands. There is no way to completely eliminate this, but it can be mildly controlled with a proper diet.

Ferrets don't ever have to be bathed. The most recommended is twice a year at the most. It's better not to bathe them unless they get into something messy, dirty, or sticky. Brushing them once a week regularly and everyday in shedding season, as well as a laxative (preferably plain Vaseline; laxatives and hairball remedies have too much sugar) should do the trick.