5 Ways To Reduce The Smell Of Your Ferret’s Cage

Why Is My Ferret’s Poop Smelly?

Ferrets can be smelly animals! But you’re in luck—it’s possible to get rid of that smell! I have two ferrets of my own and two litter boxes in a four story cage. People come up all the time and ask, “Don’t ferrets stink?”

To their surprise, my cage was almost odorless! The only way you can smell anything is to literally stick your head in the cage and breathe. How do I do this? It’s easier than you think.

How to Control Odor in Your Ferret’s Cage

Follow these tips and make picking your nose a thing of the past!

1. Use wood stove pellets instead of cat litter.
2. Feed them the right food.
3. Spray the cage with Nature’s Miracle.
4. They will bathe often.
5. Change and wash their bedding weekly.

1. Use Wood Stove Pellets instead of Cat Litter

Wood stove pellets are a must. You will be amazed at the dramatic results. These pellets are simply sawdust that has been compacted into a pellet shape. You can purchase them at your local Walmart, Lowe’s, Home Depot, hardware store, tack shop, or many other locations.

They are sometimes hard to find in the summer months, so I recommend stocking up in the fall and winter when stores are more likely to sell this product. Wood stove pellets are inexpensive and come in 40–50 lb bags.

How Do You Use Them?

It’s simple! Use it as you would cat litter and fill the litter box with wood stove pellets. The only difference is that there is no scooping required! When the pellets come in contact with moisture, they break down into sawdust. When 1/2 to 2/3 of the pellets have turned to sawdust, empty the entire litter box and refill it.

When I first started using it, I was amazed at the difference and how often I had to change the litter box. I’ve tried every cat litter, from expensive brands to cheap brands, and nothing seems to get rid of the smell. Wood stove pellets work best (for cats, too)!

2. Feed Them the Right Food

As a rule, if it is smelled, it will come out smelly. Stinky food equals stinky shit. If you feed your ferret a higher quality food (like Evo or Wysong, for example), they will eat less than if you feed them a lower quality food.

Less poop = less stink.

Don’t skimp on food. It really saves money if you buy it in bulk online.

3. Spray the Cage with Nature’s Miracle

This is a great product that is sold both online and in many pet stores. Nature’s Miracle is a spray that works with enzymes and is harmless to animals. It is marketed as a stain and odor remover. You can buy Nature’s Miracle designed specifically for ferrets or regular Nature’s Miracle. They are basically the same.

When used with wood stove pellets, it tops everything. Your wood stove pellets alleviate most of the odor, but what if there’s still a faint odor? This is where the Miracle of Nature comes in!

How to Use It

Just take the ferrets out of the cage, give it a few sprays of Nature’s Miracle, and let it dry. Voilà! No smell! I usually spray my cage with Nature’s Miracle once a day just to make sure there is no smell.

It only works well with wood stove pellets. If you’re using another litter that doesn’t work as well and your cage stinks, Nature’s Miracle isn’t really going to do any miracles.

4. Bathing Them Infrequently

Ferrets do not need to be bathed very often. A bath every month or two is enough. Only bathe the ferret if it is dirty, if it defecates on itself, or if it just smells seriously.

You may need to bathe your new ferret shortly after bringing it home as it may smell overwhelming. But in general, the fewer baths, the better. Every time you bathe your ferret, you are stripping its skin of its oils, and the oils will come back stronger because of this to replenish themselves.

That’s why, even if your ferret smells good after a bath, it won’t be long before the stench is even worse than before. Bathe your ferret only when necessary.

5. Change and Wash Sheets Weekly

Ferrets are oily animals. This is part of what makes a ferret smell like a ferret. As you can imagine, all the bedding in your cage will also smell like a ferret if you don’t wash it!

Blankets or anything cuddly is the best bedding to use. Grooming and wood shavings will smell the cage, and ferrets don’t seem to really enjoy these types of bedding. Plus, they’re so messy!

Cut up some old blankets or clothes, and place them in your cage. Just remember to change the sheets weekly, and wash used bedding.

But What About Ferrets?

The ferret itself will smell like a ferret, no matter what. Just like a dog smells like a dog, a horse smells like a horse, and a ferret smells like a cat—a ferret smells like a ferret!

If it really bothers you, however, look into purchasing a ferret grooming or refreshing spray. Spray a little on the ferret every time you handle it to make the ferret smell more pleasant. This is better than bathing because it doesn’t strip the skin of its oils.

This article is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge. It is not intended to replace diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, prescription, or formal and individualized advice from a veterinary medical professional. Animals showing signs and symptoms of distress should be seen by a veterinarian immediately.

Comments

Kirsty Ramone on February 02, 2020:

I can’t believe you would recommend pine or wood litter. PLEASE DO NOT USE BUGS THAT HAVE BEEN DUSTED OR DUSTED!!! This is supposed to be an article about how to make the cage smell less? How about cleaning the box a few times a week instead of using litter that comes out of their nostrils and clogs them. Many ferrets sniff their litter and boxes. Never use cat litter or wood that is smaller. Shame on you for recommending that.

Ray on June 01, 2019:

I have a ferret named Kreature from the Harry Potter books. I have since we got him begging my bf to allow me to get him a friend bc he is lonely. But she refused because I couldn’t control the smell. Switched to your method about two months ago and am now looking for a rescue to join our family thank you very much.

Todd Wundy on January 14, 2018:

Hello everyone! I own 2 ferrets. This article is missing 2 of the most important things I think you can do:

1. Marshall Ferret Bi-Odor

The liquid placed in their water removes their body odor and poop odors. Makes amazing and essential for every ferret owner. Buy on Amazon.

2. Moso air purifying bag

Place it on top of your ferrets cage. It does an incredible job of absorbing odors. Absolutely no smell! Buy on Amazon

I agree with other points, such as wood pellets for piglets that absorb odors well and washing their bedding frequently. Thanks for the post and I hope I helped!

Donna on September 02, 2017:

Stove pellets contain chemicals, however, equine bedding pellets do not. These are readily available at farm stores. No dust when wet and they work for any small animal ie: guinea pig and rabbit.

Peter on August 27, 2017:

Hi I have a ferret to and it smells a lot but for the pellets can I use regular saw dust instead you see I’m a wood chop teacher and when ever the students do there projects they leave a lot of saw dust so would it still work.

Delaney on August 14, 2017:

thank you very much for this! I might buy a ferret at some point, and it is very useful, I once had a rabbit and two mice, there are cages that both always smell, even if I just clean them, but everything your tips are very handy to know, but I will try to find something other than wood pellets, per the other comments.

Kim on October 26, 2016:

I don’t use pellets that turn into saw dust. Smoky because saw dust is bad for the ferrers reapitory system. Also as they are fir a wood stoce etc you have to be careful with the chemicals used as they will not be pet safe.

Jack on August 27, 2016:

I stopped reading when I saw you used wood pellets. This is very bad for ferrets and can cause respiratory infections.

m on June 30, 2016:

the only problem is that wood pellets are toxic for animals when combined with urine.. and since you use them in the litterbox…

Vicky as of September 30, 2015:

thank you very much! I’m in macao and fewer people here feed ferrets. So it is really useful for me

Savannah on May 26, 2015:

I have two ferrets of my own and I am very thankful for the tips, ps: have you tried giving your ferrets eggs every once in a while because it is good for their diet and thanks again x

Krissy on January 22, 2015:

What happens if your ferret eats wood stove pellets?

Addison V. on November 09, 2014:

Thanks for this. I really want to keep my ferrets. but my dog ​​is getting old and we can’t have 2 dogs and 2 ferrets it’s a bit over whelming. But if it works I may not need to reconsider.

destiny yachts on September 10, 2014:

I put fleece in my cage. I have a ferret nation cage and the bottom is these plastic trays. I just stick a square elt under the sides and change them every week. I have four ferrets so it might be less if you have two. plus bonus! my ferrets wont poo on felt. no scraping hard poo in the corners of the cage!

random on November 06, 2013:

I can’t wait to try it! I’ve already tried a couple different litters to no avail, I might have to change his food

desire on March 18, 2012:

hope this helps bc im planning to get two soon :PP

desire on January 22, 2012:

Thank you very much this really helped. As soon as I get paid, I will buy these things.

random on May 27, 2011:

thanx this article is really helpful!!!! 🙂

More Dooks on May 24, 2011:

Great article, it’s one of the best worded, well explained, and easy to understand I’ve seen on the subject.

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