Don't ferrets smell bad, kinda like skunks?

I asked people to ask me questions about ferrets, and these were some of the responses:

Don't ferrets smell bad, kinda like skunks? Like, they have the scent glands?

Why do they stink and when will someone fix it?

Why do ferrets smell so bad?

What do they smell like?


A very popular question, it seems! 

Yes, ferrets have a smell. But they are not at all like a skunk! Both skunks and ferrets are part of the same animal family/branch, mustilae. Meaning, they have musk glands. I have never smelled a skunk as I'm Australian, but from what I've seen on tv and from the recipes for curing the smell I see online, the smell sticks around for a long long time, and is so bad it can make people throw up.

Ferrets 'poof' when they are scared or over excited or surprised. This smell does not smell pleasant but it dissipates within half an hour on its own, usually within minutes actually. If it's directly on your clothes, you put it in the wash and the smell is gone. I'm not quite sure how to describe the poof smell other than 'musky', which doesn't really help.


Some mills in the USA insist on their ferrets being descented, which means surgically removing the anal glands. This only stops them from 'poofing' and doesn't stop the general ferret scent as they have musk glands all over their bodies that aren't removable. It is also unnecessary surgery on a small baby animal and often causes harm and complications.

The general ferret smell is in my opinion, not bad at all. I asked my partner what he thinks they smell like, and he said 'You know when you're a kid and you smell textas, it's like that. But more animally'. (Textas are felt tip markers).

I picked up Quincy and took a big whiff. (he licked my ear as I sniffed his belly). When my nose is right in there, he smells a bit like a wet dog.

He smells 'worse' than Chloe, though that could be because he has a dragging belly from his Swimmers, and can get in his own urine a little bit.

Most ferret smell comes from their cage. You really do need to clean their poos and wees up regularly to keep the smell down. Since they're carnivores, the smell is pretty pungent. And their bedding can get coated in oil from their fur, so you need to wash them regularly.

However, I really honestly do not think a well kept desexed ferret who isn't poofing smells any worse than a dog or cat or a pet rat. All animals have a scent.

Unneutered male ferrets on the other hand, smell pretty disgusting. I fostered one for a few days and just by being in the house he could clear out my guests from the lounge room. They enjoy getting as stinky as possible to be as alluring as they can (or so they think). 

I have had a couple of complaints about ferret smell in my life, and they were from when I was busy for a few days and didn't have a good chance to clean the cage properly, and also I honestly think those few people were super sensitive to smells.

Yes, you can tell the difference between a ferret home and a non pet home. But I can go into a house and tell if they have a dog or a cat or a rat etc too.


If you wash a ferret, they smell more, as you strip the oils from their fur and they excrete more to compensate. When I wash my two, I just use water and it's just to wash off mud or dirt or poo, rather than to get rid of their fur smell. Ferret deodorant is pretty dangerous to them, especially if it contains any essential oils.

 To keep your ferret non smelly: Feed good food, including bones. That makes their teeth cleaner so they don't get bad breath. It also makes their poo less smelly and their fur healthier and less stinky too. Don't wash your ferrets often, and when possible just use warm water. Clean your ferrets cage on a regular basis. Clear out their food stashes, wash their bedding and remove soiled litter/newspaper/bedding. Desex your ferrets when they are old enough. Air out the room you keep them in, or in good weather keep your ferrets outside. When you compare a kibble fed ferret's fur with a balanced raw ferret's fur, the difference in smell and texture is pretty amazing.
Give up on your ferrets smelling like soap or flowers.


Many ferret owners will tell you they end up enjoying their ferret's scent. There's even a name for picking up your ferret and taking a good sniff- ferret huffing.

How Long Do Ferrets Live?

When you become interested in getting your first ferret, one thing that everyone wants to know is 'how long will I have them in my life?'

Unfortunately, this question is a little hard to answer.

The average age for a ferret in Australia and England is 8 years, and for the USA, 6 years.

Why the difference?

In the USA, most ferrets come from ferret breeding mills, huge ones, that are mainly breeding ferrets for research purposes ( :( ). These places are extremely harsh, and the mothers and babies are not well fed or socialised. The babies are then taken away from their mothers far too early and desexed far too early, before being taken to pet shops who advocate the cheap pet food that the mill recommends (because they made it.). An example of a mill is Marshall's. This early malnutrition and lack of healthy mother's milk causes medical problems and social problems, and the early desexing causes some hormonal problems and increases their chances of certain cancers and other illnesses.

More on that issue to come.

In Australia, ferrets come from limited stock due to import laws. Most ferrets come from backyard breeders/people deciding they want baby ferrets and a few from responsible breeders. Some of those breed hundreds of babies a year, others it's a once off thing, and there are of course varying conditions for those mothers and babies. Some they may as well have been in a mill, others have loving home care and stay with their mothers until they are 10 weeks old and are fed proper food.
In England it is similar however they have a much larger breeding stock available.

Diet has a large impact on the age a ferret will live to. Sugary foods can give them insulinoma which is very common in ferrets and cuts lives tragically short even with treatment.


There are so many bad things that can befall a ferret, their lives are in much more peril than a dog or cat. A ferret that may have lived until 13 can be lost at 3 from eating something they shouldn't and getting a blockage in their stomach. They can be squished by feet, falling items, rocking chairs, recliners, doors. They can drown in a bath or toilet. They can be attacked by dogs or cats or if they're outside, wild animals. They can escape from the house and not be found, and starve to death or die from exposure. They can die from heat stroke, even inside your house. They can develop adrenal disease or lymphoma.

On the other hand, two of my ferrets who did not have good starts in life lived until they were eight almost nine, and ten years old. I know of some very healthy older ferrets who are 13 and still playing and dancing, not sickly and weak and 'elderly' like my two were.

The average of 7 is really no guarantee either way.

At this age their future is so unknown!

What Is A Ferret?

One day at work, I mentioned I have ferrets.
The children before me were very confused. 'But what *is* a ferret?'
'It's a fairly small furry animal about this big, with a long body, that I have as a pet'
'Yes... but what *is* it??'
'... it's a ferret!'


How do you explain what a dog or cat is to someone who has never seen a dog or a cat? It was like that. Explaining it was related to weasels was also no use.
The only way I could explain was to get out my phone and show photos of my two and even then, though they pronounced them 'really cute' , they didn't quite get it.

It's strange to me that though ferrets are a pretty popular pet, so much of society has never seen one, touched one, and most kids don't even know what one is.

Ferrets have been domesticated for several thousand years. Evidence suggests they were domesticated before cats were, and that ancient Egyptians had ferrets to deal with rodents, before they had cats!

Like dogs were domesticated from wolves, ferrets were domesticated from polecats. Their behaviour became more social (polecats are generally loners), and they became a bit smaller and more  silly.

Polecats, and ferrets, are part of the mustelid family, like dogs are part of the canine family. Others in that group include weasels, stoats, ermine, otters, skunks and badgers. The main thing that makes these animals related is the musk glands they have, but lots of them have physical similarities too. So if you know what those animals are, I guess I could describe them as '[that animal], but bigger/smaller/less smelly/browner/dryer'.

Unlike dogs, there aren't a whole lot of different colours and styles of ferrets. The 'usual' look of a ferret is a fur mask over the eyes, white ear tips, and a brown body with darker feet and legs and tail.

Ferrets have long canines that stick down over their bottom lips like little vampires. They are pure carnivores and their teeth prove it. They have long whiskers which help them with their tunnelling, which they love to do. Any small space is fair game to them. If their head fits in a hole, usually their whole body will too.

A ferret has a long body, which they hold up in an arch quite often.  To the uninitiated, they look really really strange because of this. It does not slow them down at all, they are very quick.

They are incredibly flexible animals, and are often to be found sleeping in the strangest positions.

Then there are the sillier ways of describing a ferret.

Carpet Sharks: Unlike water sharks, these little guys live on the carpet, and may bite your ankle at any time. (if they're naughty!)

Furry Slinkies: Seriously, it's like these guys have a slinky for a spine.

Long Cat: They look like that old meme of Long Cat. Long Cats are Long.

Cat Snake: Take away their legs, and they look like a cross between a cat and a snake. Essspecially their fangssssssssss. (and they hiss when they're annoyed).


How would you describe what a ferret is?