Very often, people have ferrets as pets. These cute animals bring joy to children and cheer up adults. But these animals have one unpleasant feature: they have a peculiar aroma that is quite difficult to remove, so before you start a ferret as a pet, you need to ask how to properly maintain it, and especially how to bathe the ferret in order to remove the unpleasant odor.
How to bathe and wash your ferret
Important points in pet care
Taking care of these animals is easy, especially since ferrets love to swim. They almost always give off a bad scent when they are afraid of something or someone. This smell is very persistent, but it can be removed by using a special shampoo.
Bathing a ferret should take place under the strict control of the owner, therefore, during the procedure, you should pay attention to several important points:
- a large amount of water should not be poured into a bathing container;
- when bathing a ferret, it is important not to wet his head, ears and eyes;
- bathing is carried out in warm water, you must make sure that the pet does not catch a cold.
You need to bathe your ferret no more than 1-2 times a month. If he does not want to go into the water, you should not force him: this can disturb his psyche.
What means can you wash your pet
It is better to bathe pet ferrets with special shampoos. It is forbidden to wash the animal with simple soap or other means. A product that is intended for people will only harm the animal: it contains highly harmful elements that are not suitable for animal hair. The ferret shampoo has no harmful substances and is made with all the features. Such products make the coat of pets soft and shiny. It stops falling out, becomes thick and beautiful.
How to wash your ferret at home? First you need to warm up some water: it should not be too cold, as the animal can get very sick. Then the ferret is gradually wetted and lathered with shampoo. Make sure that water and detergent do not get into your pet's eyes, ears and head.
If the ferret starts to escape while swimming, it should be petted. To do this, you need to pick him up and stroke him. When bathing causes any inconvenience to the animal, you cannot torture him, it is better to use dry shampoo. Such a tool is very convenient to use: no water is needed to use it. It is poured onto dry wool and simply combed out, while the pet does not get nervous, but behaves very calmly.
Taking water procedures for the first time
An important point is bathing the ferret for the first time. The first time always causes a little stress in animals: for the first time they see water, since they do not wash in their natural habitat.
The first step is to prepare the animal for this procedure. You can take a special bath, or you can get by with a simple basin. You need to put several toys in such a bath so that the animal is not alarmed.
First, the ferret is placed in a dry basin and only then they begin to add a little water. You cannot pour a lot of water, it is enough just to wet the animal's paws. It is also advisable to build a small dry table above the bathing pool: the animal will rest on it in between swimming. It is worth washing the animal so that it likes it. If everything is not done according to the rules, the pet will be very afraid of water.
What rules should be followed when swimming
Ferrets love to bathe, and therefore bathing them will only bring pleasure to the owner. It is best to wash your ferrets at home in the bathroom. The water temperature should be 37-38 ° C, this is very important. Many owners are accustomed to bathing animals in a basin, so you can use any convenient method.
To prevent the ferret from scaring the water, it is better to put toys that he likes to play in the tub or basin. When your pet starts to touch the water and is not afraid of it, you can give him your favorite treat. After such an act, the animal will see that there is nothing dangerous in the water and will continue the water procedures.
There should be some water in the container in which the animal will swim. The ferret should not be washed in the bathroom, it is important that he can move around in it. You also need to check the temperature of the water so that it does not cool down and the pet does not get sick.
What to do with the animal after finishing water treatments
When the bath is over, the ferret should be wiped dry using a towel. It is very important that all windows and doors in the house are closed, as a small draft will cause the animal to become very sick. If the animal is shaking after a bath, you can dry it with a hairdryer, but adjust the air slightly hot.
After finishing water activities and drying pets, their fur is gently combed. If ferrets like to walk outside, it is better not to take them out after swimming. When water has flowed into the ears, it can be wiped off with a cotton swab, but this must be done very carefully. Do not stick the stick very deeply, just wipe it along the edge.
If bathing does not bring pleasure to the animal, it should be fed with your favorite delicacy so that it comes to its senses a little. Often you don't need to bathe ferrets, just 1-2 times a month will be enough. And so that during a walk the animals do not get too smeared, a protective suit is put on the ferrets. The overalls can be purchased at any pet store, the ferret will be very warm and comfortable in it.
The first bathing of the ferret Boney))))
In conclusion
Washing a ferret on your own at home is not difficult, the main thing is to do everything carefully so as not to harm the health of the animal. These little animals are very fond of swimming, but not all, so they need to be accustomed to water gradually, otherwise they can cause severe stress in them.
Often this is also not worth doing, because the coat may begin to turn yellow. Especially often the coat turns yellow in non-castrated males. For bathing, you need to use only a special shampoo. When applied, the coat will be soft, shiny and smell good.
Observe the listed conditions and your ferret will be clean and happy.