Oatmeal baths

[reese6959]

Thinking as an alt monthly or so bath being just ground oatmeal in water. Will that help with the slight smell. Right now we have just water bathed them for playtime or when one has gotten way to excited and stepped in poop. No soaps yet. I dont think they smell bad, only when i broughy them home. But cleaning litter twice a day and changing bedding daily is a great help. For smells and their health ☺

[LindaM]

Bathing makes ferrets smell more. Ferrets honestly don't need to be bathed, at all. The only times they should get a rinse with hot water is if they have something gross stuck to them, like poop or otherwise. You should only ever use the tiniest bit of a no-tears baby shampoo if there is something truly stubborn or potentially dangerous that you need to get off the ferrets. While oatmeal can be nice and help with dry skin and itchies, I don't think it should be overdone either.

Let me ask you this, what diet is your ferrets on? The best diet for them and one that actually makes them smell great, is a natural raw diet. My ferrets smell delicious, and I've actually had people ask me if I perfume them, because they smell really nice, basically sugary sweet. It also makes their poops smaller and stink less.

Believe me, you notice the difference between kibble-fed ferrets and raw-fed ferrets right away when used to raw-fed ferrets. Every rescue I've brought into our home has REEKED to the high heavens until they got adjusted to their new raw lifestyle.

[reese6959]

When i bought them they were on generic kitten food, of course i got suckered into the marshalls. But i bought wysong and have since mixed it with the marshalls to have them get used to the wysong. Ive talked to my vet about going raw and ive started looking into it. But as now its just kibble. I did dabble with a quail egg and i bought some chicken necks and hearts but they are still in freezer. Haven't gone raw yet. Still gathering info

[Sherry]

No reason to bathe ferrets. If they get into something mucky warm water soaks often do the job. The only real need for oatmeal baths/soaks are when skin conditions are in play.

[LindaM]

Yeah, on Marshall's kibble your ferrets will stink to high heaven, period. They should smell better on the Wysong, but it won't be anything like it would be when fully on raw. You mention still doing your raw research, have you looked through this link?
holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/17480/intro-raw-newbies-read

It has lots of helpful info to get you started on raw. You can also sign up for a mentor to work with you one-on-one, or even just create a Diet Transitions thread in which you start switching them yourself, allowing any of us to jump in and offer advice should you get stuck.