ferret grooming

[Shann]

The key to a good ferret coat is a good diet! Best option is a raw diet. Unfortunately, that's not feasible for me right now (reasons too numerous to explain here, but my next ferrets will be on it, and these guys will be too next year). If you can't feed raw, there are some decent options, and mine do very well on Wysong Ferret Epigen 90.

Check out this chart :http://moredooks.herobo.com/search.php?chart=ferret
It is a good place to start when selecting diets, though honestly I'd just go with the top ones and have them shipped to you. Most that you can find in petstores are junk. I don't just feed kibble, however, and give them homemade soupies (lots of great recipes online - search for duck soup) and give them natural healthy treats (like meat). I completely stay away from pretty much everything marketed towards ferrets, as far as supplements and treats go. I DO use ferretone in soups from time to time to mask other flavors they aren't fond of, but it's not a regular thing, and I don't use much when I do. I do think it's important to keep a varied (healthy) diet for several reasons. One, it keeps them open to new options in case you can't get their normal food, and two, I tend to find that they do better and stay interested in eating when I do.

I don't know if there is a specific shampoo to be used, because I seriously almost never bathe mine. I bathe them if they've gotten a little over-energetic while wrestling and end up in the litterbox, but that's about it. On a good diet, they don't smell bad. That natural musky smell is always kind of there, but I'm fond of it. And bathing them doesn't do anything to help that, it just makes it worse (as was stated above, it dries out the skin and causes them to produce more oils). You will find that on healthier diets their coats (and poops!) are completely different. The fur becomes soft and silky and thick, instead of course and brittle like the ones you see in a pet store.

Another benefit to proper diet - they tend to eat less (bad kibble goes right through them) and they poop less. It also doesn't smell as bad, and is easier to clean.