Shampoo and Weight Questions!

Hey everyone. As most of you know, I'm on my first ferret, so I've still got a lot to learn, and a few questions to ask.

What kind of shampoo is best for my ferret? My boyfriend and I went out shopping for him last night (we brought Murdoc with us and he even picked out a new toy himself!), and realized how many different brands of things there are. We know what to look for as far as food, but when it came to the different choices of shampoo, we weren't sure which to pick. Some seemed based on making the ferret smell good, others based on making the coat healthy, etc. What brand do you guys suggest or use? Also, how often should we bathe him? Not for the smell (we know that's inevitable and fine by us) but for his health? Once a week, once every other week? Thanks!

My other question, Murdoc is about a year old. He seems in good health except he is quite skinny. Is this normal for ferrets at this age? We've seen pictures of older ones that seem somewhat plump. Should we feed him something special? When I pick him up it seems I can feel every bone in his body, yet he eats perfectly normal.

Thanks for any help you guys can offer, we appreciate it!

[Ravnos]

I bathe my ferrets usually every 2-3 weeks... depending on whether they have gotten into anything messy or not of course. I use Johnson's Baby shampoo... the tearless kind. I've never seen much point in using shampoos marketed specifically for ferrets when the 99 cent bottle of baby shampoo works just as well. =)

As for weight... hard to say. Most ferrets are rather skinny, and since they have the bone structure of a slinky, you can almost always feel it when you pick them up... even if they are plump. Looking at him on a side view, if his lower tummy area doesn't seem to 'cave in' less than his rib cage area, I wouldn't be too concerned... especially if he is eating well. Again, hard to really say from a text description though.

Rav

Thanks for the help! I JUST got some pictures of him up, I'm gonna start a new thread for them, but here they are, too.


http://www.geocities.com/hamurane/murdocpics.html

Congrats on the new fuzzy!

Ferrets should not be bathed anymore than once a month at the most. Some of mine are bathed every 3-4 months well others are bathed only every 6 months or so. Bathing more than once a month causes the oil glands to work over time which, in the end, causes the fuzzy to smell. It can also dry out the skin. We have found Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps to work very well. Only use the eucalyptus or peppermint scented kind.

A great supplement to feed an underweight ferret is Bob Church's Chicken Gravy: http://www.trifl.org/gravy.html (personally, I don't add the honey, Nutrical, Ferretone, fine bran/whole oats/Metamucil, don't add quite as much kibble, and add the egg whites along with the shells) and/or chicken, lamb, turkey, or beef second step baby food.

Hope this helps!

[Nancy]

I only bathe my guys once every few months. I prefer using PPP's Ferret Shampoo and Creme Rinse--great stuff!!
Every ferret is different as far as weight goes. Some are just genetically meant to be skinny. As long as you can't *visibly* see the outline of individual ribs, his sides aren't caved in and his hips bones aren't protruding, then he's ok Sometimes when a ferret is underweight, their ears appear bigger than normal and the white fur behind the ears seems to stick out more when you're looking directly at the ferret's face. Sometimes the first time people hold a ferret, they automatically think they feel boney--once you get used to it you can tell right away if a ferret is underweight or not.

~Nancy