How smelly are pet ferrets in the USA? (Compared to European ones if you have experience with both)?

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MamaLlama629@reddit

They don’t smell great but they smell more in the same range as rodents. I’d say they smell more like a guinea pig or something? Idk.

Why is de-scenting illegal in the uk?

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Word2DWise@reddit

Some states outlaw ferrets but not all. Even if they de-gland them, they still stink bad. I don’t understand why someone would willingly have one of those squirmy rats as pets.

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markuus99@reddit

Pet ferrets are not unheard of, but they are not at all common. They are illegal in a few states.

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Majestic_Electric@reddit

Yep. I know for sure that they’re banned in California and Hawaii, but there may be a few others.

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Idk about banned but my local petco started selling chinchillas and that just makes me super sad because they keep them where the ferrets used to go—meaning, no special equipment to keep them at the temps, comfort, and activity levels they need to be at. It is very disappointing.

WA, btw

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jayzisne@reddit

They’ve always had chinchillas at every petsmart in Texas. Texas has a lot of pets you can own that you can’t in other states… lol. I always wonder how many people are actually adopting them.

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Kitzira@reddit

Working animal shelter in Texas for over a decade... not that often. We had more hamsters surrendered than Chinchillas. (And lots more rabbits [due to FFA] & guinea pigs.)

I would always transfer out chinchillas to rescues though. The New Orleans rescue got a good amount & there was another one nearby Dallas that took a few. The shelter had trouble keeping the a/c cool enough for them to be comfortable.

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Suppafly@reddit

no special equipment to keep them at the temps, comfort, and activity levels they need to be at

That's not really different from any of the other pets. They are only there for a week or two at most.

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fasterthanfood@reddit

I remember in the wild election that ultimately elected Arnold Schwarzenegger, there were like a hundred candidates and one of them campaigned on ferret legalization. I don’t know how many votes they got, probably less than 1%, but as a high school student not quite able to vote yet, it was an early moment of “we should probably treat politics with a bit more respect and seriousness.” If only I knew what would come later.

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Ok_Preference6999@reddit

I'm questioning everything because both of the ferrets I've known, PLUS the one's at the pet store smell. Are they descented?

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im_n0t_creative@reddit

I’ve been to a few houses with ferrets. There is definitely a unique smell associated with them, but It is not terribly overpowering.

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No-Banana247@reddit

This is how I remember it from fostering a rescue in 2005. Mine was likely descented judging off the comments in this thread and how people talked about their smell back then. They certainly had a odor but I expected that and it wasn't over powering imo.

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Lurkalope@reddit

My understanding is that descenting (removing the anal glands) doesn't make a very big difference in day to day odor, it just keeps them from stink bombing if they get scared or overly excited. Most of the odor comes from their skin oils, and neutering is supposed to have a bigger effect. I've also heard from owners that if you're frequently cleaning their bedding it shouldn't be that bad.

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ahferroin7@reddit

Haven’t owned ferrets myself, but helped take care of a few rescues when I was volunteering as an assistant zookeeper at the local children’s museum, and this is consistent with what I learned and observed of them there.

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No-Banana247@reddit

Interesting!! Thanks for the info. We definitely kept up with bedding and he was neutered as well.

When I was a kid there was a move called Beastmaster that I watched on repeat and the Beastmaster had ferrets, in-wanted one SO BADLY. So, fostering that ferret, even for the short time was a dream. I loved him (Templeton) but it wasn't a fit for my lifestyle at the time beyond the fostering.

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Adagio_4_Strings@reddit

The smell is simply awful. An abomination, imo.

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brumblebeee2@reddit

Is it that different from say, wet dog?

What do ferrets smell like exactly?

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Youcants1tw1thus@reddit

PISS. Like concentrated cat piss that’s been soaked into a rug and left to ferment. It’s awful.

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Adagio_4_Strings@reddit

Like aged cat urine, musky, weirdly like corn chips (but not in a good way) sometimes.

Their diet can help lessen funky odors, though. Raw food and high-quality are key.

Also, intact males are smellier.

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FancyRatFridays@reddit

Also, putting aside the scent of the ferret itself, their poop smells like an outhouse full of rotting meat. Just an awful putrescence. If you let their cage get dirty, it quickly becomes overpowering.

I've heard that this too can be mitigated with a proper diet, but I have yet to see it be very effective.

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PuzzleheadedLemon353@reddit

They have a musky funk smell. But they are adorable!

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relikter@reddit

I don't like the smell of wet dog, but I'd hardly call it an abomination. Dog farts, on the other hand, have woken me up coughing.

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cool_weed_dad@reddit

I’ve known a few people that had ferrets. They stink and their whole house and themselves always reeked of ferret smell.

When I was a kid my neighbor’s ferret got loose and they mistook a skunk for it and almost picked it up and got sprayed.

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flgirl-353@reddit

I don’t think they are as popular here as you imagine. I am older and only have ever known one person that had one.

It was descented but it still had a strong odor. Theirs free roamed and the sofa and cushions smelled of it.

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Diabolik900@reddit

I’ve known one person with a pet ferret in my entire life. Maybe I’m wrong, but I think they’re less common than you’re imagining.

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IHaveBoxerDogs@reddit

They seem to be popular with college students who want to be quirky. At least when I was in school.

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Suppafly@reddit

They seem to be popular with college students who want to be quirky. At least when I was in school.

This, there are random people that really love them, but mostly it's a phase that people go through in their early 20s and then grow out of. The fact that they are pretty lazy pets makes them compatible with a student's lifestyle.

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HrhEverythingElse@reddit

They're just small — ferrets are still a LOT of work if you treat them right. I'd argue that adult cats are lower maintenance

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Downtown_Confusion46@reddit

We could have ferrets but not cats is why I and several people I knew in college had them. I loved my babies but yeah they’re stinky and I’m happy with my cats now.

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wiserTyou@reddit

I work on housing in a college town and the 3 ferrets I've had were all non-students. Students seem to like hedgehogs, rabbits, and guinea pigs.

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Spiritual_Being5845@reddit

I had some a few decades ago, but now that I’m thinking about it I didn’t know anyone else who had ferrets

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HorseFeathersFur@reddit

I’ve never known anyone with one

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tunavomit@reddit

I knew a guy that kept ferrets at the allotment, maybe because they were open air but I thought they stank less than my USA friend's two ferrets man they stank up her whole apartment.

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sewsowsigh@reddit

Dated someone who took really good care of her ferrets- they definitely had A Scent, but it wasn't terribly strong

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Anubis-Hound@reddit

Smelly enough that it's almost always one of the first things mentioned when people ask if they should buy one. Like a buyer beware disclaimer type of thing.

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EstablishmentSea7661@reddit

Never encountered a pet ferret. I thought that was a thing just for TV or whatever

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VerucaGotBurned@reddit

I've known four ferrets in my life. They all had a distinct odor. I had also never heard of descenting ferrets until very recently.

Anyway the smell doesn't bother me but I'm aware of it. It seems to bother at least half of people to varying degrees. My mother can't stand it so I never had one and got into completely different animals and now it would be a pain to switch to ferrets.

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soggysocks6123@reddit

Huh, I assumed everytime I scrolled over video of a guy running ferret for hare that it was in the uk. Now I’m gonna have to do more digging.

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New-Job1761@reddit

We’ve had several ferrets and none smelled bad. Very loving and playful even with the dogs. Cats kept their distance.

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MoneyShot2023@reddit

I had fer ferrets in my '20s and I think all three were de-scented. They had a mild sweet scent but I really didn't think of it as bad. However, I think they had been re-bred many times over the years and possibly their sent became less and less. I loved the little creatures but all three of them ended up developing terrible health problems which I think were genetic due to all the inbreeding. It was heartbreaking each time so I stopped getting them.

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LadySilvie@reddit

Tbh as a ferret owner this is my experience.

Not too stinky if cared for properly, but no amount of money can prevent them from getting cancer.

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MoneyShot2023@reddit

It was sooo hard. None of mine made it long enough to get old. I'm glad you've gotten to spend some quality time with yours.

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Moni6674@reddit

My brother had a pet ferret. They are adorable. the way that they run, the little noises that they make. They are super cute. BUT when they go to the bathroom, the fecal matter is almost the same size as a ferret. It’s disgusting.

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Red_Beard_Rising@reddit

We had 2 ferrets in the early-mid 90's. They didn't smell at all. Less than the gerbils, hamsters, and fish. The lop-eared bunny grandma gave us was slightly more stinky. If a dog shit on the carpet? Ferret please!

Ferrets were probably de-scented back then. Not sure what the regulations are today. The male was put down when the tumors became too much. The lady passed of old age much later.

I would love to have a ferret again, but the cats will have me replacing it in a week. Plus the clean-up from the kill because we all know the cats don't clean the kill site.

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CosyBeluga@reddit

They are smelly even de-scented.

My cousin had one and she kept his cage and everything clean, but he was still musty smelling

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Express_Barnacle_174@reddit

Frequently they're de-scented at the same time they're spayed/neutered. At least mine was when I had her in the 90's.

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RTR7105@reddit

I work in a manufacturing plant essentially by myself (a niche speciality maintenance role). When I was on night shift several years ago maybe 2022ish, I had my garage door open by my area for fresh air. During the night a ferret just came walking up to me. Clearly someone's pet nearby. It was friendly. I put it in a cardboard box and went back to work. It was able to escape and I assume went home.

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Kitchen_Ad6227@reddit

I've owned ferrets and they stink

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thomsenite256@reddit

Ive only ever encountered one pet ferret and it was a little pungent I think. It is not a common pet at all.

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heybud_letsparty@reddit

I had to break up with a girl because she owned one. Even though I would never go to her house, she still smelled so bad from living with it that I had to end things. All her clothes reeked of ferret, and her sleeping in my bed made my bed smell. Sucks because she was cool and really attractive.

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igotshadowbaned@reddit

My friend has ferrets. They just wash them pretty regularly

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Intermountain-Gal@reddit

My brother had a ferret and I babysat it a couple of times. He had it descended, and they gave it a bath like once a week. There was hardly any smell.

My cats loved it when I babysat it. They and the ferret had a blast romping, playing hide and seek, and the ferret surprise “goosing” the cat’s butt!

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LasagnaNoise@reddit

Many ferret pets in the US are sold already descented, which means their anal glands/scent glands have been removed, They still smell, but much much less than non-descented ferrets.

I'm not saying this is a good thing. I'm sure I'll get downvoted for mentioning descenting exists, but it is the difference.

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__HEATHER@reddit

I’m in Texas and they’re pretty common down here. Usually among a very specific particular group of people though.

They are indeed always kept indoors as we have predator birds and animals (coyotes, bob cats, wild boars, cougars, bears, wolves)

I genuinely only ever thought the smell is because of how shitty the owners are at hygiene. Which I still believe considering I’m constantly seeing people wipe their ass and not wash their hands. So that alone lets me know people lack basic hygiene skills. So imagine them with an animal.

Even worse if they get one that is high odor

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angrysquirrel777@reddit

I think I only ever know one person with a pet ferret and it smelled pretty bad. Was super fun to play with but you needed the windows open in their sun room.

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Zizi_Tennenbaum@reddit

I wouldn't own one, but goddamn I love petsitting ferrets. They're just the weirdest little flobbity tubecats.

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skaboosh@reddit

That’s why I hate them, like snake kittens with equally sharp teeth and claws. Gave me the willies.

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Spiritual_Being5845@reddit

I describe them as kittens on crack that will never outgrow the kitten stage

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Zappagrrl02@reddit

I also only have known one person who owned a ferret and it smelled horrible. It also destroyed their house (which honestly, probably the owner’s fault) and was always escaping.

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Particular_Bet_5466@reddit

Yeah that checks out with the one person I knew with a ferret. Her house was pretty stinky and filthy.

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aftercloudia@reddit

girl i went to school with had two and they could get pretty funky but i think a lot of it was just less stringent cage care than anything. when the cage was freshly cleaned, shadow and michi hardly smelled at all

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Yankee831@reddit

They’re not nearly as bad as people say but you have to diligently bathe them, wash their hammock/toys, and change the bedding/litter. I’d say they’re roughly as smelly as a human is scaled down. Like if you pooped in an open tray, slept on the same pile of bedding and never did anything you would smell pretty rank too. When I had mine I’d have to tell people he was there or they never knew.

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Angry_GorillaBS@reddit

I don't think they're as common as you think.

But I had ferrets for a while and they didn't really smell, but their shit sure does. That was the challenge, nonstop keeping up with that.

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Vachic09@reddit

Their anal scent glands are removed but they still have the musk from the glands in their skin. The smell is quite manageable if you keep their area clean.

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MrsMitchBitch@reddit

I don’t think these pets are as common as you think. I’m 40 and have never known a person who owned one.

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spandexcatsuit@reddit

They reek

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Khpatton@reddit

I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone with a pet ferret.

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MrSillmarillion@reddit

If you shower them once a week with ferret shampoo they sell at Petco, you never notice.

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slothdonki@reddit

I personally have no idea what one with intact scent glands smell like, nor the difference in scent between ones that aren’t spayed or neutered but I couldn’t even stand those after I had 3 left on my lawn as a teenager.

They were so much fun, not even very destructive at all like I thought they’d be but even after cleaning their litter boxes every time they used it, changing their bedding/fleece and scrubbing their giant cage daily; that ferret smell drove me up the walls so bad my hair was falling out. It was worse than male mice smell.

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jackfaire@reddit

The ferret room at a friend's house smelled horrible if they were descented I call bullshit

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notthelettuce@reddit

I’ve only been around 1 ferret before and it smelled no worse than the average indoor dog. Just kinda like an animal?

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zokoborn@reddit

I'm an American and I cannot stand ferret scent.

You're telling me they're way MORE smelly in the UK? Urgh.

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Downtown_Confusion46@reddit

They only have extra smell when they spray, like skunks.

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fasterthanfood@reddit

I think they’re telling you “they smell like shit here, but if people keep them for pets in the US, something must be different, right? Right?”

No, it’s just that the small number of people who keep pet ferrets put up with that smell.

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Downtown_Confusion46@reddit

I had three pet ferrets, even descented they smell a lot, I like the smell, kinda like goats, but it’s a lot. My boy originally wasn’t descented but he would have nightmares (I guess) and spray in his sleep and it got to be too much.

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hombre_bu@reddit

Had an ex that had one, smelled like holy hell

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DizzyTeam1950@reddit

I had a pet ferret he was awesome a little musky but honestly it wasnt that bad. One night he got into my parents room and climed up on my dad while he was sleeping my dad startled kinda knocked him off the bed when he realized it was my ferret ge felt terrible he was ok so my dad put himbin his crate and gave him a ritz cracker in apology. Literally every night after that he would get loose climb on my dad and wait for his nightly cracker.

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caryn1477@reddit

We had pet ferrets years ago. They are adorable but yes they smell. We just kept their cage clean and washed their "clothes" every week. But they are not super popular here like dogs and cats.

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JOEYFLOWZ84@reddit

They smell horrible. A girl I used to date had 3 of them in this big ass cage in her room. God I hated going over there.

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stalequeef69@reddit

I’ve only been around 1 person who had ferrets. I played with them quite a few times. I can’t say they were terribly smelly. If they’re well taken care of they tend not to smell too bad.

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wiserTyou@reddit

I've had three residents with ferrets. One smelled really bad, one kinda medium, and one not at all.

I did ask the one that didn't smell and they said diet was the biggest factor.

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lezzerlee@reddit

They definitely stink more than many other pet animals. They have natural musk that descenting does not get rid of.

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Altruistic_Rent_4048@reddit

I had a roommate with an albino ferret, descended, and he still needed a weekly bath or he started to smell funky and his neck and shoulders would turn from cream colored to orange.

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Traditional_Trust418@reddit

Why would we have experience with both? Unless we're ferret experts? The majority of Americans have never had a ferret. I know what they look like, but that's all

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Fun_Cardiologist_373@reddit

Ferrets in the US have their scent glands removed and even then they still stink. They aren't a common pet, and they're illegal in some places. If a person told me they had a pet ferret, I would assume they were weird.

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mostlygray@reddit

My cousin used to keep a ferret. Descented. It was a fun pet. It had free run of the house. It was a cutey.

You don't see them commonly, but ferret people are ferret people. They treat them like a baby. Dog people are easier to deal with. I'm a dog person. If I want my dog, I whistle and there will be a dog at my hip. She sleeps with us at night. She sleeps warm and doesn't snore. She's company.

We have a cat too but neither of us are cat people. Cat just wanders around. My youngest likes the cat so the cat sits with her mostly.

I do have a wild ferret/weasel that lives in my office ceiling. He/she keeps the mouse population in check. I can hear him/her running around above me. I'm OK with it. No smell. Just less mice.

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LadySilvie@reddit

I have a ferret and she doesn't smell too bad.

She has a scent that is kinda musky (not bad), and their litter reaks (imagine if you had a dog litter box inside), but if you stay on top of the litter box they are no worse than a cat imo.

They require more daily maintenance than a cat to maintain that comparison.

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gnartothecore@reddit

I had a friend in high school that had two ferrets for the first few months that we were friends; I only went over to his house once while he had them because of the smell. His mom had to eventually replace the carpet after they died because their scent wouldn't go away.

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wise_hampster@reddit

They are stinky, but not toxic stink like a skunk. I'm sure they have odor glands, but they seem to just smell all over. Even when they get rowdy or startled I didn't notice any stronger scent. It's just like they smell all over, all the time. My vet recommended neutering to help with the smell. It might have chilled some behaviors but I have no idea if it helped reduce the smell.

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quietly_annoying@reddit

The only ferrets I have "known" personally were the mascots at a summer camp where I worked. They lived in a pretty extensive outdoor enclosure and I don't remember them having an odor. They were the owners' personal pets and they lived inside during the winter... IDK what that smelled like.

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cstar4004@reddit

I knew 2 people who had ferrets. One kept it in the basement because of the smell, they forgot about it down there, and it died.

The other I know of, got 2 of them, with scent glands removed. They did not smell bad, and free roamed the apartment like a normal house cat.

They are well-known as pets here, but still pretty rare.

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Blaizefed@reddit

Having lived in both the US and the UK I would point out that forced air heat and a/c is just about universal in the states and pretty much unheard of in the UK (where no a/c and radiators is the standard).

This means that the air in an American house is getting changed/filtered much more often. Smells don’t linger in the same way they can in the UK.

As a result a ferret is not going to create quite as strong a settled odour as the air is always moving.

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N47881@reddit

Had 2. Smell is controllable with daily cage cleaning. Poop is easy to scoop and they pee in a litter box for lack of a better term.

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304libco@reddit

I’ve met a couple of ferrets. None of them were actually that stinky. I mean I’ve got a moderately strong scent and they’re musky, but if their owner keeps their bedding clean and doesn’t over bathe them then it’s not that bad. I mean if you go into their house, you’ll know they have a Ferrett, but I feel the same way about dog owners.

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thornyrosary@reddit

De-scented or no, pet ferrets are smelly creatures. Every one I have ever come into contact with has had an odor that is nauseating. Pet store? Their cage is smelly, I get whiffs of it even before I see it. At a friend's house? A ferret is still stinky, only it wanders around more to better put its scent on everything.

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brumblebeee2@reddit

Even descented ones are nauseating?

How would you describe the smell?

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TheBigWhatever@reddit

To me they smell like sickly sweet b.o.

A friend of mine's wife bought one and while it was interesting to see it run circles around their cat, the thing really did stink.

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clearliquidclearjar@reddit

They're related to skunks. They have strong musk glands. Nasty.

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salbrown@reddit

Pet ferrets are illegal in my state. My mom knew someone who kept a few as pets many years ago and apparently they are very high maintenance. They were constantly having to go to the vet for digestive obstructions which apparently happen pretty easily in ferrets and it was very expensive. I know smell is an issue but I mostly heard about vet bills.

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Responsible_Side8131@reddit

My grandfather had ferrets. My grandmother made him keep them in the garage because she didn’t want the smell in the house.

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CuriousExpression876@reddit

I worked in a pet store in the US- ferrets and their food absolutely reek.

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Winter-Warlock8954@reddit

Ferrets are not common pets in the US, I believe parrots are more common, and they are not nearly as popular as dogs or cats . Most people in the US keep ferrets indoors and they are gross little animals that make me question ferret owners sanity.

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NotAGunGrabber@reddit

I don't know. I've never seen a ferret in person. They're illegal here.

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mittychix@reddit

They reek. I knew two different people who kept ferrets, and you could tell when they walked into the room without even seeing them, because they stunk like their ferrets.

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pfcgos@reddit

I don't have any experience with pet ferrets outside of the US to make that comparison, but when I was in high school my family had 3. As long as you cleaned their cage every few days and gave them baths regularly, they didn't smell terrible. If you went a week or so without cleaning the cage or bathing them, they could smell TERRIBLE and it would just pervade the entire house. Honestly, as long as they are getting bathed regularly, I like the smell of ferrets here in the US. They have a kind of spicy smell to them that's hard to describe.

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VisionAri_VA@reddit

I’ve only handled one ferret; it was de-scented and either sprayed or powdered with some sort of deodorant. It still smelled faintly musky.

If I’d held it for more than five minutes the smell might have gotten to me but I guess I didn’t handle it long enough to be affected.

It was super sweet and cuddly; I can see why people like them.

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TheBimpo@reddit

I think I’ve known one person who owned them. They have a very distinct smell.

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SkyFallingUp@reddit

I feel like 96% of posts that say "I hear this is common in America" is not common in America. Lived in the US (lived in various states) all my life and I have never known anyone with a ferret.

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Stock-Swing-797@reddit

My brother had one in our early teens, descented. The smell wasn't too strong, like fresh bedding smell was stronger, but everyone in the house would constantly be on his ass for keeping the cage clean. Thing was a poop machine. Eventually developed diabetes, had to have special formula.

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IHaveBoxerDogs@reddit

They are not semi-common pets at all. I haven't known anyone since college who owned one. And they were always owned by people who wanted you to know they were "weird" by mentioning they were weird every chance they got. Ferrets are pretty cute, but not cute enough for most people to put up with the smell.

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GSilky@reddit

Just as rancid. They piss on everything and shit wherever they are. Ferret owners will disagree, they are near sighted or lying. They aren't domesticated, it's like letting a bird free in your house.

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Phoenix_Court@reddit

Most people find them stinky or have heard that they're stinky. But they're such an uncommon pet I don't think most of us have been around a ferret. I've never found them stinky, but the only ferrets I've been around are the really young ones at the pet stores.

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Majestic_Electric@reddit

Ferrets as pets are banned in California, in order to protect our native wildlife.

But when I was in elementary school, I do remember seeing a pet ferret that had gotten out of their enclosure (the very scenario that was the reason for their banning, mind you lol). We were outside, so I can’t recall any weird smells emitting from it, but it could have been de-scented for all I know.

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WhatABeautifulMess@reddit

Anything that lives in a cage smells pretty gross IMO.

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OceanPoet87@reddit

They are not a common pet.

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TheWholeMoon@reddit

I had neighbors with 2 pet ferrets who always escaped (not sure why they weren’t properly enclosed) and the little guys loved to come over to my house because we had dry cat food out for our cat. I caught and kept these ferrets frequently until the neighbor could retrieve them. They were de-scented, but they still smelled bad. You didn’t have to get extremely close to smell them—maybe a couple of feet away. Very musky plus “pet store” or “petting zoo” smell.

I’ve never smelled scented ferrets. I can only imagine!

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Traditional-Job-411@reddit

Ferrets are actually related to skunks. They smell for a reason. They are musky regardless of what you do. But dang they are amazing little gremlins. They are social and by default shouldn’t be kept away from others, or people if you own them.

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TooManyDraculas@reddit

They're not common pets. And generally aren't anywhere.

But ferrets are illegal to keep as pets in a good part of the US. Either through whole state bans or by county/municipality bans. A lot of places where they're technically legal they require permits or are defacto banned/rare due to restrictions on pet shops and breeders.

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GroovySquid_@reddit

I’ve lived in a few states. I’ve never seen a ferret irl.

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SockSock81219@reddit

I've pet-sat a wonderful ferret for several years, Nelly, an adorably dumb and sleepy little scamp, and I thought she smelled lovely, actually. Just a light, perfume-like musk. Maybe the females smell better than the males?

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ammitsat@reddit

I had ferrets back in the 90s. They were de-scented. I don’t remember them being offensively stinky but they did need to be bathed regularly.

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Puzzleheaded_Age6550@reddit

I had a ferret in Colorado in the US, in the mid-80s. Vets were advising spaying the females at that time because many will go into heat and not come back out unless they mate, leading to lots of issues. They descented them during thst surgery. However, they still had a bit of a musty scent, and used a litter box, like a cat.

I do not know what the current advice is around owning ferrets.

The issue with illegality is that some people confuse the domesticated ferrets with black footed ferrets. In addition, there is some fear of them becoming wild and destroying other animal habitats. I think we might want to look at feral cats first. California and Hawaii are the only states in which owning them is illegal. In fact, when I lived in San Diego, the health dept director had two pets euthanized. There are a couple of cities, like WDC and New York that also have restrictions on them.

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wastingmuchtime@reddit

I had one in college. The scent reminded me of musk oil. It wasn't awful. Craziest pet ever-much fun and very affectionate. It did like to bite my neck to wake me though. I didn't love that

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spike31875@reddit

They're not very common: I've only ever known one person who owned two ferrets. They were cute as hell. But that was over 40 years ago, so I don't remember if (or how much) it smelled.

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JadedDreams23@reddit

They still smell bad and your entire house will, too.

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Buckabuckaw@reddit

My wife used to work at an animal rescue facility. They had a ferret which had been confiscated (illegal to own them in our state) and the staff all loved it and took turns bringing it home for the weekends. It required a LOT of attention, but playing with it was like playing with a whole barrel of puppies and kittens. It was so fast and so goofy and acrobatic, just a whirlwind of twisting and twirling energy - and then suddenly it would just fall over and sleep for a half hour or so, then just as suddenly spring awake and launch a pretend attack on your fingers. It was exhilarating but exhausting to have it around.

But I don't remember a bad smell, just a slight muskiness that I actually liked. Maybe it had been de-scented. But BIG fun - for a couple days, anyway.

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Duplica123@reddit

My sister in law had pet ferrets from highschool until her husband grew allergic in their early 30's.

They were stinky, but not to the point you couldn't visit. She has them in the main sitting room. I don't know if they were de-scented, but maybe they were based on the way they sound in the UK.

I didn't like handling them because my hands and clothes would stink, but they were the cutest little floppy weasel noodles.

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Bluestarkittycat@reddit

My science teacher in high school had a couple in her classroom, they definitely smelled strong.

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mdavis360@reddit

Not sure. The only person I know who had a pet ferret was Detective John Kimble.

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Jcooney787@reddit

It’s not a too-maa

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birdiebirdnc@reddit

Who is your daddy and what does he do?

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Prize_Consequence568@reddit

Don't know I've never smelled one.

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burningmanonacid@reddit

My sister used to have them and I loved them. They're super cute. Idk, I never thought they smelled that bad honestly. I doubt hers wete descented either because I remember my mom complaining about their smell. To me, it is just like any other barn yard animal

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cephalophile32@reddit

I did not know the ones in pet shops in the us were de-scented. Sounds like breeders don’t do that, even here. So it’ll depend on where you get the from.

My cousin had ferrets (probably descented but I couldn’t say for sure). I didn’t think they were particularly awful smelling but they did have an odor. It didn’t bother me, but I also don’t mind the smell of the state fair, so take that as you will, lol. As with most pets, I imagine it’s mostly affected by how clean you keep them and their cage/litter/bedding/environment.

However; they are little goblins that like to steal and stockpile things so I’d imagine stealing food scraps and hiding them could lead to a different horrendous kind of stink!

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ferret_80@reddit

In America it seems that they are semi-common pets and always kept indoors.

stop treating tiktok as representative of reality.

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jezr3n@reddit

I’ve only ever known one person who had a ferret. The thing reeked. And its owner was unfortunately not much better in that regard

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Appropriate-Food1757@reddit

Not gonna lie, I didn’t know ferrets had a smell but in my mind the people that own them aren’t keeping up on their dirty dishes

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Appropriate-Food1757@reddit

I’ve only seen one and I was a kid. I feel like ferret enjoyers aren’t into having a tidy home anyway

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barredowl123@reddit

We had three ferrets many years ago. We cleaned their cage (it was a huge 5 foot tall thing with 4 levels) and their litter every day. They were allowed out to run around and play any time we could be with them, although they slept a LOT. We had to keep a close eye on them because any time they had to pee or poop, they’d just run to the nearest corner instead of to the litter boxes in their cage. If we didn’t get to them in time, we’d just clean up the mess right then and there. Our house smelled normal.

I think a lot of people don’t keep a good eye on them so their messes just sit and stink. They’re pretty difficult pets to have.

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hotpossum@reddit

My ex had a pet ferret for a while that wasn’t descented. He smelled a bit musty but what really stank was his urine.

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rawbface@reddit

I went to one house that had ferrets when I was a kid. I don't remember the smell.

I honestly had no idea about descenting ferrets. Is it cruel to do that to them?

I thought the reason almost no one has ferrets was because they are shitty pets.

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LopsidedGrapefruit11@reddit

Ferrets haven illegal to keep as pets in my state for so long, it’s rare to come into contact with them, but they are pretty smelly - especially the boys.
Insanely cute and entertaining though.
Apparently descending just removed the scent glands, but their skin still makes the musk, so the smell is only partially mitigated. The scent gland allows them to spray sort of like a skunk as a defense mechanism.

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Extra_Routine_6603@reddit

Had some when I was younger don't believe they smelled too bad but probably didn't have their scent still. Were fun little fluffy noodles though they dug holes in the bottom of the couch and was a pain to get them back out.

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pikkdogs@reddit

They always smell.

And all they want to do is escape and die in a closet.

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Emotional_Ad5714@reddit

I dated a girl in college who had a pet ferret, and her apartment smelled worse that a portable toilet at an outdoor festival. I very nearly turned down sex due to the smell.

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Judgy-Introvert@reddit

My sister is the only person I know who had a pet ferret. I don’t recall it being that smelly. It was many years ago though.

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Interesting-Loss34@reddit

I dated a girl that had ferrets. They were descented and still stuck. One of them bit my earlobe clean through. I sanitized it and put an earring in, stayed in my ear for a few years until another girl's pit/boxer mix and i were wrestling around. His tooth caught on the hoop and pulled that fucker right through my ear lobe tearing the shit out of my ear. I poured rubbing alcohol on it and put the earring back in. A week later I was cutting my own hair in the yard and the ooster clipped the earring again. I yelped, dropped the clippers and the hoop finished tearing through my earlobe. I dunked it in rubbing alcohol again and taped it back together. I haven't worn an earring since.

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RodgerRodger8301@reddit

In the US pet ferrets are "descented" ... they still stink. You can bathe them daily, and they still stink. I believe it is illegal to descent them in the UK, and I honestly can't imagine them smelling that much worse.

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TsundereLoliDragon@reddit

Pretty sure even semi-common is overselling it a bit. Guinea pigs, hamsters, and gerbils have to be way more common. Even rats and mice.

I know that in America almost every pet ferret sold is de-scented.

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Historical_Bath_9854@reddit

They stink here too, at least the one I knew did.

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ODaysForDays@reddit

If you clean up after descented ferrets a whole lot they'll still be moderately stinky. I have a male mouse atm, and I'd compare it to his musk.

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PerfectlyCalmDude@reddit

It's noticeable. They also poop everywhere.

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psiprez@reddit

I rescued one years ago from a dumpster in NJ. I saw a sealed box moving on a 100F July day. No idea if he was descented or not, vet never mentioned. Needed to get an exotic animal permit to keep him. The ferret itself was not smelly at all. Just smelled like a mink coat, I guess. But poop could be stinky, partially based on what he ate. I just cleaned the cage daily and it was fine.

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Sprucecaboose2@reddit

Ferrets are naturally musky. It's just how they are, regardless of the anal glands (which is what de-scenting is about). So compared to more common home pets like dogs and cats (and even rabbits and small rodents), they will be more "stinky". But they are super cute, so there is a trade off. Not enough that I have ever owned one, but I did like playing with one!

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Different_Cherry8326@reddit

Seriously?

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Verbz@reddit

41 years in America and I’ve never seen a ferret in real life. I’d say…not common.

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biggcb@reddit

There is a smell, but it is not that strong. Kind of musky.

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clap_yo_hands@reddit

I have been in a few homes with pet ferries and they stunk. One friend had their ferret cage in the guest bedroom my husband and I were meant to sleep in. The whole room had such a sharp pungent skunky stink it was impossible to sleep. They are cute, but nasty and they ruin a home.

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Shop-S-Marts@reddit

They smell very strongly. They'll also destroy your furniture, and we were taught they needed to be painted at least or they get depressed and aggressive, so we always had two when we had them.

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Help1Ted@reddit

I’ve actually only known one person who had a ferret. And they had largish farm and used it for rodent control. It was pretty cool to watch it running around, then just disappear into the ground.

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AdExcellent1745@reddit

you can smell it on people who have them, and their homes. it is stinky.

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anneofgraygardens@reddit

I've never seen (or smelled) a ferret. I'm pretty sure they're illegal to own in California, which bans private ownership of lots of rare animals that are allowed in other states.

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garster25@reddit

Not at all. We had domestic ferrets 30 years ago and they were a bit "musky" I never smelled it unless I stuck them in my face.

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newhappyrainbow@reddit

We had two in my science class in high school. Even de-scented, they have a distinct odor. I didn’t find it terrible, but definitely not a thing I’d want in my house.

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aflyingsquanch@reddit

If someone owns a ferret, you know it the moment you walk into their home regardless of how clean the person is and tries to be.

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scoonbug@reddit

I run an animal shelter. I agreed to take some ferrets about 7 or 8 years ago and my main takeaway was that they were dicks. They would tip their litter boxes over and generally make a mess.

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eyetracker@reddit

They're basically the European polecat that has been domesticated for so long that they're its own thing now.

FWIW, I haven't been around them much, but only learned in literally the last month that polecats and ferrets are considered stinky. Lots of mustelids can smell but our skunks are experts at it, and you can own them de-stinked in a few states. Ferrets can be more widely owned, illegal in mainly California.

FYI we also have a native ferret species which was thought to be extinct until rediscovered and pretty successfully recovered though ongoing.

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JennyPaints@reddit

Ferrets are common enough as pets that you can buy one at a national chain of pet stores, but not so common that you can count on the pet store having them. They are all descented. And they all still smell pretty musky.

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tetrasodium@reddit

Growing up I knew a few kids with a ferret, you could always tell someone owned a ferret by the smell of whatever room it was kept in.

I wouldn't say it was enough for the smell to rise to a level of call "disgusting", but it certainly wasn't pleasant

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WoodyM654@reddit

I had a roommate with two ferrets and it was awful. Glad my room was actually an enclosed porch or the other end of the house. I also had a friend with a couple ferrets and I rarely smelled them, but she is the cleanest person I know, and she put in a ton of work to keep it relatively un stinky.

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