The Ferret Store Official Blog - Ferret News & Info

You brush your teeth at least twice daily, you probably go to the dentist twice a year - your dental health is important to you. But how many of you know how important your ferret's dental health is and brush your ferret's teeth regularly? The truth is that a ferret's overall health is greatly affected by its dental health. When ferrets develop gingivitis, it develops into periodontal disease, just like us. When a ferret develops periodontal disease, bacteria that can cause tooth rot abscesses, increased susceptibility to infections, lethargy resulting from low-grade infections, kidney and liver problems, and even heart diseases such as endocarditis or periodcarditis enter into its system.

So how do you brush your ferret's teeth? It's actually fairly easy. It may be a little alarming for your ferret at first, so try to ease into the brushing procedure by scruffing your ferret and just getting it used to you touching its teeth. Here's how to brush your ferret's teeth:

1. Wet the bristles of the toothbrush and apply a very small amount (slightly larger around than the tip of a pencil eraser) of whatever dentifrice you’ve decided to use. If your ferret hates the flavor, you can add a small amount of ferretvite or ferretone to it to improve it.
2. Scruff your ferret, or, if this is your first time or you find it too difficult to do alone, have someone else scruff the ferret.
3. Gently – with minimal pressure – massage the sides and bottoms of the back teeth, working your way up to the canines and incisors. Pay special attention to the molars, as their tongues can’t reach back here to clean off the teeth, and plaque and tartar buildup will be significant. Don’t try to brush the inside surface of the teeth.
4. When you’re done, give the ferret some ferretone, apologize, and watch it give you a dirty look and run away!

You will need to brush your ferret's teeth no less than twice a month. Ferrets that eat duck soup or soft food and treats will need to have their teeth brushed more often. Even with faithful brushing, you will eventually see serious tartar buildup. At this point, it's time to schedule a vet visit for a professional cleaning. Some ferrets will need annual cleanings, others may only need it as often as every three years.

Some things to remember...

• Never use human toothpaste! Human toothpaste needs to be spit out, and ferrets will swallow whatever toothpaste you use. Human toothpaste will make them ill.
• If you're going to use a human toothbrush, make sure it's a baby toothbrush. Child and adult toothbrushes are too rough, and they can damage your ferret's mouth and cause it serious discomfort.