Ear Cleaning

You Just Finished Cleaning Your Ferret’s Ears – Are They STILL Dirty?

By L. Vanessa Gruden in Paw Printz, July – August, 1999

Most people do NOT thoroughly clean their ferret’s ears! Cleaning all the little folds that you can see is only the first step. Next, take a cotton swab moistened with cleanser. Holding your ferret by the scruff of the neck, insert the swab straight down into the ear (perpendicular to the floor). Twisting, you should feel the swab slip inside the little “pocket” at the base of the ear. If properly inside, the swab will almost stand up by itself. HERE is where all the muck accumulates! Using a swooping motion to the right or left, scoop out the dirt. A swab cannot usually fit far enough inside the ear canal to damage the ear drum.

CONTINUE swabbing with fresh cotton swabs until they come out clean. Unless you’re a fanatic who cleans twice a week, or you’re lucky and your ferret naturally has exceptionally clean ears, you should use 3 – 8 swabs on each little ear. If you clean ears once a month and end up using only 1 swab for each ear, trust me, you’re not cleaning deep enough!

Those owners who show thier ferrets in championship shows have a real advantage when it comes to this grooming chore. They know that champion judges look REALLY deep – and if they see even a speck of dirt, you’re in trouble. If your afraid to deep cleaning your ferret’s ears, or just don‘t know how, ASK.

There are FACT members with plenty of experience and at least one of them can usually be found at FACT events and will generously share their knowledge.