A friend of mine had this cute little ferret that I so wanted to see. I was keen on getting one for myself, as I really adore this small pet. However, I was thrown off by the weird smell from the litter tray. And I thought, is there any Best Ferret Litter for Odor Control?
It is extremely important to select a safe and suitable litter for your ferret. You need to take several things into consideration like the litter should be absorbent, it should have odor control capability, and it should not be toxic or harmful for your ferret.
Since I did extensive research about the safest and best ferret litter for odor control, I thought why not share it with all the pet enthusiasts! Let’s get started then…
Just in case you are in a hurry, click on our short summary below to view our Top 6 reviewed products for the best ferret litter for odor control.
- Carefresh 99% Dust-Free Odor Control Paper Bedding
- Marshall Ferret Litter
- Bunny Bedding Odor Control for Small Pets
- Kaytee Small Animal Critter Litter
- Vitakraft Fresh World Ultra Strength Paper Bedding & Litter for Small Animals and Birds
- Purina Yesterday's News Non Clumping Paper Cat Litter
Best Ferret Litter for Odor Control: 2021 Top 6 Picks
1. Our Editor’s Pick: Carefresh 99% Dust-Free Odor Control Paper Bedding
The Carefresh 99% Dust free Blue Natural Paper litter works great for odor control. With its great absorbing technology and odor control technology, you will need to clean your ferret’s cage only once a week. Say goodbye to the foul smell!
With their proprietary odor control ingredients, the litter works great in suppressing the ammonia odor for around 10 days, leaving you with a pleasant space to play with your ferret.
Since the litter is made of natural paper instead of wood shavings, you can expect two major benefits out here:
- The absorbing capacity of the litter is great which helps in odor control.
- The litter will be extremely gentle on your ferret’s delicate feet.
Use the Carefresh Litter and ensure that your ferret’s home will be clean, dry, and without any soggy mess.
What We Like:
- Since it is a paper litter, its texture is perfect for your ferret’s activities like digging, burrowing, and tunneling.
- Your ferret will not have any respiratory issues since the litter is 99% dust free and devoid of any harmful chemicals or dyes.
- It is biodegradable.
What We Don’t Like:
- The product smell might be a bit strong for a few ferret owner, although it does its job of odor control well.
- Small Pet Bedding: Our beautiful blue natural paper fiber bedding makes the softest, driest most comfortable home for small pets
- Pillowy Soft: Comfyfluff natural paper bedding made from scratch is gentle on sensitive feet with perfect texture for burrowing, tunneling, nesting, or creating a hamster hideout; ideal rat, mice or guinea pig bedding, rabbit litter or for small pets
- Exceptional Odor Control: Ideal for use as hamster bedding, guinea pig habitat lining, or bunny bedding, our pet-safe, proven odor-control formula suppresses ammonia odors for up to 10 days
- Ultra-Absorbent: 2X more absorbent than shavings, our natural paper bedding keeps small pets and their homes warm and dry with no more soggy messes to clean up
- 99 percent Dust-Free: Free of harmful chemicals and synthetic dyes, our high performance bedding is virtually dust free so your pet can enjoy a cleaner, healthier home. Biodegradable and compostable means better for the planet too
Last update on 2021-03-26 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
2. Best Overall: Marshall Ferret Litter
The Marshall ferret litter ticks all the boxes for a great odor control ferret litter. The litter is made of natural paper fiber and special odor control ingredients. This will help to eliminate the strong amino acid odor and you will start noticing the difference in a single use only.
Moreover, the Marshall Ferret Litter is 400% more absorbent than the clay litters. Hence, the litter does not go cakey when it comes in contact with moisture.
You can pour the litter at the bottom of the litter. Since it is scoopable, you can simply scoop the dirty litter.
This is a dust free litter, hence you can be at ease that it will not cause any harm or allergy to your ferret’s sensitive respiratory system.
What We Like:
- Works great to eliminate the odor.
- It absorbs more urine than the wooden pellet litters.
- It is biodegradable and hence you can easily compost it.
- Easily scoopable.
What We Don’t Like:
- This one’s a bit pricey, but overall it works great.
- The natural paper fibers and special odor control ingredients work together to neutralize unwelcome ammonia odors
- Use in the bottom of your Ferret habitat
- The product is manufactured United States
- Non-allergenic
- Marshall litter is simply the best choice
Last update on 2021-03-26 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
3. The Coconut Magic: Bunny Bedding Odor Control for Small Pets
You will be amazed at how effective the coconut magic litter is for odor control. And all the credit goes to the coconut coir which is being used in this litter. Coconut coir has a great absorbency power. Hence, this helps to absorb a good amount of moisture and odor.
Another great feature of the litter is that it is dust free. You can let your ferret relax and play on the soft cushiony and comfortable bedding without having to worry about the dust harming his respiratory system.
The coconut magic litter will last long as it comes in sealed bags. These bags will eventually fluff out to provide a large amount of bedding litter.
What We Like:
- The use of coconut coir works great to prevent odor.
- It is a biodegradable litter. Use it as compost!
What We Don’t Like:
- It might become a bit messy for some to clean this litter, as it contains coconut particles.
- [Superb Odor Control] Coconut coir has incredible absorbency that encapsulates moisture and odor
- [Dust Free Bedding] Soft earth-like texture proving cushioning, insulation and comfort
- [Long Lasting] Semi compressed in the bag and fluffs out to large mount of bedding material
- [Recyclable] Eco-friendly for recycling in your garden or compost after use
Last update on 2021-03-26 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
4. Best for Potty Training: Kaytee Small Animal Critter Litter
Kaytee Small Animal Critter Litter is made of 100% non-toxic bentonite. The clay litter soaks moisture on the contact itself and absorbs 10 times more liquid than its weight. Due to this great absorbing capacity, the litter works wonders to control pet waste odor.
The manufacturers have taken utmost care to use all-natural minerals which makes the Kaytee Small Animal Critter Litter totally safe for your furry pet.
Another plus side of using the litter is that it helps to easily potty train your pet. So, if you plan to potty train your ferret along with controlling the odor, then Kaytee Small Animal Critter Litter should be your pick.
What We Like:
- Prevents odor.
- Ideal for potty training your ferret.
- It produces very little dust.
- Your ferret cage cleaning effort will be reduced by 30% as per the manufacturer’s claim.
What We Don’t Like:
- You cannot compost this one.
- This is a clay litter, hence it is a bit hard on your ferret’s feet as compared to the paper made ones.
- Made of non-toxic 100% bentonite with all-natural minerals so it's safe for your pet
- Critter litter absorbs moisture on contact and helps to control pet waste odor
- Absorbs 10x its weight in liquid
- Critter litter, in combination with a potty training program, will reduce cage cleaning by 30% or more
- For ferrets, rabbits and other small animals
Last update on 2021-02-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
5. Long Lasting Odor Control: Vitakraft Fresh World Ultra Strength Paper Bedding & Litter for Small Animals and Birds
If you wish to have odor free litter for up to 14 days, the Vitakraft Fresh World Ultra Strength Paper Bedding & Litter should be your choice.
The company has taken great care not to use baking soda for odor blocking as it can be harmful for ferrets. Instead, the litter contains odor blocking formula that only reacts with the chemicals in urine to prevent ammonia odor.
With its 3x formula for absorbing moisture, your ferret’s litter box will remain clean and will not have any odor.
As the litter is made from recycled paper, you can be assured that it will be soft on your ferret’s feet and provide them with great comfort. Moreover, your sensitive ferret will not be harmed in any way, as this is dust free.
Vitakraft Fresh World Ultra Strength Paper Bedding & Litter is biodegradable and hence, you can easily make compost out of it.
What We Like:
- Works great for odor control.
- Provides an odor control solution for up to 14 days.
- It is biodegradable.
What We Don’t Like:
- Some might find the smell of factory packaging a bit odd.
- If you open the seal once, it cannot be resealed.
- made from 100% recycled paper
- up to 14 days of superior odor control
- 99.5% dust-free
- made in the usa
- biodegradable & compostable
Last update on 2021-03-26 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
6. Best Budget Non-Clumping Litter: Purina Yesterday's News Non Clumping Paper Cat Litter
Purina Yesterday’s News is a cat litter but works great for ferrets too. The litter does not clump easily and you can expect a three times more absorbing capacity than the clay litter. With this great absorption capacity, the litter works effectively in controlling the odor.
Moreover, the litter has extremely low dust and does not contain any extra chemicals to give out an added fragrance. Hence, this is great for your ferret’s sensitive respiratory tract.
The litter is very soft on the ferret’s feet as it is made from recyclable paper. Since this is a cat litter, it is a bit cheaper in comparison to the litters designed specifically for ferrets.
Hence, if you want a budget friendly option, you should select the Purina Yesterday’s News litter.
What We Like:
- It is dust free and has no extra chemicals added.
- Has good odor control capacity.
- It is biodegradable.
What We Don’t Like:
- It is difficult to scoop the poop in this litter.
- When the pelleted litter gets wet, sometimes it tends to fall apart.
- 30 pounds Bag Purina Yesterday's News Unscented Cat Litter
- Absorbs 3x the moisture by mass than traditional clay based litter
- Delivers effective odor control
- No added fragrance for peace of mind
- Designed for low tracking with no small particles
Last update on 2021-03-26 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Things to Consider While Buying Ferret Litter
Setting up the ferret cage is extremely important. This is the place where your cute pet would sleep, eat, and have his daily dose of activities like burrowing and nestling. Moreover, in no way should the ferret litter harm your ferret.
Consider the below 6 points while purchasing ferret litter:
- Safety
This one tops the list. You need to be aware if the litter you have selected is safe for your ferret or not. Clay tends to become hard when it is wet. Your ferret might try to ingest the hard clay, causing a fatal blockage.
Litter made from wood shavings should also be avoided as they contain oils. These oils when vaporized cause damage to your ferret’s respiratory system.
- Odor control
It is extremely important that the litter you choose is able to control the strong ammonia odor due to the urine.
- Dust Free
Dust can damage your ferret’s respiratory system. Hence, it is advisable to always use litter that is dust free.
- Cleaning the litter
It is important to consider this aspect. You should select a litter that requires cleaning less frequently and can be easily removed from the ferret cage.
- Absorbing capacity
The litter you select should be absorbent. A good absorbent litter does not fall apart if it comes in contact with the fluid.
- Disposing of the litter
You can either compost a litter if it is biodegradable, flush it down or you might need to dispose it off in a garbage bin.
Why Does You Ferret’s Litter Smell?
Ferrets usually have a peculiar smell associated with them. This is due to the presence of anal glands in their bodies since they are carnivores. However, more often than not, the smell is due to dirty litter.
Ferrets have a short digestive tract. Hence, they tend to pee and poop repeatedly. It is extremely important to keep their litter pan clean. If the litter pan is not cleaned regularly, you might get an extremely foul smell.
Let’s discuss the ways to prevent the odor in our next section.
5 Ways to Prevent Odor in Your Ferret’s Litter
After checking out various options for ferret litter, follow the suggestions below to prevent the odor:
1. Provide Them With Proper Food
The main reason for smelly ferret litter is an improper and unhealthy diet. It is extremely important that you provide a healthy and nutritious diet to your ferret. You can feed your ferret meat or the ferret food available in the stores.
Check out our Top 5 Recommended Ferret Food for your Ferret here.
2. Use Sprays in the Cage to Remove the Smell
It is very important to keep the ferret’s cage clean. Ferret cage sprays are specially designed to remove the strong smell from the ferret cage.
You can check out our recommendations for the best air purifiers for pet odors here.
3. Bathe Them
You should bathe your ferret only once or twice a month. They tend to lose their essential oils if you bathe them frequently. This causes the anal glands to produce a more musky smell.
4. Use Litter for Odor Control
Selecting an odor control litter is very important if you want to get rid of the nasty smell. You can select pine litter, paper litter, clay litter, or wood based litter. However, paper litter works best, as it does not have any side effects.
Clay litter causes clumping while wood and pine based litter may irritate your ferret’s respiratory system, as they tend to release their natural oil on vaporization.
5. Keep the bedding clean
If you want to get rid of the smell, you should keep the bedding clean.
You should wash the bedding cloth with hot water and ferret safe laundry detergent.
To keep the cage clean, you should remove all the items from the cage, like the toys and litter box, and clean it with dish soap and water. You need to clean the cage at least once a month.
FAQs on Best Ferret Litter for Odor Control
1. Can Ferrets Use Regular Cat Litter?
Yes, ferrets can use regular cat litter, but it is advisable not to use clumping or clay cat litter for your ferret. Woodstove pellets must be avoided. Wooden litter causes dust which might cause harm to your ferret’s breathing system. The clay or clumping litter may be ingested by your ferret causing a serious blockage.
2. How Often Should You Change Ferret Litter?
Ferrets are smart pets and they will stop using the litter box if it’s too dirty. Hence, you should change the ferret litter as required or as mentioned in the litter packaging instructions. It is also important to clean your ferret’s cage every 3 to 5 days.
3. What Can I Use for Ferret Litter Box?
You can use paper based litter or recycled newspaper litter as they work great for moisture absorption and are very safe for your ferret. You should avoid wooden pelleted litter and pine litter since they tend to release natural gases on vaporization which might be harmful to your ferret’s breathing system.
Conclusion
Amongst the Best Ferret Litter for odor control, our pick is the Carefresh 99% Dust-Free Blue Natural Paper Small Pet Bedding with Odor Control.
Made with 100% recyclable natural paper, this will guarantee utmost comfort and safety for your ferret, along with controlling the odor.
You can check and see what works best for your ferret and select the best ferret litter for odor control accordingly!
