Alexandra, whose posts I always enjoy, wrote:
>Unless you are literally going to brush your ferret's teeth after each
>raisin feeding (I have personally witnessed Bob Church brush a ferret's
>teeth, but his Kung-Fu is very strong.  It's way beyond most of us.)
 
I once thought the same, but have since learned differently.  The key is
finding a toothpaste that your ferrets like the taste of--my guys are
enthusiastic about Petrodex's poultry-flavored toothpaste for dogs and
cats.  I started them off by offering them a little taste of it before
trying to brush their teeth.  Now they will lick it straight from the
tube if they can get to it when my back is turned.  All brushing requires
in my house is flipping the ferret belly-up in my lap, gently holding the
ferret's head, letting them lick a little paste from the brush first and
then working the toothpaste up into their molars while they happily lick
their chops.  No scruffing, no fighting, no toothpaste in my hair, etc.
We brush teeth every day and it's a happy time for treats and cuddling :)
It does help if you have a sleepy ferret to start with--I wouldn't
attempt this on a wide-awake, looking for action ferret ;)
 
The brush I use is meant for cats, so it's very compact.  I wish I knew
where to find a replacement one--I got it from the vet-dentist at my
vet's office.  I think it's not that dissimilar to the one that comes
with the trial-size packet of Petrodex toothpaste that many vendors
carry.  So give it a try, you might be surprised!
 
Regina
and weasels with nice fresh chicken breath
 
Regina Harrison  [log in to unmask]
http://users.rcn.com/badriya/
 
"Is that my business?  Well, what is my business?  Do I know?  Did I ever
know?  Let's not go into that.  You're not human tonight, Marlowe.  Maybe
I never was or ever will be... Maybe we all get like this in the cold
half-lit world where always the wrong thing happens and never the right."
--Raymond Chandler, The Little Sister
[Posted in FML issue 5191]