I kid brought a ferret to class once. it ran around. I pet it. My hand STUNNNKKKKK afterwards.

like. STUNK. I tried hand sanitizer to quelm it and that smell of sanitizer overpowered by ferret stink will never leave my brain. lol!

@Armchaircouch Yup, I had a friend who had one. Weird dude...

And confirmed. They smell awful.

it's almost bizarre. I can't imagine what it IS. @kel

@Armchaircouch @kel not really a mystery like many animals the natural musky odor of ferrets comes from their scent glands (most notably the anal glands) and is used for territorial marking

That said commercially available ferrets in the United States are “de-scented,” which means that they have gone through a surgical procedure to remove their anal glands

so you're postulating I had anal gland smell from petting it's back, on my hand. lolll @ecksmc @kel