Ferrets have a musky smell which some people can't stand. If a male isn't neutered their smell will even be stronger and it prevents him from marking his territory. Spaying a female won't reduce the smell but could save the life of your female when she gets into heat. If she isn't spayed at that time she can die of anemia.

Whether or not descending of the scent glands is necessary is another question. Some people say it is, others say it won't make much difference. Descending will only prevent your ferret from spraying a smell when he is in stress or afraid. This smell can't be compared with the one from a skunk. Descending should never be done before the age of 6 to 7 weeks.

Declawing a ferret should never be done since they need them for proper walking and balance. For instance, when your ferrets starts digging in your plants, you should put rocks around your plants so they can't dig any more.

Don't bath your ferret to often because it will dry out their skin.   Once every year with a maximum to once every month is more than enough.   You can use ferret or baby shampoo.  Bathing won't prevent them from smelling and it seems that they smell even worse for a few days after bathing them.  Just make sure you change their bedding every few days and keep their litter pans clean.

The first thing you should do when you buy your ferret is go to the vet for an examination and the necessary shots. Ferrets need vaccinations for canine distemper and rabies. Once they got their necessary shots, they will have to come back for their yearly booster shots.

Check your ferret's ears from time to time. They should look clean and pink. If you see wax in their ears, use a cotton swab with sweet oil (for cleaning babies' ears) to clean them. If the wax is black or has dark flecks then the ferret might have ear mites. Check out with your vet to take care of this problem.

The best thing to see whether your ferret is doing fine or not is his behavior. It's very normal that they sleep a lot but they should always be playful, curious and alert. Check out with your vet if you think something is wrong with your ferret.