This is very, very true! My friends one year for christmas decided to buy me a ferret because I made one passing comment months before at a pet store that they were cute. Well, needless to say I was surprised when one popped out of a box with a bow on it's neck on christmas eve. I felt to bad to tell my friends that I didn't want it, especially after the money they spent on him. So I kept him...it was a nightmare. The term "Ferret Proofing" your house does not me baby gates and shut doors. It's a full fledged, amagedon, super project that would make Bob Veela run crying for his mommy. I also was working two jobs and was only home about ten hours a day, and six of those were spent sleeping. Ferrets need a lot of time, and a lot of interaction. I also did not have the money to buy another one for companionship (a must) and the Marshal's Ferret Food is very, very expensive. Also, if you are at all worried about smell, let me just say this: Ferrets smell. There are many things you can do to control how badly they smell, but they will always smell a little. Sadly I finally realized I just couldn't take care of mine like I needed to, so I gave him to a lady at our church who was a friend and she already had two that went everywhere with her and her husband. They even had their picture taken with them for the church directory lol. So rule on this "don't buy ferrets because they're cute and fun only" because there is a lot of work that comes with it.