Well, to be completely honest, they are more work than the chickens. A lot of people think they can just be left in a cage and take them out when they want to pet them or play with them.
Truth is, MOST ferrets are incredibly social! They sleep a lot, but when they are awake and not in a cage they are bouncing off the walls and doing what is known as the weasel war dance. They can bristle up their tail like a cat when scared, surprised, or just really excited. My girl Mocha runs the first 15 minutes or so every morning with a bottle brush tail!
Ideally, ferrets should have 3-4 hours a day out of their cage to run and play. It keeps them happy and healthy and builds muscle tone in their back legs.
As for vet care, they do need distemper and rabies shots. The pet store kits have usually already had their first distemper and been neutered and descented. New owners normally need to take a kit in for 2 more rounds of distemper and rabies by 6 months of age. After that it's a yearly booster. BUT ferrets can and do swallow things they shouldn't resulting in blockages and if they can't pass it out, requires surgery. Other things that can afflict ferrets are insulinoma (opposite of diabetes in people) and adrenal disease. Both of these illness require routine vet care and medicines.
Snickers is deaf as a post and has a badly enlarged spleen. I could have him operated on and remove the spleen, but as long as it isn't affecting his abilities to go potty, the vet recommended I leave him as he is. He's 5 years old, so at the most, he only has 3 good years left. Ferrets life span is only 7-8 years, but some have lived longer. Snickers is not guaranteed to even survive the operation for a splenectomy.
I clean the cage at least 1-2 times a week, sometimes more, and daily scoop poo out of the litter box. Cage cleaning is a complete tear down scrub down, and bedding is changed as often as needed.
Ferrets should NOT use cat litter. It can cause respiratory illness with them. I use wood pellets from TSC that people burn in pellet stoves. One 40 pound bag has lasted for several months. Nor should they eat just any food. They need a high protein diet and no wheat or corn products if at all possible. My ferrets get a food that is 45% protein. That's really good. Common misconception is ferrets can eat cat food. Well, they can, but cat food helps make them have bad smelly poops!
Ferrets should only have a bath 1 every six months or no more than 1 time a month. More than that causes their natural oils to be released in force, therefore increasing their odor.
Ferrets like blankets, hammocks, sleep sacks, things they can hide in, and they like to steal LOL River, Mocha, and Snickers are my little thieves!
