An old friend of mine years ago had a ferret. He was the darndest thing! Absolutely adorable! He was really funny and loved to run around the house freely with us (the dogs and cats they had all got along well with each other and welcomed the little guy into their pack, it was too cute seeing them all together). They are also very intelligent. This little guy kept letting himself out of his cage, it took a while to figure something out that he couldn't figure out. I don't remember there ever being an odor issue, but as with any animal you have to keep up with them and make sure they have a clean area that's their own. I would go talk with someone at a pet shop, they're supposed to be educated and well informed on the pets that they have available so that would be the best thing to do before deciding on whether or not it would be a good addition to your family.