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I've owned ferrets for over 25 years, and almost all of my ferrets have not been descented. The odor will linger for 15 - 30 minutes, and is not the horror the general public believes it to be. Reputable breeders will not sell to people who plan on descenting, and most will put this condition in their sales contracts. In some European countries the descenting procedure is considered cruelty to animals and is illegal.
Ahh, but are your ferrets neutered? If so, most of their anal sacs will regress almost completely -this still seems to not be completely understood and why Marshall Farms keeps descenting theirs... but I agree, it is not usually necessary in neutered animals. I had an unneutered pair for some time and they were pretty stinky (though nothing, I assume, to owning a skunk).. Pet ferrets don't often purposefully express their anals... Did have a friend with a mongoose for a pet that did, however... whew!
I've had both neutered and intact ferrets. Except when my hobs and jills have been in season, there's been no difference in smell between whole and neutered ferrets. (I will admit that with a hob in rut I can smell him even when standing outside the room where the cages are housed. Not too many people in their right mind will own an intact male...). The smell doesn't come from the anal glands in this case, hobs especially have lots of skin oils which is what produces the smell. There's no reason for Marshall Farms to descent - most ferrets rarely express their anals and the natural odor that ferrets have do not come from the anal glands. If somebody is that offended by infrequent 'poofing', maybe a ferret should not be their pet of choice. Of course all animals have their own individual scents, with some worse than others. Two of my girls have not been bathed in over a year, and there is no detectable odor from them. They don't produce much oil, and their coats are soft and clean. Another girl does need more bathing and smells like nacho chips! Sometimes I wonder if there is an odor which I have become used to, and so I've asked some of my non-pet friends if they can smell anything. (Hobs in rut not counted). The answer is always no, so I've stopped worrying about it. Personally I've never met a ferret that can hold a candle to a wet dog, and I've had plenty of ferrets and dogs during my lifetime. On another note it's good that Marshalls spays their girls, as a female left in heat can die of aplastic anemia. Just wish they didn't spay and sell them at such a young age.
I've never smelled a mongoose, is it worse than a skunk? I keep hearing about people who do keep skunks as pets though, they're supposed to be very sweet tempered.
