Ferrets are always interested in what humans are doing and will follow you around
from another contributor:
Ferrets commonly get hyper and play, and then fall asleep often in your lap.
No ferrets are not mad, it's humans that are mad
Baby ferrets are very nippy because they play with other ferrets by biting and they have not been socialized by humans.
Baby ferrets need to be socialized by humans, like any other domestic animal, and in doing so will crave human attention. If ferrets are not socialized, they will fear humans.
Yes you can get chocolate brown coloured ferrets, their markings are very similar to that of the polecat.
Ferrets are not good pets for any children. There are no tests for allergic reactions for human from ferrets. Ferrets don't produce dander like cats, which causes allergic reactions in humans.
No. Ferrets have a much longer, thinner body than a rat. They also have fur covering their tails whereas a rat does not.
Ferrets are not wild animals so you don't have to worry about that. Ferrets are domesticated animals which means they are not wild and comfortable living with humans
Ferrets are believed to be descended from the European Polecat, which you can see at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Polecat. This was due to a process of artificial, rather than natural, selection at the hands of humans, however, who bred ferrets in order to hunt rabbits and so it's not technically evolution. As you'll see from the link, ferrets and polecats are still very similar, though ferrets have a far wider range of colouration.
No, humans cannot contract distemper. It is a disease that primarily affects animals, such as dogs and ferrets.
No, Ferrets do not carry any diseases, but they are subject to be infected with various illnesses from humans, cats, and dogs.
Canine? No, they are mustelids (similar to a skunk)
In New Zealand there are feral ferrets, but they are hybrids between domestic ferrets and European polecat ferrets. Domestic ferrets have long ago lost all natural instincts and cannot survive on their own in the wild, they totally rely on humans.