Ferret cages, not unlike cat litter boxes, should be cleaned at least daily.
If you don't, you will eventually wind up with an unhappy animal that smells
really bad, and consequently is in poor health.
 
It doesn't take long.  Really.  I clean three ferret cages, two cat litter
boxes and monitor seven fish tanks every day.  The ferret cages get boxes
done twice daily.  Every other day the cages get disinfected.  It takes me
about 40 minutes a day to care for all the animals, and that's on the days I
tear the cages apart and disinfect them.  Yeah, it took a while to get down
to 40 minutes, but you get efficient.  Their bedding (ferret and feline)
gets washed twice weekly.  Does it pay off?  Absolutely.  My animals are
happy, healthy and my house doesn't smell like a zoo (except in a couple of
corners :-).  If you keep the cleaning tools you need near the cages, it's a
snap, and I have 5 ferrets and 5 cats to care for.  Oh, and did I mention my
severe asthma?  :-) Keeping it clean works for me too.  :-)
 
I don't mean to sound rude or obnoxious, but if you don't have time to clean
the cage, perhaps you don't have enough time to devote to a pet?
Maintenance is an important part of pet care, even though it's not very
glamourous, and very easy to put off.  It's important to your ferret's
overall health and well-being to have a clean cage and bedding, fresh food
and water, and a clean litterbox.  In fact, it's as important as the love
and attention he gets from you.
[Posted in FML issue 1717]