We have a kitchen scale too and it is wonderful.  Ours is a pastry scale that
we bought at one of those gourmet kitchen stores.  It goes up to 11 lbs.  It
comes with a large mixing bowl which fits a top the weighing pedestal.  The
bowl is large enough so that feisty ferrets can't figure a way out of it
until a few seconds after we get a reading.  We make a habit of weighing them
every couple weeks and we keep a diary.  It is actually quite amazing the
fluxtuation of their weights.  They seem to always be gaining and losing a
quarter of a pound.  One problem we have with multiple beasts is a strange
optical illusion that takes place when some of them gain weight, we think the
others are losing weight and vice versa...  When we were first looking for a
scale to get we had no idea where to purchase one.  We asked some people and
one person told us to go to a head shop.  We did and they had scales but they
were soooo expensive, some were $200+.  It was pretty funny.  We asked to
look at them and when they pulled one of them out we commented "no, no that
one isn't big enough, do you have any that are bigger and maybe have a big
bowl on top?" The salesperson was totally shocked and told us most people
didn't need a "bigger" one.  I guess we totally forgot where we were.  We
were about to explain - but we figured they wouldn't believe we were getting
a scale to weigh a sick animal -- yeah sure!  Well, it worked out better that
we found one at a kitchen store - it was only $18.  Charlene
[Posted in FML issue 1195]