I find that if I give them a little more than they normally eat in a day, each day, instead of giving them 2 or 3 days worth of food they eat more, plus they don't have as much to dig in and throw all over the cage. Just like us, they like their food fresh. By the way I use a dish that was the dog's so it is bigger and deeper so the food only covers the bottom of the dish. It makes it harder to waste. When I put the food away, I fold the bag top tightly down to get it as close to the food as possible, smoosh all the air out and use a chip clip to keep it closed. The food stays fresher and they eat more. I did this after noticing they always seemed to eat more food at the beginning of the bag than the last 1/4 of the bag. I also frequently wash their dish with dish soap to keep it very clean. OK here is how to get the pounds on, first get a high quality ferret food, put Ferretone on it to moisten it and mix well. They love it, it adds calories and they eat more food. I hope that helps. Kim the Oregon one Kim Reyes Residential Specialist John L. Scott Real Estate Direct: (503) 380-4195 Toll Free 1-877-490-2595 http://www.kimreyes.com [log in to unmask] [Posted in FML issue 3656]