"It is a natural instinct from before ferrets were domesticated they would kill more prey than they could consume and would store the rest for later. The scientific name for ferret "Mustela putorius furo", The "furo" comes from the Latin furonem, which means thief. The name "ferret" is derived from the Latin furittus, meaning "little thief", a likely reference to the common ferret penchant for secreting away small items What do ferrets like to steal?..." [More at:] http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_do_ferrets_like_to_steal?#slide=1 CathyM [Posted in FML 7999]