Although my ferret, Sarah, does not seem to mind eating in public, she does have a tendency to add to her Stash, as we call it. Luckily, it's not too humid out here so there is no problem with her storing food in her hiding place, under the sink. I'm not sure if she actually ever eats it, it's mixed in with about 20 of my boyfriend's dirty, stinky socks (mine aren't smelly enough to collect). I guess she's packing food away for the long winter, whenever that may be. The other time she hides food is if she knows she's not supposed to have it, like pizza crust or crackers. She'll grab it in her mouth, shoot a guilty look our way and dart under the nearest piece of furniture. She also does this if she's "breaking into" the cat's food which is different than hers. I think it's pretty normal behavior. Caroline [Posted in FML issue 1078]