I also had a choking ferret. Eventually I scruffed her, pryed her mouth open, and shoved my little finger down her throat until the stuck food went down. That was my instinctive response, and I say - whatever works! She recovered with no ill effects. I have also done the Heimlich on my dog who "inhaled" a Milk Bone. It worked then, too. [Posted in FML issue 1374]