Tryntje asked a couple questions: Yes there are fat ferrets. I can show you some if you don't believe me - REAL BIG ones. Really ferrets can be overweight - surprised a shelter operater said otherwise. Kits in particular can develop pot bellies - though they often lose them over their first winter. This seems more true of whole hobs than other ferrets as well. If you do have a larger (okay obese) ferret you might want to switch from kitten to cat foods. If it is only a slight kit 'baby fat case' than I wouldn't worry. See how the porkers look in March. Baby fat should be slight bulges when doing the tube test. (Hang them holding them under their shoulders and letting the rear quarters hang.) Fat would be very noticible bulges starting below the rub cage. Obese would be a volley ball sized bulge. (Softball for little jills.) Mink food would appear to be healthy for ferrets - nutritionally. We know a breeder who uses it. The ferrets are large and strong. However the ferrets are extremely willing to switch over to ferret or cat food most of the time. Mink food is fish based and doesn;t seem as palatable to a ferret as poultry based food. It DOES seem to have the dirty teeth problem alluded to. We have to work extra hard to clean the tartar and junk off of the teeth of ferrets eating mink food. Litter box squeezin's and Squirrels: Ferret poop is a commonly used deterent for rats. Ferrets (in polecat disguise) are a common predator of European rats. Native rodents and rabbits don't know that ferrets (again as polecats) would like nothing better than to eat them. Our local field mice have no natural fear of ferrets and even seem to like joining them in their cages. Our American blooded ferrets don't know any better and ignore the mice. Wouldn't want to see the mouse that wanders into the cage with our English ferrets though. And knowing them I wouldn't have to - they'd be devoured in moments. But squirrels (knew I'd get back to squirrels eventually) are American species that are tree dwellers. Might not recognize ferret offal as the sign of a predator. I don't know which American Mustelids would be heavy consumers of squirrels - though I'm sure many of them would eat squirrel of given a chance. European rabbits are deathly afraid of ferrets but American rabbits aren't. Okay I didn't settle the bet. bill and diane killian zen and the art of ferrets [Posted in FML issue 1385]