Our experience with trying to put fat ferrets on a diet is that it is usually a waste (waist?) of time. Fat ferrets, if given proper exercise and lots of it, tend to lose weight on their own. Sometimes they just drop weight of their own accord without any encouragement. Low fat "diet" cat foods are harmful to ferrets since they lack the fat content necessary for good ferret health. We've done a little food restriction--only putting a small amount in the bowl and not refilling until it is gone, but it seems unnessary. The ferret didn't lose weight this way, and then dropped the weight spontaneously after we gave up on the restriction. Certainly, treats should be curbed, but increased exercise is the best way to try to enforce weight loss. Goes for us humans, too. Ferret Rescue of the Western States [Posted in FML issue 2602]