Nancy Griffiths wrote: >I had all sorts of replies so I guess nobody knows. Oh, contrair! In fact they all knew! How often a ferret eats is about as reliable as broken clock! Ferrets are no different than you or I when it comes to eating. I have had ferrets that ate only twice a day... and they did that for four years! Some ferrets are nibblers and some are inhalers - no two ferrets eat exactly at the same time and eat the same amount. If you put your ferrets on an eating schedule, the number is swayed by own actions. If you leave a food bowl out, then you need to be there at all times to get an accurate idea of just who eats what when. Chook is my nibbler - he would prefer to eat many small meals in a day. Taero has a more fuller appetite but also stashes his food but not as often as he used to. Bear eats tiny amounts some days two to four times a day. It seems to vary day to day. Mushu and Ping eat on the run - I can't tell you how many times I see Ping running and eating at the same time. If you open the front door when she happens to be eating she has to take it with her and munch on it as she is looking and checking things out. Mushu does the same thing only not as often as her sister. None of this includes snacks, which are unplanned and fully under our control. Fruits, vegetables and the occasional take out, which are not part of the normal diet are still considered food and they are never offered at any specific time, nor are they always accepted. Just my $0.02 and in no way meant to offend.... Betty and Her Blur O'Fur [Posted in FML issue 2772]