Pet Peeves - Digging in the food

Wow - why must ferrets dig in the food bowl - they make a ginormous mess.  Clooney has actually learned that "Leave it in the bowl" means stop digging.  They dig in the cat food, the dog food, the ferret food and the water dish.  The water is not quite so messy - it dries after a few minutes.  But the food is EVERYWHERE.  Cripes...