Whew!  This post got a lot of responses....about 30!  Someone even emailed
me a series of photos of their little guys pushing Easter eggs around and
opening boxes.  Thanks for all the kind remarks.  Here's a erply regarding
the ethics of using scents:
 
A question of ethics was raised about using these products to increase
a ferret's enrichment because of some of the conditions in which the
animals are housed.  I don't know about that (I'm NOT implying anyone is
untruthful, I just mean I have no personal knowledge of it), but I will be
researching it for the next week or so.  I do know most--if not all--of
these compounds do come from animals; that is, non-synthetic.  Some come
from animals killed by hunters, other come from ranched animals, and some
come from animals housed in on ranches.  A lot of the scents are indeed
urine, some come from removed scent glands, and others are distilled from
other body products which no one cares to know about.
 
Whatever the source, the real question is, should it be used to stimulate a
ferret in a boring environment?  I've had to answer the same question for
myself; I take two medications due to an internal injury I sustained when
helping a cow give birth; both medicines are derived from ranched pigs and
cattle.  Because I lost part of my pancreas and now suffer from pancreactic
insufficency, I have to take a resin to bind my bile salts and lipids, as
well as enzymes to break down the lipids.  That means, I live because an
animal has died.  Pure and simple.  But that is not exactly true; the
products I take are the "leftovers" when animals are slaughtered for meat
products, and if there was not a market for this stuff, it would find its
way into fertilizer or a disposal pit.  In other words, my use or non-use
would make little difference in the number of pigs or cattle killed for
Happy Meals and Western Cheeseburgers.
 
As I've said, I don't know for sure what the conditions are surrounding the
collection of these scents, and forgive me for saying this, but I wouldn't
believe what PETA says any faster than what someone from the KKK says;
their viewpoint is extreme, biased, and frequently extremely dishonest (I
am damn tired of seeing poorly-copied propagandist reproductions of journal
photos of experiments done to animals in the 1930s and 40s as if it was
being done today).  That is not to say that I think the people who have
posted on the list, nor privately to me, are anything more than sincere
in their beliefs.  I think they are, and I admire them for their ethical
stand.  Its just that I always preach that people need to find out the
facts for themselves, and I follow my own preaching.  I will look into the
conditions myself, then, based on my personal ethics and morality, make
an informed and unbiased decision regarding the matter without allowing
someone else to manipulate my feelings with extreme depictions of "reality."
 
I will tell you something else.  Like the medicines I have to take, I feel
the mental health of my ferrets is as important as their physical health.
Indeed, both are intimately tied to each other.  So, for that reason, as
well as the fact that I buy so little and my use makes the bottle last for
years, I see no problem in using it--as a "mental medicine"-- to better my
ferret's life.  However, if I discover from my research that the stuff is
collected in a unreasonable or inhumane way, I could no longer morally or
ethically use that specific product (if inhumane towards deer, I won't use
deer, etc.).  That is the best that I can do.
 
Since we are on the subject of ethics, there is one basic fact I want to
point out.  Kibble is MADE from animals, and not always are those animals
housed in a dignified and loving manner.  In fact, and research this
yourself, kibble can be made from dead, dying or diseased animals unfit for
human consumption, it can be made from the rendered bodies of roadkilled
animals, from taxidermist and hunter remains, even from the garbage thrown
out by restaurants.  I personally see no ethical difference between feeding
my ferrets a kibble made from exploited animals, or enriching their lives
using scents collected from exploited animals.  Now, some might argue that
food is a necessity and scents are not, but I take the position that mental
stimulation is as important as physical nutrition; both are needs.
 
Also, there are established regulations concerning the housing and care of
animals, and if anyone knows of a specific case where animals are housed
in a shameful or inhumane manner, they should contact the local, state and
federal authorities.  ut those asses out of business if they are bad, or
work with your legislators to make the laws stronger.  I would not feel
using a scent made from well housed and healthy animals to be overtly
exploitive, but that's am opinion.
 
Boc C and 19 Mo' Exploitive Furbutts
[Posted in FML issue 2615]