Ferrets have short incisors which they use as part of grooming: removing
parasites (not often a concern for anyone here on the FML thankfully),
removing loose skin, removing scabs which have come loose, dislodging fur
knots, etc.  In doing that they give grooming nips: nips with the
incisors instead of bites with the canines.  It is a normal behavior
pattern in many animals including members of Carnivora and can happen in
combination with licking.  (And, yes, they can learn other uses for the
behavior if they get put down regularly when they do that.)
 
BTW, it is common among many animals for the dominant individuals to
receive the most grooming from others.  (Ditto infants in some, pregnant
females in some, females in heat in some...)  Also, BTW, there definitely
are human parallels which grease our social wheels and at times help
protect our species (though humans have some aberrations, too, for
instance in defence our most dominant individuals stopped putting
themselves in harms way a few centuries ago whereas before that the
leaders usually did not only send others out to face risks but they put
themselves in the front lines and this was not limited to males as
evidenced by Isabella of Spain, Bodecia, an Egyptian queen whose name
escapes me right now, and many others through history; taking the risk
was simply part of the price of privilege as it is in many mammals though
we humans think of it in terms of honor -- a term which does at times
include some very important things to consider, and emulate, and think
about in terms of mammalian behaviors).
 
Anyway, grooming is part of the social structure and very important for
that reason, but unexpected responses by humans who aren't thinking in
those terms can teach animals new uses which can sometimes be less
constructive.
 
Sheila wrote:
>Marshall Farms alsosell ferrets to laboratories for scientific
>experiments...
 
Triple F also does.
 
>You cannot promote the welfare of the animal and then send it to
>be poked and prodded by butchering scientists.
 
Whoa!  Slow down!  Yes, some experiments do result in pain or death but
it can not be assumed that is the norm.  Years ago I worked for an
anatomy departments and the conditions and treatment were marvelous.
With the exception on one group of chickens the animals present did not
go through anything beyond what human subjects went through, they had
an an enormous set-up,they were loved, etc.  We didn't have ferrets,
but from what I have seen over the years it actually is more common in
academic settings for animals to be well cared for.  In fact, at the
university where I attended there was an uprising by the faculty
themselves to have a new prof removed because his work was considered
brutal to animals.  (BTW, in university settings much of the way animals
are cared for is dependent on the university vet since a few place any
chance of human injury first and that degrades the conditions for any
animals who have the capacity to do real harm just as part of their every
day living; primates, large animals, etc.  We were lucky enough when I
worked with primates to have a vet who recognized that the risk of injury
to humans simply had to be accepted just as the rest of us did.  And,
honestly, if a mistaken university vet thinks that injuries can be
decreased by keeping animals in conditions which are mentally unhealthy
then that person needs to think twice.)
 
Anyway, there are actually articles and books out there on mental and
physical enrichment for animals in laboratory settings.  You can even
find some of them by doing a Google search or by looking in the FML
Archives.
 
There are people here who have adopted ferret who were used to develop
and test new influenza vaccines after the the ferrets' work was done.
Ditto ones used to teach intubation for pediatric specialists.  I have
not heard of these adopted ferrets having been unsocialized so they
likely have had a lot of kind handling.
 
My point is that not all research is bad and not all research is harmful,
and some research animals wind up adopted afterward.  The bad ones which
get so much press are one extreme, and a generalization is unfounded,
uncalled for, and best avoided, please.  None of us here knows the
particulars on how most research ferrets are treated, though it is
something many of us have many times mentioned would be a good thing
to know more about.  I believe James was the one who most recently
addressed that.
[Posted in FML issue 4309]