People, if you are going to have ferrets as pets take some time to learn about the long, and fascinating history they call their own. First of all, ferrets had such a wide variety of uses before they were called pets, that I can't go into them all or I would use up my word limit! Ferrets are a fur bearing animal and have long been exploited for their fur. Ferret fur is called "FITCH" Fitch fur was popular because it was more affordable than mink. Ferrets are in the weasel family and related to the mink, martian, sable, otter, fisher, ermine and wolverine. All these animals are prized for their valuable pelts. Because ferrets are domestic, during the early part of the last century they were commonly raise on fur farms along with other domestic fur bearing animals. This includes domestic mink, fox, chinchilla, and rabbit. Wild animals were too difficult to breed large numbers in captivity and therefore only domestic fur bearers were raised on fur farms. During the latter part of the 20th century fur dropped in popularity due to the anti-fur campaign, of which I was a part of. No, I didn't throw red paint, but I used to put little informational cards in the pockets of fur coats. They stated how many animals are killed to make an average coat and what method they are killed by. It would politely asked the buyer to rethink their purchase to stop the suffering. Because of the decline in fur prices and fashion, a lot of fur farms went out of business. But some just downsized, and concentrated on the money making mink. It cost just as much money to bring a mink pelt to prime as it does a ferret. They eat the same food and take up the same cage space. Luckily for our ferret, their pelt is worth LESS then a mink pelt and for this reason, mink ranches don't usually bother with raising additional ferrets for fur anymore. I still wonder how old the pelt was on e-bay. Perhaps some fur farms still raise ferrets to add color and variety to the number of pelts they, as a farm, produce every year. Falling under the word "Domestic" will not stop fur from being sold on e-bay. Unfortunately, it seems there will always be a demand for fur. Fur is big business overseas and a lot is exported from the US to other countries. Fur is coming back in style again due to the increased popularity of fake fur. Some rich women insist on wearing real thing; and with fake fur in style, they can no longer be subjected to public ridicule. It is now very difficult to tell the difference between fake and real fur; but I will tell you how. Besides the standard labeling, real fur is PRISMATIC. What does that mean, you ask? Go get your ferret and with your back to the sun hold your ferret in the natural sunlight and look really closely at the brightest, shiniest hairs, you see that iridescent rainbow like sheen on each of the individual long glossy guard hairs. As your ferret moves it's almost like a hi-lighted sparkle across the fur. Each hair has microscopic scales that become a prism (prismatic) as the light is reflected back to your eye. This unique property is next to impossible to duplicate in fake fur. Real fur is also very heavy compared to fake. OK, I am now talking about a pelt; (not the warm fuzzy in your hand) real fur will always feel cool to your hand as you first go to touch it. Sort of a dead giveaway (pun intended). We can only hope that as ferrets grow in popularity as pets, the demand for their fur will end. But keep in mind, that never helped the rabbit or chinchilla. Maybe in the future, domestic fox and mink will become popular pets too. I would like to see farms raising them for pets instead of pelts. For now, we can keep on doing what Eleanor is doing by protesting it every time we see it. I remember once seeing a full length Fitch coat when I was a child at a fur salon in San Francisco. I knew that Fitch really meant ferrets and it must have taken approx. 60 - 80 pelts to make it. I didn't have ferrets back then. I had never even seen a live one, only photos and illustrations, but I knew about ferrets and really wanted one. It was pretty much unheard of ferrets being kept as pets back then. I remember touching the sleeve of that coat and hoping against hope that one day I could have and hold the living, breathing owner of such a beautiful pelt. Yes, fur is beautiful, but only when it is worn by the original owner. Pam Bandit and Baby - Who are looking very fashionable in their own, home grown, fur coats. [Posted in FML issue 4641]