Kim,

I think you are confused about the term 'exotic'. In veterinary terms,
exotic is defined by an animal that is *not *a companion pet(dog or
cat) or a live stock animal (horses, cows, etc). Exotic can mean
rats, mice, hamsters, and rabbits. All of these small animals *ARE
*domesticated. And they *ARE *also exotic. Exotics are also used to
title birds, reptiles, and amphibians. This is why your snake is an
exotic pet even though it is indigenous to some states. Exotic animals
are also considered companions to humans even though they are not
'companion animals' by definition. Medically speaking, exotic is not
a term for wild animal. It just means it is not a companion or live
stock animal.

Exotic is not defined as "an animal NOT bred by man but captured in the
wild" as you questioned. That sentence could imply wild animals such
as bears or elephants. Hence the term "wildlife" and not exotic. Many
exotic pets have been bred by humans for generations. Again, look at
small animal breeders. And bird breeders. Not to mention the thousands
of reptile breeders out there. And the term Domesticated is selective
breeding of wild animals to be tame for human use. For example: food,
pets, and work. This includes exotics. And yes. You are correct in a
sense that humans have 'stripped the wild' out of pets. But that's
what domestication does. (again including exotic pets)

And regarding "exotic" cats and dogs. While cats and dogs are
categorized as companion animals, the 'exotic' term for them means
rare and uncommon. You're not going to be calling a golden retriever
exotic since they're one of America's most popular breeds. So yes.
It is correct to call a hairless sphinx and Chinese crested as an
exotic cat and dog because they are uncommon breeds.

I do agree with what you said about how some vegans impose their
lifestyle on other people. There are many kind and intelligent
vegans out there, but they're not the ones imposing. It's the
extremists out there. Which reminds me, there is a vegan ferret
diet online. I tried emailing the company trying to explain how
carbohydrates and fiber is unhealthy for ferrets. They went all
defensive and stated I was crazy and that their
diet was scientifically engineered for ferrets. (<--nonsense)

I hope I cleared up some things for you,

Nikki K
UC Davis
Animal Biology: Pre-vet

Link to the vegan ferret diet:
http://www.evolutiondietstore.com/product.sc?productId=3

[Posted in FML 7025]