I'm fairly new to the ferret world (five years), but from what I've learned
about our fuzzies from owning three of them is this: they are totally
domesticated in terms of how similar they are to other "domesticated"
animals.  Your statements about their being "trained" rather than "adapted"
seem contradictory when you compare them to the dog or cat.  It is taken for
granted that the usual "household pet" (ie, dog or cat) is domesticated, but
what really is the debate about ferrets falling into this catagory?  Anyone
that has owned a ferret and actually tried to learn anything about them can
tell you they are just as dependant on humans as is a kitten that was never
taught to catch a mouse by it's mother.
 
You then stated that dogs are not aggressive towards babies, but I have
seen first hand that that statement is not justified.  My "domesticated"
dog became very jealous of my baby brother when he was brought home from
the hospital and my parents had to have her put to sleep because of her
aggressiveness towards him.  Maybe this was a rare case, but I think not.
Most or all domesticated animals have retained the instinctive need to
demonstrate a "pecking order" in the group they live with.  Any newcomer
(baby or new pet) must learn it's place, but todays domesticated animals
are usually not so aggressive in this as their wild cousins.  Ferrets are
no exception.
 
I really don't see the argument about whether ferrets are domesticated or
wild when compared to other animals.  And why is it such a big deal anyway?
It's just another case of the misinformed few trying to tell the masses how
to run their lives.
[Posted in FML issue 2558]