>Sugar Gliders and McCaws ARE newly domesticate/often wild caught
>(respectivly)
>Sadly this is why so many ferrets and other 'exotics' end up in shelters
>or dumped or neglected....but it's not just ferrets.  In my experiece ANY
>exotic animal, or any animal classified as such has problems..
 
As a person who writes for the Pet Industry and makes every effort to
educate pet shops as well as others on small animals, I'd like to submit
the first few paragraphs of an article I wrote awhile back.  If anyone
wants to have the whole article, e-mail me or visit netinfopets.
 
DOMESTIC versus DOMESTICATED - There IS a Difference
by Pamela E. Troutman
 
People owning and selling small animals need to be clear on the local laws
and ordinances applied to certain species of animals.  To apply these laws
better, you need to make certain definitions understandable.  One of the
most confused term is the difference between DOMESTIC and DOMESTICATED.
 
A DOMESTICATED animal is one that has been altered during many generations
of specific breeding by man.  This was done to enhance certain qualities
that are often put into service by man, hence the reason for their
DOMESTICATION.  Animals in this grouping are dogs, cats, ferrets and certain
breeds of rabbits, like Angoras.
 
A DOMESTIC animal is one bred locally but not where it originated.  As an
example, hedgehogs are originally from Africa but are DOMESTICALLY bred in
the United States for sale in pet shops.  Other DOMESTIC animals often sold
as pets are flying squirrels, sugar gliders, prairie dogs, opossums,
chinchillas, gerbils, and hamsters.
 
Now, to add more to the confusion, a DOMESTICATED animal can be bred
DOMESTICing in trying to keep people from owning animals that are wild or
Exotic.  Each jurisdiction makes their own definitions.  Don't take for
granted that what you know as a DOMESTIC pet is legal to own or sell in your
area.
 
Many laws (local and state) prohibit wild animals as pets.  Some wild
animals can be hand raised to become tame pets.  These are often times
referred to as Exotics (parrots, marsupials, and rodents to name a few).
The United States has closed its door on the importation of most wild
animals for the pet trade.  These Exotic pets must be bred from existing
stock and raised DOMESTICALLY for sales in the states.  These animals are
not being altered genetically in any form to make them more physically
suited for their existence with man.  Therefore, they are NOT DOMESTICATED.
Pet shop gerbils are the same now (except for the color variations) as they
are in their wild state.
 
There is more but not enough space.
[Posted in FML issue 2321]