Melanie writes: >Perhaps you are right and domesticated ferrets have evolved to engage >in killing sprees? Actually domestic ferrets haven't "evolved" - domestic ferrets have been bred from animals (likely the Steppe Polecat) that evolved to fill a niche in the natural world. Evolution takes eons. Breeding only takes generations. Evolution created a lithe sinewy animal able to dig into burrows of other smaller mammals or reptiles or amphibians and with the evolved design of the skull, jaws, teeth, and neck this creature has the ability to locate, capture and dispatch its prey. The evolution of this animal also endowed it with a digestive system specifically designed to glean nutrients from animal sources. A few generations of breeding will NOT eradicate eons of predatory abilities. A few generations of breeding will not alter, very much, the skull jaws and teeth to the point that the carnassials have now become browsing and grazing teeth. A few generations of breeding will not alter the digestive tract, nor its inability to digest plants. If you attribute Marshalls Farms the onus of marketing the ferret as a household pet to the popularity it has now, then this breeding has only been ongoing for 60 years. Processed ferret kibble has only been produced for that long also. If you look at history you'll see that ferrets have been human companions just about as long as the common house cat has ( some say longer for the ferret). So that gives the ferret a few THOUSAND years of domesticity! Quite a few years before kibble was cooked up, eh? ferrets happily devoured mice and rats and rabbits for their sustenance. And their delight in killing for a living didn't reduce their ability to remain domesticated one iota! It baffles me that people can accept the fact their cat is a predatory carnivore and can hunt yet remain people friendly, but they think if a ferret kills a mouse it immediately will revert to being a wild animal! It further baffles me that people think that a mere few decades of forcing cooked plant goo down the throats of ferrets is actually better for them than what they have evolved to eat based upon their genteic and physiological makeup! I don't think the 8 ferrets I've given care to so far are "freaks" or odd balls. I think that once that predator within awakens the ferret gets to experience its true nature. The ferret isn't weighed down with a gut full of indigestible sludge. The proper proteins and amino acids replenish muscles that were flaccid and under developed. The animal fats nourish the brain and give the coat a new glowing softness. Claws grow quickly and become strong. Food has an interest to it and varies in flavor. Food sometimes makes them take quick action to capture it. Food takes concentration to eat. Their live food makes them feel alive and offers them a sense of acheivement and satisfaction when they've made a successful kill. 60 years of breeding cannot erase innate nature! If I can nurture that innate nature through natural feeding and a more natural environment in my domestic household, then maybe my ferrets are indeed "oddballs", but lucky oddballs that get to become what they were designed to be! Friendly fun loving tiny helpful carnivores! Cheers, Kim [Posted in FML 6226]