Thank you to everyone who has provided an easy to understand definition of DOMESTICATED. This one in particular has helped an awful lot: >it means an animal (or plant) is under human control (feeding, breeding, >housing, etc.) for a specific purpose (fur, milk, pets, steak, etc.) which >has caused some change to make it more adapted to human intent or control >(behavior, reproduction, size, fur characters, appearance, etc.). This really answers something I have pondered for the last few years. Why are my ferrets easier to live with than my two teenagers? Why?? By the definitions provided, the ferrets are domesticated and the teenagers are not!! (lack of control, no specific purpose, certainly not adapted to human intent or control at this age) Now, do any of the rescues/shelters accept non-domesticated teenagers as temporary fosters?? I would be willing to take them back when they are 35 and domesticated. Hey Alicia! >BUT I have to ask -- WHY is it your opinion the there are no domesticated >ferrets in VT, NH, ME?? Is this a brand of ferret bigatry? What a shemae >and inna ferrets live free or die state to-- now I must tell them all to >be wild animals! Maybe people aren't aware that VT, NH, ME are part of the Union. Our little ones may be being mistaken for imports and that's why they are not seen as domestic ones. Roberta Maine Mr. Magoo, Bandit, Houdini (Hey Mom, maybe VT, NH, and ME secceded from the Union like Texas and Alaska are always talking about doing and now we are imports like those fancy beers!) [Posted in FML issue 2589]