Anon, In answer to your question, the answer is yes... and no. First the no: What you observed is likely not what you think it is. Most animals, including ferrets, use pseudo-sexual behavior as a dominance ritual. What you probably saw was one of your friend's ferrets telling the other that /he/ was the boss, darn it! If you watch dogs much, you'll see the same sort of thing. In fact, if you've ever known a dog that seemed amorously attracted to legs, what you were actually seeing was a dog trying to assert dominance over the human in question. It's a habit that shouldn't be tolerated... but I digress. Now the yes: In the wild, some animals have been observed to exhibit same-gender pairing... not for sex, but for other life functions, in situations where the 'norm' is opposite-gender pairing. It happens among canines, girraffes, and various other animals. I'm sure it happens among ferrets as well. Now a question of my own... Does it matter? Surely our ferrets care little about human prejudices; they love us without question, without placing conditions on their love. Can't we be noble enough to love them the same way? *=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=* Little things are indeed little, but to be faithful in little things is a great thing. --Mother Teresa *-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-* Regan S. Pylman [log in to unmask] http://www.coyotesdaughter.com/~azrael [Posted in FML issue 2635]