I had to respond to 4felinehouse on a few points.

One thing that you do may not realize is that ferrets are not really exotic pets as in they are not wild. They are domesticated animals. They were domesticated over a thousand years ago (sorry I have not studied ferrets enough to quote the exact number) to "ferret out" and kill pest animals such as rats and mice. Their purpose was very similar to that of cats and some species of dog. I have read that there is no wild species of ferret and that ferrets are only captive animals. I cannot confirm that. As for ferrets being good pets well I can give you literally a thousand websites and several other places on the internet where people think that they are good pets. I don't own a ferret now. I might in the future. If I choose to I'll do more research like I have in the past with my other pets.

Secondly you state that no one should own any pets other then a select few. You list cats, dogs or horses. You stated that with some animals people only have them because they just want to brag or look a certain way. This is not true. For every person who has an animal because they want to show off there are five others who have that species of animal for another reasons. If a person has a pet tarantula for example there reasons may not have anything to do with showing it off. Maybe they just have an love for spiders and they've wanted a tarantula since they were young.

Also What about people who have a sever allergy to most mammals and they still want a pet? Maybe they still want a pet and therefore they get some other kind of animal like a reptile or, if they want something more affectionate, a bird. Or what about people who live in a very small apartment but still want a pet. A rat would be the perfect choice. Rats are extremely affectionate and bond with their owners very closely. They are absolutely wonderful pets to own. So are other animals that are true exotics.

Also I just had to comment on the horse thing. I think that that was funny that you put that in there as I (personally) do not see the pet value in horses at all and I never would have put that in my list of the 3 good to own pets. But I would never knock a horse owner because if they find love and affection in a horse then that's fine by me.

I totally agree with you that a person should not get a pet and then let it sit in a cage all the time, I believe that one should completely study an animals ups and down sides BEFORE aquiring it.

I can understand your position that certain animals should not be pets, namely fish and reptiles. I know of some people who really do love with their iguana or snake but these animals really don't have the mental capability understand love. I can also understand if you believe that it is wrong to keep animals in cages. If that is the case and your morality dictates that cages are wrong then it is not my place to speak. But you know most mammals, especially ones who are social in the wild, have a strong ability for emotions and they can certainly bond with their owners. For some people sugar gliders are the best pets on earth, for others sugar gliders should never be kept as pets. It's the same thing with ferrets. You know it is also the same way with cats, dogs and horses. Some people just shouldn't own pets.

Well there are obviously two types of people in the world. Those who believe that owning pets other then "common animals" is wrong and those who can see why people would want to own them for whatever for reasons other then showing off.

The later group was usually raised around a variety of animals and taught to love all animals and the former group usually was raised around dogs and cats and told that no you cannot have that hamster because cats and dogs are the only animals in the world that should be pets. Some people (by no means am I saying most or all) who were raised to believe that cats and dogs are the only REAL pets and the only animals that deserve respect do things such as putting glue traps in their house so that mice can get stuck to them and die by dehydration while being glued to the glue trap in the garbage can.

[This message has been edited by trisnic (edited February 06, 2001).]