to think it's time we stopped keeping "pets?"

[Hullygully]

Why do we still do this?

Apart from working animals, guide/guard dogs etc, isn't it odd that we keep animals in our homes? Expensive, huge amounts of waste that has to be dealt with, extermination of songbirds etc etc

Yes?
No?

Am discussing with dd, so interested in views!

Dogs, Cats, - animals that can have some autonomy and actually go outside are fine in my opinion.

But personally, I think keeping any animal as a pet that has to predominantly remain enclosed inside a small space such as a cage or tank or hutch is cruel and selfish. Animals need stimulus as we do, they need to feel the open air/water and different terrain and the society of other animals.

How is a tank sufficient for a fish that is adapted to swim in the ocean currents? Or a cage for a budgie who would normally fly, nest and migrate in it's natural environment?

It really is wrong. At least Zoos have some excuse because of preservation.

It's just selfish in the main.

Mortimer is on my profile, MrsDB. He's my pet raven.

If he flies away will your Empire crumble?

I am frightfully jealous of those of you who have hedgehogs in your garden. I love them and I've never heard of them living wild here. They are so cute I can hardly stand it.

We've thought of getting DS a bearded dragon, would that be cruel?

Cheerful - hedgehogs are cute in their own way, but when you hear your dog barking his head off, then yelping in agony as he tries to pick one up in his mouth (the poor hedgehog having curled into a ball to protect itself), then having to get some oven gloves to pick up the poor thing and rescue it.... then pulling several large spikes out of your stupid dog's bleeding mouth, rather takes away the enjoyment .

I like lizards, but prefer them in the wild. If you look after it well, I can't see a problem.

Well, they're already there at the pet shop so I can't help but feel it would be happier at home with us where we would give it lots of attention and let it roam around, but I don't know if that's just creating a demand for them to be taken from the wild or whatever? Also would they be happier if I had two of them? I need to research this.

Animals were here before us.

Agree that looking after animals has a direct effect on how people learn to treat other people.

There is a pet shop near me advertising pigmy african hedgehogs . I was torn between being utterly entranced at the thought of a teeeeny little hedgehog and horrified that they were being sold.

Is it legal? How could it be?

I always feel sorry for chinchillas. They never look happy in a cage and seem very nervy.

I am quite fond of Degus. If I was going to have a caged pet I think I would have a couple of them. But I wouldnt.

Sorry Yank, are you saying that in the US you can get a hedgehog from a petshop?

Mind you, I was amazed when we lived there to find mall petshops with what amounted to glass fronted tanks full of puppies - I don't know if that's even legal in the UK but never seen 'a puppy in the window'. So wrong.

Yes, pet keeping must only be with the proviso that the animal is suitable as a pet and cared for properly. No excuse for not doing these things.

Yes, you can Grimma . I haven't seen them in too many petshops but I knew someone who got one, so they do have them. (When I was talking about buying something for our family I meant a bearded dragon, though, not a hedgehog!)

The mall petshops are disgusting. They are falling out of favor now as more and more evidence on puppy mills comes to light. Also, experts are advising people not to buy puppies from there as they are very hard to housebreak- they've lost the instinct to not eliminate in their space because in pet shops they have to. Most people I know get animals from shelters or small breeders.

The pet shop we frequent (to buy supplies for our dog) has small animals like lizards, birds, and guinea pigs. They do have cats and dogs but they are brought over from the local shelter for the day to meet potential owners; they don't live there.

Sarah

Mortimer is a very handsome chap.

Does he talk ? I see your Mortimer, and raise you a talking cockatiel.

I also have just 1 dog now, 3 cats, and 1 hamster.

I saw an albino pygmy hedgehog for sale in a garden centre place on saturday, £199. I like our resident garden hedgehog more :)

I wish I could have hedgies living in my yard! But they would freeze. Unless, do they hibernate?

Glad to hear petshop pups are less common.

Yes, hedgehogs hibernate. You know we have bonfires on Nov 5th? Well, if you've been making a pile of branches etc you're meant to turn it all over before igniting because its just the time of year the hogs are looking for somewhere to hole up and a pile of sticks etc can look like attractive winter quarters.

We have 2 cats and a dog. I see them as:

Companionship - they are part of the family.

Educational - They teach the children about animals/ how to treat others kindly/ about life and death. My first childhood experience with death was the death of the family dog. Rather morbid that one I suppose- but a useful lesson for children?

Recreational - the children have more outdoors time since we got the dog. Lots more walking, tramping through muddy puddles in the woods at weekends etc. Lots more fresh air and exercise.

Also, don't children brought up with animals have a healthier immune system? I know children on farms of the healthiest of the lot.

The pet gets, well, a life. Which is better than nothing I suppose

I have often wished for the idyllic, cosseted life of my pets.

Oh yes, and the children are also fascinated by the dead mice the cats bring in - should I file that under educational?

I do feel incredibly guilty when my cats bring birds in though :( It's not often, and I do put bells on their collars. I have saved birds from them before.

Sorry Yank, are you saying that in the US you can get a hedgehog from a petshop?
My local petshop has just started selling those pygmy african hedgehogs- NE London. They are cute

Sarah - "Mortimer is on my profile, MrsDB. He's my pet raven."

Is he named Mortimer because of a book that had a raven and a little girl called Arabella in it?

Ahem - I did just say upthread about hedgehogs (although I spelt Pygmy wrong).
lula I am in NE london too. It wasnt the pet shop on the Mount was it?
I darent go in and look at them for fear of being overcome by their cuteness.

Better not let my DD know about the availability of pygmy hedgehogs - she is entranced by normal ones but we've only ever spotted one in our garden (probably because DH blocked up every hole big enough for a dachshund puppy to escape through, and the fence has only now started to decay enough to admit hedgehogs).

Though it might divert her from her current pet campaign. The one thing she wants for xmas is a tank of Madagascan Hissing Cockroaches, which DH has vetoed. Don't know why - I'd draw the line at anything requiring live food but these roaches are veggie.

we have pets but actually I have been thinking the same OP for about half a year.

He is NoOnes, DD2 also had a racing pigeon called Arabel for a little while. She got hit by a car outside our house, so she nursed her back to health then let her go. We see her with the pigeons in the town centre sometimes.

Sadly, Mortimer hated her.

Hully my issue with keeping pets is less the cost and environmental damage, but the whole domination thing. What gives me the right to enslave and sterilise this other living creature, just for my convenience and enjoyment?

I think about it, but choose to keep her anyway. The benefits for me are huge, and her life is pretty awesome. I agree with other posters upthread that domesticated animals also domesticated humans in a way, in order to get guaranteed shelter and food.

Still don't like the domination angle v much, but accept that an animal that we wish to insert into human society must be dominated in order not to cause havoc and damage in that society.