Which Animals Can Be Pets And Which Ones Cannot Be

It is true that dogs and cats are almost always the first choice when choosing a pet, but other very common options are fish, birds and some reptiles and rodents. However, whether for fashion, hobby or ostentation, some people prefer to opt for species cataloged as exotic. And then the million-dollar question arises, which animals can be pets and which cannot?

Can all animals be pets?

Let’s assume that domestic animals – farm or companion animals – are those that have adapted to the home environments in which they live. On the other hand, wild animals need the conditions of their wild environment to be reproduced in order to survive in a house.

That said, we’ve always known that man likes to play god, and whimsically chooses his pets, sometimes with unpredictable consequences.

The legislation in general is still not very clear or very specific when it comes to determining which animals can be pets and which ones cannot. Therefore, to alert about legal loopholes and contradictions, many animal protection associations keep asking authorities to create a list of species that can be raised at home. In any case, it is important that the alien species is not in danger of extinction and is not considered potentially invasive or dangerous.

This very human habit of…

The human desire to control every being and everything, or perhaps wanting to show off and show that money can solve everything, has shown throughout history many famous and powerful people from different areas who make a show of showing off unusual pets.

To illustrate the subject, a good example is Salvador Dalí, whose genius when facing art did not have to be repeated in his everyday attitudes, although some people celebrated and even imitated this.

That’s how, in the late 60’s, he had an anteater as a pet. A photo of Dalí leaving a Paris metro station with this poor animal forced to live to an absurd size, made much of French high society to imitate him. This is how vermilion tongues became many people’s pets out of sheer snobbery. But before the anteater, the artist still had Baby, an ocelot, as a pet.

Nowadays, there are still news of celebrities who choose tigers, kangaroos, pythons, lions, opossums or different species of monkeys as pets. And some people want to imitate them. Or a successful movie highlights some exotic creature and after that many people want to have an equal in their home without considering the consequences of their actions.

Exotic pets are also abandoned

But when fashion wears off, animals grow up and don’t become as friendly and controllable as you thought they would. These innocent beings who have the bad luck of being turned into pets are also often abandoned by irresponsible owners.

Some are destined for certain death because they have not developed their survival skills while in captivity or because they are far from their natural environment.

However, those that manage to adapt to the new habitat and find no competition, propagate easily and can become a pest, putting native species in danger.

This is the case, for example, with turtles in Florida, raccoons or pigs in Vietnam. The latter are often seen near urban areas and may even breed with wild boar.

Why can’t some animals be pets?

Below we list for you some of the reasons why wild animals should not be chosen as pets:

• Raising them in an environment different from yours is very cruel.

• You end up contributing to illegal hunting and smuggling of some endangered species.

• They transmit different diseases : rabies, salmonellosis, psittacosis, etc.

• They may end up attacking a member of your family, especially when they reach adulthood.

• They need specific foods  that, due to lack of knowledge or the difficulty to obtain them, you cannot provide them for. And these nutritional deficiencies often have serious consequences.

• You deprive the animals of coexistence with their companions, essential for them to learn to survive.

• Being away from your natural environment can cause depression and illness, or even death for no apparent reason.

Furthermore, with so many cats and dogs overcrowding protective associations and roaming the streets, eager to give and receive love, what is the need to take an animal out of its natural habitat?