Added: Sep 2, 2010
From: MeerkatGal
Duration: 0:51
READ DESCRIPTION: I had to remove alot of the rant because 'it was too long', Haha. [ C o m p a n y ] ; Meerkats are social, cooperative creatures and need to have company of their own species. Why? For Grooming; essential in meerkat society, as it's the most effective way to rid of parasites, which reduces the chance of illness or disease. Brushing and combing can't do justice, and I doubt the meerkat would tolerate having a comb ripping through its fur. Bathing is possible, but given their vulnerablity to hyperthermia you would definately need to keep them warm afterwards! Also, without a companion or two, a meerkat would become very distressed. This can lead to unnatural behaviour, which can eventually endanger the meerkat's life. [ D i e t ] ; In case you didn't know, meerkats eat scorpions, crickets, mealworms, millipedes, locusts, lizards, eggs, centipedes, beetles, ants, larvae, mice, sun spiders, caterpillers, grubs, carrots, termites, worms, roots, certain fruits, chicken meat, geckos and occasionally even small birds and snakes. Do you happen to have [all] of that in your cupboard? They cannot feed exclusively on a single item and most certainly cannot eat raisins or grapes (they're fatal to meerkats). Many pet/captive meerkats are overweight due to inappropriate feeding or lack of exercise. [ I n s t i n c t s ] ; Meerkats are born to dig. Therefore, keeping them locked up without a sand-box or any earth to dig in is cruel and will prove costly. You will come home to find your couch ripped, your plants uprooted, your carpet dirtied and your stationary misplaced. Not to mention, they love cutting your skin too. Being naturally curious, meerkats are into [everything] and will scratch away whenever they please. They are also wild animals; training them is next to impossible, so get use to finding urine and droppings all over your floor. Furthermore, meerkats stink. It's a fact, okay? Nothing is going to stop them from scent-marking all the furniture by rubbing their rears all over it. One more thing; meerkats tend to be loud. They will bark, yap, chirp, squeak, chur.. Their endless vocals will really test your patience. [ D i s e a s e s ] ; Although very rare, meerkats can be carriers of rabies. You don't know where the meerkat has come from so it is possible for them to be holding diseases. It's very easy to be bitten by a meerkat. Usually their bites are not intended to harm, just out of playfulness, but that depends on how you treat them. Their fangs are very sharp, so a bite would not only be painful, but could quite possibly become infected. [ C o - e x i s t a n c e ] ; You may have seen it before, meerkats living alongside dogs or cats in households, but most meerkats are very intolerant of other creatures. Being territorial, they may decide to attack the other pet. You can imagine how that would turn out.. :\ [ F u r t h e r . I n f o ' ] ; I'll remind you again; meerkats are very small creatures and have a 40% lower metabolic rate compared to most creatures, which means they regulate heat well. This is effective in hot temperatures, but really struggle in cold conditions. Meerkats should [never] be left unsupervised. An individual or even a pair can become distressed if their owner disappears, because, after a while, the meerkat will consider the owner as part of the 'mob'. So, suddenly leaving them will result badly. Getting a babysitter to watch over the meerkats can also be troublesome, as meerkats are unpredictable and could attack a stranger. It's all part of their natural behaviour.. The family sticks together [at all times] and 'rivals' are forbidden to enter the territory. [ F i n a l . W o r d ] ; Purchasing meerkats from stores will only encourage the seller's to collect more. Displacing 'kats from the wild is cruel, and we don't know how they do it; Traps? Bait? It's a selfish act and one that needs to stop. They are wild creatures. Not pets. I could say so much more, but because of description-limits I must stop here. Thankyou for reading. - MeerkatGal.
Channel: Animals
Rating: 5.0' max='5' min='1' numRaters='4' rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#overall ( ratings) Views: 1036 Comments: 33
MeerkatGal Says:
Sep 3, 2010 - @xOmarTV That's a relief! I think it's really only in the UK where meerkats are sold as pets.
MeerkatGirl789 Says:
Sep 3, 2010 - Uhhh........... Even though it would be cool to have one, I agree. Also, I bet some people use meerkats as little dress-up dolls or show them off at pet shows. Meerkats belong in the wild with there own kind. I love meerkats, But I wouldn't keep one locked up in a cage for the rest of it's life. If you see, Meerkats seem calmer happier in the wild then as pets.
LOVEstarrystar33 Says:
Sep 4, 2010 - it is so cruel to have meerkats as pets!! they belong to be running free in the Kalahari!!
Stlbluesgirl101 Says:
Sep 5, 2010 - I totally agree with this, these wonderful creatures are meant to be in the wild and that's how they should stay!!! :)
kirbyrox102 Says:
Sep 5, 2010 - Anyone who has a meerkat as a pet is just cruel! Meerkats belong in the wild, where they live. Keeping them in a cage is abusive. They need companionship, room and many things humans can't supply for them. Please keep our little meerkats in the wild, where they belong. 3
TheMeerkatPrincess Says:
Sep 5, 2010 - Agreed! . Meerkats should be in the wild, not being forced to live in a cramped little cage! :\
FlowerOurQueen Says:
Sep 6, 2010 - Every single bit was perfectly worded. It's just sick to know people would keep meerkats as pets... There's a fine line between pets and wild animals and, by heart, meerkats are wild. Not pets, at all. If you ask me, keeping a meerkat as a pet, no matter how "well" you treat it, it's neglect. They're going to follow their natural instincts whether the owner likes it or not, and as a pet, they're going to be destructive. I loved it; you had all the perfect points. 3
Kalahridudex Says:
Sep 7, 2010 - @MeerkatGal keeping meerkats as pets is not even legal in south africa ^^
MeerkatGal Says:
Sep 7, 2010 - @Kalahridudex Really? That's good to know! I once read that Africans sometimes kept meerkats as pets to defend their homes from scorpions and snakes.. I guess, if that is a true statement, they're illegally keeping them as pets? :\
MeerkatGal Says:
Sep 7, 2010 - @FlowerOurQueen I'm glad to know you agree! Thankyou Brittany ^^
Kalahridudex Says:
Sep 7, 2010 - @MeerkatGal semi-pets are legal, by semi-pet i mean you allow them in your house and sometimes feed them, but they are in the wild most of the time
MeerkatGal Says:
Sep 7, 2010 - @Kalahridudex ; Ahright. Well, I have nothing against that. :) Thanks for the information.
SoldierBingFilms Says:
Oct 26, 2010 - can you own meerkats?!!?
MeerkatGal Says:
Oct 26, 2010 - @SoldierBingFilms You can, but only in certain counrties with specific permits and lisences that are really hard to get. Meerkats are also very expensive to purchase, and extremely difficult to care for.
freacls Says:
Jan 2, 2011 - i adopted a meerkat which is in the zoo and hes happy their with his family and his huge enclosher and i also have a plush toy Alexander Meerkat but ur so right they belong in the wild or in a zoo also beautiful song on the video
TheArizonaCrocodile Says:
Jan 22, 2011 - I have been thinking that once i get a job as a veteranarian(for I currently have no job since I not quite old enough yet) I will raise money to(as veteranarians gain a lot of money in America) Build a meerkat habitat in my backyard(which i hope will be big) and raise some meerkats there. I wil make sure to follow guidelines and keep them happy. Of course (as they re illegal where I live withput a biology liscense) not buy them from sellers but maybe adopt from the fellow earthlings cneter :)
PinkPunkyKat Says:
Feb 2, 2011 - If a person can care for them properly, I have no problem with it. You can't interact with them in the wild. I can watch them on TV.
MeerkatGal Says:
Feb 2, 2011 - @PinkPunkyKat Same, if the meerkat(s) is/are well looked after and have appropriate homes then I'm okay with it. It is possible to interact with wild meerkats, by visiting the Kalahari Meerkat Project, Meerkat Magic Conservation Project and various other Safari's that offer tours and encounters with meerkats. Some Zoos also have interactive meerkat experiences, so getting a pet meerkat is very pointless. And yes, like you said, you can always watch them on TV.
sdtuu Says:
May 27, 2011 - ALL animals are naturally wild! It's just unusual for a Meerkat to be a pet! They take extra care than most domestic animals granted, Meerkats can make for an exellant and happy pet if coupled with the right owner(s). Make videos on how best to care of a meerkat instead of black and white photos with moody sad songs, you put any topic in those settings and it looks "wrong"
MeerkatGal Says:
May 27, 2011 - @sdtuu Yes, all animals are naturally wild. But unlike pets such as dogs and cats, who've had much of their wild instincts modified through 15,000+ years of selective breeding, meerkats have NOT been domesticated. They have NOT been bred for human contact. Their instinct to dig and stay with family (every second of the day) is overwhelming. Sure, meerkats can make for excellent pets if the owner doesn't mind the animal constantly ripping up flooring/furniture and tailing them EVERYWHERE.
MeerkatGal Says:
May 27, 2011 - @sdtuu -Even when they're not hungry, a meerkat will dig for HOURS a day, simply to satisfy its instinct. Another instinct is to sleep with family at night. Not doing so will drive them insane. And sleeping with a meerkat every night would become an unpleasant affair, as they have a pungent smell. And the fact that they frequently urinate over themselves during sleep only adds to the discomfort.
MeerkatGal Says:
May 27, 2011 - @sdtuu -Once an owner has learnt to put up with that, they have to confront the issue of 'socialising'. Instinct compels a meerkat to attack and kill anyone who steps onto its territory; meaning visiting friends or relatives. An owner will quickly find that they CANNOT have company around the meerkat. And leaving it alone will only make it stress out.
MeerkatGal Says:
May 27, 2011 - @sdtuu - It would take thousands of years to domestic meerkats, like it did with dogs/cats/ect. Plus, altering their behaviour would completely destroy the very aspect that makes them so engaging and fascinating. So unless someone is willing to give up their social life and have their house destroyed for 10-15 years, having a meerkat as a pet is NOT a good idea.
Gulliedoutbigup Says:
Oct 7, 2011 - @sdtuu lol no? the right owners? fuck off with that bullshit. Meerkats need a social group, you know what that is? about 10-30 other meerkats, not the owners, and they need a environment if they're kept in capitivity to replicate their natural one. Scorching temperatures, sand, things to climb and play on, their tunnel and room system, not to mention alpha males n females. you just look like a dick for posting that.
. . . . . . . because these video appear directly from youtube.com which we cannot control it.)
xOmarTV Says:
Sep 3, 2010 - In the US there's laws that make this stuff illegal. You won't see anyone with a Meerkat cuz in most states no one is allowed to keep an exotic animal, (except certain animals where you would need permission granted and a paper signed.)