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I recently said on a vegan group on facebook that I did not agree with keeping animals in cages as pets and I got quite a lot of negative comments back from other members. So I was wondering what is everyone's opinion on keeping animals in cages. Do you agree or disagree and why?
We shouldn't keep animals as pets at all. But we have a responsibility to the animals that we bred and are already here, so we should home those the best as we can. How that should be is dictated by the species. A cage/environment suitable for a rescue gerbil or hamster would obviously not be suitable for a dog or cat.
Setting domesticated animals free is clearly not the safest option for them. Not creating additional demand by getting pets from breeders or shops should be a given for any vegan.
No animals should be bought/sold/bred for human enjoyment.
That said, some rescue animals need to be caged at times for their own or others protection. Obviously cages should be as large as possible, and they should be let out as much as possible.
[QUOTE=Pob;707722]No animals should be bought/sold/bred for human enjoyment.[/QUOTE
Agreed.
I think it's dependant on what animal you are talking about - a hamster, mouse, rat then yes should probably be in a large cage for it's own safety. And reptiles so they can keep warm in a vivarium but other than that no way.
I don't see why people buy an animal to put in a cage.
No cages, for humans or animals.
I recently left a vegan facebook group after someone on there was promoting grass fed meat. I ended up arguing with someone who posted saying they thought it was a good thing and not everyone was capable of being vegan. The thing that surprised me was no one came to my defence. I'd only been a member about 2 weeks. I've now left the group, I have to hear that crap from meat eaters I don't expect it from a Vegan group. When I looked at some of the people who are members though I realised they aren't even vegetarians so wonder if it's the same with your group.
Nobody at all came to your defence? That's pretty rough, what an awful vegan group!!Quote:
Mymblesdaughter
They're all vegan 'cause it makes you skinny, duh.
My body didn't get that memo - dohQuote:
LouiseAbel
Haha, mine either!Quote:
Niccie
Wow that doesn't sound like a very good group Mymblesdaughter. Sounds like a few people just joined that to cause some trouble maybe. The group I use is invite only and you have to be vegan or vegetarian to join. It is a nice group overall I was just a bit shocked by a couple of comments I got from a particular girl on there who was quite rude and sarcastic to me because of my views on caged pets. It wasn't as if I was rude to anyone or tried to start an argument I just said that I personally wouldn't keep a caged pet as I don't agree with it.
It's been said in this thread, already, but animals should not be kept in cages, or as pets, but sometimes it is for their own safety (ie. Having dogs in the house general bodes disaster for any smaller animal). But, obviously, these should only be rescues.
I have two rescue ferrets I keep in a cage that is two feet deep and five feet tall. It's a cage designed for six. I let them out for 4-5 hours a day to play (they sleep more than cats). Ferrets, the kind that you see as pets, don't even exist in the wild anymore. They have the most atrocious survival instincts and have been inbred for so long they have short lifespans and are prone to a number of horrific cancers. I'm a vegan, yes, but I care for these animals because I love them and I wish they hadn't been subjected to domestication generations ago. Recent research shows DNA evidence of pre-Egyption domestication. How sad is that.
I run a Ferret Rescue and very few of mine are in cages - Only when going through quarantine for one week. The ones who can't be rehomed and are staying long term have free roam of our house. The others have courts to live in until re-homing.Quote:
Lekker
Obviously that's the ideal. I live in a poorly kept apartment building that is 100+ years old and has been warped by New England weather. Between that and my landlord it just isn't safe. I don't have a safe room that could be gated off for them. It happens.Quote:
Niccie
I'll say this again, it's SOOO nice to see abolitionists on this forum - I had lost faith in many vegans.
We do lots of work with cats and TNR (trap-neuter-return) of feral cats here in the US to trying to stop the breeding cycle. We have 7 rescued indoor cats (we also care for many more truly feral cats that cannot live indoors), they don't go outside because it's unsafe and we are trying to keep their quality of life as high as possible. We built an enclosed patio (a "catio") which the cats have access to so they can go outside and climb, sleep or just get some fresh air.
As much as I love my cats I would be happy if I had no cats because we didn't have any that were in need of homes or were being breed. Based on what I see on a daily basis I don't think that is going to happen in my life time so I will do my best to care for those without homes that come into my life. For some reason we just seem to attract cats, if it were dogs or birds or anything else my story would be the same.
I have the same attitude and I hate the abuse which happens to domesticated animals by sick sadists!Quote:
RiseAgainst
Catio <--Love it!Quote:
RiseAgainst
I had a rescue snake, who had been bought as a present for someone's boyfriend. He thought it would be 'cool' to have a snake, but as it turned out he was too afraid to handle one, and he kept dropping it. The result was that when I got the snake he was very timid and unwilling to venture out of his vivarium even when he had the chance to roam. I gave up trying to let him roam, as he got too anxious if he was out of sight of his hollow tree. He spent most of his time curled up in there out of sight (and when I was out of the room, he would go and luxuriate in his water dish). In the end I rehomed him with a family who have a nice converted loft where he isn't disturbed by people at all. They go up to feed him and check on his heat mat etc., and that's it. Much better for him than when he was in the corner of my sitting room. It was looking after him that really opened my eyes to the cruelty of the pet trade - snakes are not designed to be cooped up in little glass boxes as something exotic to look at, and unlike dogs and cats they don't really bond with people either, so there's nothing but discomfort for them from beginning to end.
Glad your snake fell on his feet, as it were, peaceheart ;) It was very clever of you to find such a good home.
Snakes are fascinating but I don't understand why people would want to "own" one :(
I can see people wanting companion animals which they like interacting with, even if I don't necessarily agree. But just don't understand the keeping of reptiles or birds at all - these animals could be in the wild, unlike a domesticated dog right now and yet they'd rather see them sat in their rooms in cages!?Quote:
harpy
I don't understand the keeping of any animal in a cage tbh not just birds and reptiles. As someone who was housebound for three years I felt terribly isolated and trapped and I had a whole house to roam around so I can't imagine any animal would enjoy being trapped inside a cage for the rest of their lives.Quote:
Niccie
My assumption is anyone with dogs, cats, ferrets, rabbits don't keep them in cages but I think dog crates are quite popular in the US?!Quote:
Princess_Valium
I don't agree with them being kept in cages, but "pet" animals that are in need of owners due to the trade need to be looked after until the trade stops, and most of the time the only way is to have them confined for an amount of time each day.
My mum's friend, who loves buying exotic new pets, gave us her Hermann tortoise 3 months ago. They can't tolerate cold so we bring him in at night, and he sleeps in a small box in the kitchen. Otherwise, he has the run of the garden, and loves to eat weeds and flowers :) They also can't tolerate any kind of inadequacy in their diet, so the fact that he's living outside eating what he wants is keeping him nice and healthy. When the summer's over we'll get him a better indoor home because he'll have to spend more time in there.
I am for cages for some animals. Whenever i drive my two Jack Russells (yes i am proud to own them) to the woods i keep them in a cage, I think the end justifies the means. If i were to let them run about in my car it would be a major hazard so i keep them in a cage. I wouldn't keep them in a cage 24/7 (they would be prisoners rather then pets) but i think cages can be justified, say if i had a pet lion.
Why on earth would you want to have a pet lion???Quote:
Nathan John Pryke
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
Why on earth wouldn't you? Lions are cool as fuck.Quote:
thegreenjudy
I know you're (hopefully) joking but that's not cool as there are people that do think that and that's how there are lions are kept in horrific domestic sitiations.Quote:
Nathan John Pryke
I think that lions shouldn't be kept in cages, doesn't stop me from wanting to live with one, because lions are right up there on the bad ass wildlife list. Along with Great Whites, Mountain Gorillas and the Huntsman Spiders.Quote:
Blueberries
You are the sort of person who keeps 'free range' Hippos in his kiddies paddling pool Nathan?
- - - Updated - - -
They get VERY big mice in Cambridgeshire.Quote:
thegreenjudy
http://www.allaboutwildlife.com/enda...ndangered/5825Quote:
Nathan John Pryke
You might want to review the above article. Lions are wild animals, not domesticated, and should not be kept as pets for our entertainment. What happens when someone gets hurt keeping a pet lion, regardless of their "good" intentions to care for the lion? Inevidibly the lion will be put down or into a restrictive environment. Lions in captivity are unable to express their natural instincts and they can not live the lives they were meant to live. It is sad that they are being hunted to extinction but keeping them in a zoo or private sanctuary is not the ultimate answer (unless the animal is being rescued from imminent danger). I just wish people would leave wild animals alone and let them live their natural lives, and stop taking away their habitat too.
I in no way said that i would domesticate lions, i said i would live with them...i could join the pride and roam the land hunting tourists. Better yet I'll go live with the gorillas like dian fossey, then atleast i could keep up a vegan diet.
It's not the mice you have to worry about in Cambridgeshire its the people and the mud.
EDIT: after reading through that article, other than being interesting, why on earth did you post it?
Indeed. We have a pet lioness and are very fond of her most of the time (when she is not set too much on goring family members, that is).Quote:
Nathan John Pryke
Of course, when we got her from the shelter, thosee conniving shelter people claimed she was a simple domestic cat.
Best regards,
Andy
Said a spokesman for Silverback & Sons (Estate agents to the discerning primate); "FARK! There goes the neighbourhood - AGAIN!"Quote:
Nathan John Pryke