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Meerkat Breeders

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Just before I start Iwould like to say that meerkats like most exotics are kept in a variety of ways and where as I dont agree with keeping meerkats as house pets or on their own (they are a social animal), Ido think they can make great outdoor pets/display animals. This caresheet is from my experience with meerkats and other people may do it differently but most are along these lines.

What is a Meerkat?
A meerkat is a small carnivore from the family herpestidae which includes mongoose's, in the wild they live in large groups and keep in contact through various squeaks,barks,grrs (and other noises harder to explain )

Positive attributes of the species?
meerkats can make great pets if kept in groups of 2 or more, can become very tame if hand reared and will notice and interact with their owners eventualy accepting them into the group and treating you as a meerkat. They are very clean animals usualy only using one corner to urinate and defecate rarely toileting in their nest box.

Negative attributes of the species?
some meerkats can become agressive and only respond to one person, this is especialy true when kept alone in a house enviroment and i have heard of babys being bitten due to becoming the newest member of the group and so (in the meerkats mind) lower than the meerkat itself. They are not really pick up and cuddle animals although i do have a handreared animal in the group that will happily jump up into my hands. other than this i find meerkats a very entertaining loving species.

What is their average life span?
Meerkats can live up to 15 years in captivity.

How well do they interact with people?
As said earlier they can become very very tame and actively want to be picked up, most i have worked with though are quite flightly and nervous but with time they can tame down enough to be stroked/picked up.

What type of housing do they need?
i recommend an outdoor enclosure and have kept them in open-top enclosures with high walls so that they can not climb out and i have also kept them in a wooden avariy with a glass roof and mesh sides. i personaly (and many others) prefer the open-top enclosure, what ever you choose make sure you have heated indoor area/nestbox for them to sleep in during winter. substrate can be sand or aubiose (soft horse bedding), i have given them burrows by putting plastic tubes under the sand and have also built a burrow system myself (imagine a maze with a top and holes in the side) this is 8ft x 10ft and took so much time and money to build its probably best to use the plastic tube method.

As said earlier many people use many different methods so research and find whats best for you.

What do you feed them?
i feed them fruit and vegetables with meat, fruit i use is melon and apple, vegetables i use are carrot, peas, sweetcorn, peppers, broccali and cauliflour. For meat i use dead day old chicks (de-yolked), boiled eggs and dead mice, i also give livefood (this is essential as in the wild the spend most of their time foraging for food) and so use morrio worms, crickets, wax worms and cockroaches, this will give them plenty to look for throughout the day. with this diet i and others have found that the problem of high colestrol found in alot of zoo groups isnt an issue.

How destructive are they for an average household (gnawing, climbing, etc.)?
This is another reason that they dont make good housepets if free ranging they will be very inquisitive and pull on cables (could cause fires etc) they are also very good climbers and can climb sofas, tables, beds, infact most things.

Do they have any potentially offensive odours?
Not that i have found if cleaned out regularly and their poo corners cleaned out daily they dont smell. The animals them self have next to no smell.

How messy are their dropping and can they be litter trained?
yes they can be litter trained easily and there droppings are quite smelly due to them eating meat.

What personal traits should someone keeping them have?
These arent animals that can be hugged and squeezed if you want a pet for that then get a rabbit, these are for people that would love an animal that is very comical and intelligent, prefer to watch animals rather than cuddle them, and are willing to be patient enough for the meerkats to accept them into the group (which will happen eventualy) and then you will be able to reap the rewards.