Do you think keeping caged animals is wrong?

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CiaraPatricia

CiaraPatricia

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Obviously we all keep guinea pigs, and they are all well taken care of and happy :)

But my friend was just saying this the other night, she has two guinea pigs and she regrets getting them, because she thinks it's wrong to keep them in a cage, and her cage/pen is way larger than the minimum RSPCA size.

She thinks rabbits should have free range of an small-medium average garden, and guinea pigs maybe about half that. That it's unnatural to be caged, even in a quite big cage, and that they aren't as happy as they should be. She thinks wild animals would be happier because they are free. Though you could argue the same thing about dogs being kept in gardens, that the gardens aren't big enough.

I said that I do agree with her, and I think ideally they should be in bigger sized cages than the minimum, but even a huge enclosure or as a house pet running around would be better. But that I do think they are still happy in the recommended size cages, and have a good life, better than animals in the wild who have more pressures in life. All my guinea pigs and rabbits are in cages that are about the recommended size, my guinea pig cages are a little bigger. And I honestly do think I can tell that they are happy. But they would be happier if they could free range in a garden, it'd be a much better quality of life.

I don't really go by recommended sizes, but when I look at my animals, if I feel comfortable with how much space they have and think they look happy, then I'm happy with it. :)

I'm not attacking anyone obviously, I keep mine in cages too. Just wondering what you guys think?

I really believe all our guinea pigs are happy, and you can tell when they are :) but I bet we'd all make huge enclosures if we had the space and money :)
 
If I had the money, then yes my pigglys would have more room. And I hate the word cage. It sounds cruel. But my babies are loved and well cared for. So thats all that matters.
 
fluffy69 said:
If I had the money, then yes my pigglys would have more room. And I hate the word cage. It sounds cruel. But my babies are loved and well cared for. So thats all that matters.
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I'm sure they are really happy :) Imagine the kind of homes we'd have for them if we all had the money, it'd ba amazing. But the way they are is fine too :)

I hate the word cage too, it sounds horrible.


Though I did notice something recently, I was thinking my animals actually seem to like their cages, like when they're behind bars they feel safe and aren't scared of people or other animals being around. But when they're in the open, like in the shed, or if I have the tops of the runs open, then they don't feel as safe. But as soon as they are in their cages/runs, then they know they're safe behind the bars :)
 
i dont use the word cage my piggies live in piggy pens. i agree though they seem happier in a cage/pen than not except nelson but he will still run back to his pen when he needs the toilet.

i would love to let all the animals (except the fish lol) free range but its not possible the piggies like eating carpets. and the hamster free range wouldnt like that she escapes enough as it is.

it would be nice if they didnt have to be caged but i think sometimes to be honest they do feel safer. would you feel safer in a house or ina huge open field/space?

i think as long as the animals have enough room to be themselves i dont think it really matters.
 
CiaraPatricia said:
I'm sure they are really happy :) Imagine the kind of homes we'd have for them if we all had the money, it'd ba amazing. But the way they are is fine too :)

I hate the word cage too, it sounds horrible.


Though I did notice something recently, I was thinking my animals actually seem to like their cages, like when they're behind bars they feel safe and aren't scared of people or other animals being around. But when they're in the open, like in the shed, or if I have the tops of the runs open, then they don't feel as safe. But as soon as they are in their cages/runs, then they know they're safe behind the bars :)
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I too hate the word cage, and I do feel bad sometimes at keeping my piggies in a cage, it is something I think about! But their cage is huge, clean and cosy and like you say they seem to love being in there. It's where they seem happiest, feel most confident and have the most fun!
And where their cage is in my house I get to spend a lot of time with them as it's the room I study in, whereas if I perhaps had a room just for them the only reason I would have to be in there would be to see them so I wouldn't spend as much time with them if you know what I mean?
 
Oooo what an interesting debate: )

I think there will always be pets, and animals kept in cages, but what we can do is provide them with the best quality of life possible, theres no denying there’ll always be domesticated animals and although its nice to think that all animals should be wild and free i personally don’t believe that’ll ever happen. Though not start this on a downer i do think we as owners can give them a fulfilling and happy life as possible.

I was thinking about this the other day, and how in Britian zoo’s and animal parks are now expected to keep their animals in large enclosures which mimic their natural habitat, and to give them stimulating play and feeding times etc, but how come ‘pets’ smaller animals, which are no longer i think seen as a wild animals are expected to live their lives in tiny hutches and cages (not us by the way and I'm not trying to offend anyone! i once thought these hutches were okay!) which are sold in pet shops, you know the types 2ft/3ft hutches for rabbits, and tiny wired cages for hamsters and birds. I think there needs to be a change in how the public are educated (perhaps?) in pet care and perhaps pet shops should start a revolution for once rolleyesand change their stock to larger hutches, and show people this is what animals need for their happiness,health and wellbeing. Although saying this i do think there has been a change in recent years in how animals are kept, and seen in society.

Anyways i’ll just step down from my high horse...i think as owners on this forum we do provide our pets with loving, happy environments which do show in the animals health and wellbeing. If it wasn’t for this forum i would of continued to keep my boars in their old cage which i now realise is wayyy to small for them, but i just took my information from books and thought this is the correct way to keep them. Since getting the shed, the boys have come on in leaps and bounds, i am happy that i can provide this space for them, and will happily encourage family/friends/strangers to go as big as they can afford/ provide.

I do feel cruel, however, for keeping a hamster. I know as an owner i do not provide an environment which mimics thimbles natural habitat. I was reading new research which shows that hamsters should have at least 40cm of digging space so they can create tunnels, networks and chambers in their home as they live naturally underground. I do try to provide a stimulating, and large space for Thims but i do think i could do better for him, i know i cant atm as my hands are tied with living at my OH’s family home and for obvious reasons i just cant go out and buy a huge glass tank for him. I wont be housing any more hamsters in my life till i can provide that space for them! Although saying that i do think Thimble is a contented and happy hamster. I just feel terrible sometimes. :(

Anywhoos back to the point, i agree i think you should provide the most amount of space possible, and i think everyones homes on here are a wonderful example of a happy, comforting environment for guinea pigs.
 
Yeah I can't let mine free range because I have dogs and cats too, so it wouldn't be safe and they need separate spaces of course :)

I think that's a good point lauralucy, if they have enough space to be themselves :) If they definitely have enough space to display natural behaviour, then they should be happy :)

But some people count a tiny space as enough space to display natural behaviour, that's what it is by law :( But I don't think that's true. I think every animal should have the space to run around. Whether it's a dog, cat, guinea pig, rabbit, hamser (obviously not fish or snakes, cos they don't run, but still need enough space) :)

My guinea pigs definitely can run around their cages, but I do wish my rabbits had a bit more space. I'm working on it, ordering some more runs today :))
 
I agree Audioheart :)

I hate seeing rabbits especially in tiny hutches, with no runs. :( But guinea pigs too, it's horrible to see them in 2ft hutches.

That's a good point about the wild animals, and it makes sense to try to make pets homes as natural as possible.

I think everyone on this forum has great homes for their pets, and all we can do is make them as good/big/comfy as we can :)
 
I hate the word cage as well, the two dog cages are called crates - it sounds much nicer and the guineapigs home is their hutch - again nicer that cage, when they come inside they will be in their pen.

My gerbils had a huge space to run about in, I couldnt just keep them in one rotorstack system, they had 3 with 2 lots of tunnels and I just kept adding to it and making their environment as rich as possible.

Peppers life is full of enrichment, through toys and training and I am going to do as much for the girls as possible to make their lives as fun and fullfilling as possible.

They dont live behind bars because its convenient to me, its to keep them safe from the wild animals (and pepper)
 
Pepperdog said:
They dont live behind bars because its convenient to me, its to keep them safe from the wild animals (and pepper)
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Good point, the cages/pens/runs are for their own protection :)

My old guinea pig got out of her run once and was just eating grass, but when she saw me she ran back into her run where she felt safe (thankfully) :)

And my old rabbit used to chew through her hutch and get out but she never tried to make a break for it, just ate buttercups, she must have loved them even though they're poisonous . . .

My guinea pig Cenci escaped when he was a baby and just went over to the girls' hutch to say hi to them. :)
 
We would do well to remember that our pets are not wild animals and are not necessarily suited to living the wild life.

If let loose in a big outdoors pen, you have to take into consideration adequate protection against cats, dogs, birds of prey and rats, weasels, popisonous lawn plants etc. and you also have to provide the hiding spaces they would use in the wild so they can dash from one shelter to the next, especially at first. At all times, they will need some protection form the sun.

While guinea pigs will enjoy a certain amount of freedom, most will happily stay in their familiar run when offered the opportunity and have to learn how roam a larger space.

My piggies have technically the possiblity to roam the whole house, yet I have only ever had two guinea pigs who would venture out of the living room on a regular basis and only one who ever cracked jumping up the stairs.
 
In a word: no! Domesticated pets are bred (yes, they are) to be just that - domesticated. And that means living in accomodation that is near to humans and a smaller size than if they had been born into the wild. Even the most outgoing domesticated guinea pig can panic when they are put into a large run. I have experienced that with my own: they much prefer a smaller run where they can hear I'm still around. After a while they get edgy especially if they can't hear my voice.
 
I dont like mine in cages but at the end of the day they have better lives than all those poor neglected guinea pigs out there.

They have a cage that is big enough for them too room around, they have fresh water, fresh food, fresh veg, hidey holes, toys, treats, clean bedding etc and they get snuggles from me as well as floor playtime.

Not all guinea pigs have the benefit of this.
 
My Girls love their cage...when they are in the adjoining run..they keep checking cage is still there :))
 
I keep my boys cage in the living room and will give them free range of the living room each day. I just open their cage and let them go in and out as they please. I only close them up when its bed time.
they do love to roam around, but i also find that they keep returning to their cage, and go inside frequently, as that is their home. It is their safe place that they do not have to share with the rest of us.
They are also more nervous roaming free as opposed to being in their cage.
 
I have found the same thing as Wiebke - my piggies could easily step over the sill of the sliding door and into the living room but never do. It is left open during the day time and during the night time too in the summer to give them extra air, but they simply don't want to. Maybe one day I will get an adventurous piggy - then I'll have to piggy proof the living room - but until then they have the opportunity all the time but just don't want it. The small conservatory is plenty big enough.

From which I have to conclude that this is a side effect of domestication. I can't see any of my pampered big bottomed cuddly girls surviving out in the wild at all....their habits will have altered to suit their altered environment.
 
I think animals are happiest in what they're used to, any piggy kept in adequate space for tehm to be healthy and happy will be just as happy as a piggy that has a bigger enclosure.

In my experience my piggies dn't move around very much no matter what size enclosure they're in as long as there's food nearby... I'm not convinced mine can actually focus on anything further away than their food... (lol)
 
i feel that my guinea pigs are fine in there pen as it is a good size and they have toys and because they are in my room i can just open the cage and they can run around where ever they want and when its warm they get to go outside. Burt i do feel sorry for my fish as they are stuck in a tank and i cant exactly take them to a river and let them swim around. and i have a big problem with keeping birds in cages as they have wings so they can fly not so that can sit in a little cage for the rest of their lifes even if they have a big cage
 
My big dog has the run of the living room & kitchen all day whether I'm in or out and the puppy has a crate/cage which he goes in when I'm out but he does like to go in there and sleep (which he does a lot it, recharges his batteries to cause more havoc) he also goes in there when the kids get too much for him lol.
They both have a garden to go out in to and they go for walks.
My piggies have hutches and runs but I've noticed in their runs they tend to be more shy.
My sister in law has a budgie and leaves his cage door open all day whilst she's at work or home but he doesn't seem to venture very far.
 
I will tell you a true story - and this in my mind shows the difference between domesticated and wild. (afraid its goats in this story, but bear with me)

The goat farm I worked on was subjected to some misinformed animal right attacks, they kept trying to let the goats out their pens to "set them free". Now we had 8 pens of goats, 72 per pen and they never went out other than for milking or cleaning out. It may sound cruel but goats on the whole do not like the big outside, especially not domesticated farm goats. We did have the rare breed herds (very small herds of about a dozen girls plus a billy) and they were kept outside in fenced off areas with lots of huts for shelter - guess where they would spend their time when they were not eating, yep in the huts.

So the milking goats were freed from their pens (they only would manage two pens as they would then give up). Each time they were given the choice to run about they wouldnt leave the pens, nope they stayed put in the pens and carried on eating the silage and hay provided for them. After a while these animal rights people gave up trying to set them free and just vandalised the vehicles instead rolleyesmallethead.

The girls would happily come out each milking time and spend this time in their day to eat the fences, say hello to the neighbours and have fights in the yard. But were more than happy to go back into their pens once the last of the group had come out the parlour.

Domesticated animals know where they are best off ;)
 
Yeah I'm sometimes think that guinea pigs only leave their houses to eat :))

I think we are all in agreement that a large cage/pen is fine as long as they have plenty of space to explore and act naturally. :)
 
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