People keep not only cats and dogs as pets, but also exotic animals. For example, meerkats, which live in the wild in Africa. What do you need to know about keeping this unusual pet, and where can you buy a live meerkat?
If you have decided to buy a pet meerkat, you must definitely weigh all the pros and cons. Getting such an exotic animal is a big responsibility, as keeping a meerkat requires proper care and attention.
Buy a Live Meerkat or Choose Another Pet?
Before buying a live meerkat, you need to know that the behavior of wild and captive-bred animals differs significantly. A wild and adult meerkat can be quite aggressive towards humans; if you try to pick it up, it will defend itself and can bite or scratch painfully. Therefore, you should buy animals that have grown in captivity and are used to human company.
Meerkats mark the territory they inhabit, and both males and females do this. The scent of meerkats is not perceived by the human sense of smell, so you don't need to worry about an unpleasant odor in the house or apartment. However, you will have to change the pet's litter box frequently, and it is important to choose a high-quality and highly absorbent filler.
Meerkats get along great with other pets, but only if you have just one meerkat in your house. If you buy several animals at once, they will unite into a group that will vigilantly and aggressively defend its territory from strangers, and then there will be no peace between the meerkats and a cat or dog.
And, of course, a meerkat will definitely need attention from its owner. If you do not have time to communicate with your pet and train it, it is better to choose a different, less sociable animal for your home.
Basic Rules for Caring for a Pet Meerkat
A meerkat will need a house in the literal sense of the word. It is not recommended to keep the animal in a cage. You can buy a special single-tier house in a pet store, install a fabric pipe in it, and put a soft mattress inside. Such a pipe will serve as an imitation of a burrow for the pet, because in nature meerkats live in burrows.
You need to feed the animal two or three times a day with premium dry food for cats and dogs; meerkats also happily eat boiled chicken and beef, eggs, fresh vegetables, and fruits. For the pet's diet, you will need to buy beetles, cockroaches, and worms at the pet store.
In summer and on warm spring days, you need to organize walks for your fluffy pet. You cannot just let the animal run loose; it will run away, and you will not catch it. You can walk a meerkat on a special harness for small dog breeds.
Meerkats can and should be bathed. Bathing is organized right in the sink or a small, shallow basin. The animal is washed with a small amount of mild shampoo for cats or dogs, dried with a thick towel, and then blow-dried. You cannot leave a meerkat wet, as the animal can catch a cold.
Where to Buy a Meerkat
Where can you buy a meerkat if you decide to get it as a pet? Offers for the sale of animals are easy to find on the Internet; pet stores, catteries, and even private individuals can act as sellers. The best option for acquiring an animal is a specialized cattery, where you can buy a live meerkat at a quite adequate price, because in private ads you can see prices of 50-100 thousand rubles for an animal.
In addition, in a cattery you will buy an animal accustomed to humans, kept under veterinary supervision, and you will also be able to get expert advice on the proper keeping of a meerkat.
Our Sobol Doma cattery does not have meerkats, but we have playful and charming sables, communication with which brings only positive emotions. A sable is a wonderful animal capable of being an unusual pet. Want to learn more about pet sables? Be sure to visit our website!