Mere-cats

[Jaffster]

So on Saturday I took a trip down to the exotics shop nearby.

Walked in and they have a pair of mere-cats!

I got talking to the owner who told me that they were a mating pair and were for sale for £2,000!

That's ALOT of money!

But then it got me thinking how much of a money-making scheme this could be! He told me that they had brought 4 pups into the world about a year back, one died within 24 hours but the other 3 were sold for £650 each!

I had £££ in my eyes, anybody fancy lending me £2,000 ?

 

[bugmankeith]

I think you meant meerkats.

 

[Drachenjager]

hmmm they look too much like prairie dogs for me to have any use for them lol
you could go to North west Texas and catch all(prarie dogs) you want i bet. they let people shoot as many as they can , they are a sever pest species out there as they make cattle break legs by stepping in thier holes

 

[bugmankeith]

they are a severe pest species out there as they make cattle break legs by stepping in thier holes

But, dont burrowing owls and tortoises sometimes use their abandoned burrows?
That would make them good then.

 

[Drachenjager]

they are a severe pest species out there as they make cattle break legs by stepping in thier holes

But, dont burrowing owls and tortoises sometimes use their abandoned burrows?
That would make them good then.

never seen anything but prairie dogs in them lol
sometimes hawks and eagles swoop down and have a snack. and sometimes they miss so i guess they are a feeder lol

 

[Louise E. Rothstein]

Meerkats are technically "carnivores:" even if they eat some
nonmeat items their teeth express their true antecedents.

Prairie dogs are true rodents.
Their teeth are true rodent teeth.

Ranchers demonize prairie dogs whenever they talk as
if prairie dogs (or any other animals) "make" cattle break their legs.That is utter nonsense. It is certainly not the
prairie dogs' fault that the ranchers' artificially imported
cattle don't know what not to step on without ANY training.

Buffalo calves DID have informal training.
Their mothers would lead them around animal burrows.

Wild mares led their foals the same way:
Not many mustangs did break their legs.

Domestic mothers do not always know how.
That is one of the things that ranchers should really watch out for...: with corrective training in mind before there ARE
broken bones...which there WILL be without it.

And none of this is the animals' fault.

 

[Drachenjager]

Meerkats are technically "carnivores:" even if they eat some
nonmeat items their teeth express their true antecedents.

Prairie dogs are true rodents.
Their teeth are true rodent teeth.

Ranchers demonize prairie dogs whenever they talk as
if prairie dogs (or any other animals) "make" cattle break their legs.That is utter nonsense. It is certainly not the
prairie dogs' fault that the ranchers' artificially imported
cattle don't know what not to step on without ANY training.

Buffalo calves DID have informal training.
Their mothers would lead them around animal burrows.

Wild mares led their foals the same way:
Not many mustangs did break their legs.

Domestic mothers do not always know how.
That is one of the things that ranchers should really watch out for...: with corrective training in mind before there ARE
broken bones...which there WILL be without it.

And none of this is the animals' fault.

its more due to the extermination of the predators . prairie dogs really can and do over populate with out predation

 

[Louise E. Rothstein]

"Spare" prairie dogs are needed to bring predators back.
Native ferrets and kit foxes are being bred for this now.

 

[JLDomestics]

I hate to say it because I think meerkats are cool, but they would make the most horrible pets.

 

[MizM]

Are meerkats legal in captivity there?

 

[beetleman]

I hate to say it because I think meerkats are cool, but they would make the most horrible pets.

i agree they are very cool little guys but as for pets.....i don't think so

 

[Ewok]

I think they would be stressed out if they are not in big groups. On that show, Meercat manor, they are always highly social.

 

[JLDomestics]

Highly social, and have super long and sharp claws. Not too mention the size of the caging you would need to keep even one properly, and if you kept only one it would become depressed and unhealthy. Maybe if you had some spare room in your backyard, but they just wouldn't be house worthy.

 

[beetleman]

i believe they are in the mongoose family,being high strung,always on the run,hunting etc. they would need a football field size enclosure to live

 

[fatbloke]

Jaffster

do you ever go to bts show or any of the other large invert shows in the uk? if so the girl from custom aquaria has 1 as a pet i did speak to her 1 year about them and the answer i got was that if you got a pair they would bond with each other and not with you but if you only had 1 then they will bond with you but she also mentioned if you like having a social life then theres no piont in getting 1 as they like 24/7 company

john

 

[Jaffster]

Jaffster

do you ever go to bts show or any of the other large invert shows in the uk? if so the girl from custom aquaria has 1 as a pet i did speak to her 1 year about them and the answer i got was that if you got a pair they would bond with each other and not with you but if you only had 1 then they will bond with you but she also mentioned if you like having a social life then theres no piont in getting 1 as they like 24/7 company

john

I don't, I haven't been into inverts for so long.

I'd say their enclosure is around 12ft x 6ft, I'll get a few pictures next time I'm in.

http://www.appletonexotics.co.uk/

On the sliding images, you can see the enclosures on the floor. In one they have a croc, the other a snake and the last the 2 meercats (sp).