Is having any pet live in a container unethical? - Terrariums, aquariums, and cages..

[Fek]

You should provide what you can for pets relative to what you can provide for yourself, imo. If, say, you're in college and have a lizard that lives in a glass box? That's probably the best you can do. Assuming you aren't doing anything criminally negligent, it probably matters equally (or more) that you actually spend time with your pets and don't just leave them as a museum exhibit sitting in your home.

Or in the backyard to be ignored, like the neighbors have done for the last few weeks with their dog that was never kept outside until adulthood... BARKBARKBARKBARKBARKBARKBARKBARKBARKBARKBARKBARKBARKBARKBARKBARKBARKBARKBARKBARKBARKBARK

Somebody's racing pigeon was blown off course on a really windy day a few weeks ago, and it decided it lived in my yard. The tags on him were too vague to trace him properly, and he seemed to know what other animals to avoid, so I let him hang out and eat birdseed dropped from my feeders, thinking he'd soon get tired of not being confined and go seek his literal pigeon-hole. It took two days.

That happened to my parents a few months back. Just a random pigeon hanging out for a few days, tag and all. Kind of novel.

 

[Ughubughughughughughghlug]

LIZARDS AND INSECTS
Who the fuck cares

RODENTS
Probably unethical. Much higher lifespan than if you let it roam around.

BIRDS
Definitely unethical, use common sense. Theyre highly intelligent flying creatures you have penned up.

FISH
Only if the tank is too small. Lots of people put goldfish in goldfish bowls not realizing they’re too small. They think it’s natural for goldfish to die in months when in reality they can last for DECADES, it’s the fucking bowl that kills it. I got a goldfish impulsively once (campus handout) and learned this while looking up how to take care of it. Freaked out and ended up offloading it on a neighbor who owed me a favor (his girlfriend has a proper fish tank).

DOGS AND CATS
If we scale up the definition of a “cage” to animal size, an indoor dog is awful, especially if it’s a big dog. You can walk them but I really dislike seeing people with dogs, particularly retrievers, that don’t even have a yard. Outdoor cats are preferable, I feel really bad keeping my cat inside, but it’s a necessity if im going to keep him for where I am. But since dogs and cats bond to people, if you have one already you should keep it regardless of the living quarters.

 

[Slappy McGherkin]

I have a sulcata tortoise I found abandoned in a parking lot about 15 years ago. Her cage is my entire large backyard. She dug a burrow, happily munches the green grass and veggie/fruit treats we give her. She also comes when we call her. She was maybe 10 pounds when I found her, still quite young. She's huge now and we'll over 100 pounds. She has a very good, happy life as best I can tell.

Also have a flock of parrots. Peach face lovebirds that come into the yard daily to eat at the feeders I set up for them. They've gotten very friendly and don't scatter when I fill the feeders. They chat with me. They come and go as they please.

Also have cats and a dog and they have a doggie door to go outside or come smother me in bed every night, as they usually do. They only time they're in a cage is for the occasional health check up at the vet.

Probably wouldn't have any of them if they had to be in cages.

 

[Weed Eater]

RODENTS
Probably unethical. Much higher lifespan than if you let it roam around.

Depends on rodent, but rats/mice only live about a maximum of three years, usually it's lower than that when in the wild. In captivity they have the ability to live out their lives to the fullest as they absolutely can. Same can also be said about guinea pigs, they can live to almost a full decade or more. While their wild counterparts will definitely not live to a decade, and even worse, will be subjected to meat/fur hunting as they're a good source for both of those things in their native habitats.

I should also mention that pet rodents of any sort are domesticated, and would not fare well if they were just bought from a pet store and then released "humanely" back into "the wild".

 

[Character from a movie]

If it has more than four legs and more than two eyes, it should probably be kept in a terrarium.

 

[Ughubughughughughughghlug]

Depends on rodent, but rats/mice only live about a maximum of three years, usually it's lower than that when in the wild. In captivity they have the ability to live out their lives to the fullest as they absolutely can. Same can also be said about guinea pigs, they can live to almost a full decade or more. While their wild counterparts will definitely not live to a decade, and even worse, will be subjected to meat/fur hunting as they're a good source for both of those things in their native habitats.

I should also mention that pet rodents of any sort are domesticated, and would not fare well if they were just bought from a pet store and then released "humanely" back into "the wild".

That's true of pretty much anything that's raised around humans.

Do rats/mice care much about having big spaces to explore (like a cat does), or are they passive creatures that don't really care?

 

[Weed Eater]

That's true of pretty much anything that's raised around humans.

Do rats/mice care much about having big spaces to explore (like a cat does), or are they passive creatures that don't really care?

For mice they'd rather burrow, space is important but they don't need an entire bedroom's worth of space to themselves. For rats it's similar, but taking them out of their cages for at least an hour of roaming/handling/general play is important. They're more social compared to mice so it's a big difference, it's the same for guinea pigs as well. It doesn't have to be pro-active play/roam time either, just having your pet in your lap/on your shoulder while you do stuff is just as okay.

Biggest thing about rodents is the misinformation around them, hell, trying to find a suitable cage that actually has the proper square inch space is sometimes it's own challenge.

 

[Hyperborean Fried Rice]

I spoil the shit out of my betta fish. He's got a 20gal aquarium all to himself with multiple live plants, a heater, driftwood, multiple hides, maintained substrate, a sponge filter, indian almond leaves, give him multiple types of good quality food etc so I hope he's happy. Sometimes I think about how much money I've dumped into his tank compared to people who get a 5gal with electric blue dyed sand and plastic spongebob squarepants decor and cringe at myself a bit but aquarium autism is fun and what you can build them is WAAAY better than living in a petco cup or a bowl in someone's office. I try very hard to keep the conditions as healthy as possible. End of the day he's a captive bred "domesticated" betta splendens. Wild bettas look nothing that what you would think of when think "betta fish" and these flashy domestic "fancy" betta would get scooped up by a bird or bigger fish immediately in the wild.

Spoiler: wild male betta