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Hedgehogs are absolutely NOT full carnivores - they are omnivores and eat a very wide range of vegetation and fruit. Please do your homework.
Ferrets are obligate carnivores and, like our housecats, are only able to be kept in homes due to their small size. Very often, if not socialized extensively from birth, they will be extremely aggressive animals. They are nowhere near being fully domesticated regardless of the fact that we have been trying for over 2,000 years. States in the US still ban them and classify them as 'wild animals' and entire countries have banned them based on the fact that they very easily revert back to a feral animal quickly and decimate native wildlife.

No ****, If you leave anything for an extended period of time in the wild, its going to get used to it and not wanna be around people.

This is from http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/hedgehog/

Fast Facts

Type:
Mammal
Diet:
Carnivore
Size:
Head and body, 5 to 12 in (13 to 30 cm); Tail, 1 to 2 in (3 to 5 cm)
Weight:
14 to 39 oz (397 to 1,106 g)
Good thing they invented google, im done arguing too thou. i guess if its not rats than dont buy it or you hate ALL animals.
 
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This has become a very interesting thread and illustrates that we don't really have an accepted definition of domestication. As sad as my life would be without animals I would give up having any living thing as a pet if it meant that no species would ever have to suffer the abuse inflicted upon them by humans. I don't understand why humans think we have the power to play God and breed animals for our own pleasure/monetary gain. But for now it is part of human nature and I personally refuse to support any type of purposeful breeding whether the species is considered domesticated or not. So I do what I can to improve these neglected animals lives by supporting rescues.

So the point of my little rant is RESCUE, RESCUE, RESCUE! And if it isn't in a rescue then choose an animal that is in need of your love.
 
This has become a very interesting thread and illustrates that we don't really have an accepted definition of domestication. As sad as my life would be without animals I would give up having any living thing as a pet if it meant that no species would ever have to suffer the abuse inflicted upon them by humans. I don't understand why humans think we have the power to play God and breed animals for our own pleasure/monetary gain. But for now it is part of human nature and I personally refuse to support any type of purposeful breeding whether the species is considered domesticated or not. So I do what I can to improve these neglected animals lives by supporting rescues.

So the point of my little rant is RESCUE, RESCUE, RESCUE! And if it isn't in a rescue then choose an animal that is in need of your love.

:exactly::yeah:
 
I dont want people to get mad at this question, but do you guys sell your rescue's? or keep them?
 
I dont want people to get mad at this question, but do you guys sell your rescue's? or keep them?


I think you're not understanding what rescue means. Are rescued animals sometimes adopted out for a fee? yes of course, that what most established rescues do, and the fee they charge rarely covers the costs of caring for that animal however. (many rescues will spay/neuter an animal before it's adopted out, but they seldom recoup even the full amount of that surgery, most also give required vaccinations and health care etc) Check out Peggys' thread and you'll see how much it costs to run a rescue. Most ppl doing it are using every extra bit of their own so called disposable income to care for these animals. Most if not all of these animals came from careless breeding and/or abuse/neglect situations.

other people rescue only the animals they want to personally keep.

do *some* people "sell" animals that they've "rescued"? probably, but then they have not actually rescued them, they've obtained them to make money off of them. They may tell themselves that they are rescuing, but they are not. Some will "rescue" an animal and breed it- again, not a real rescue. They are not using that term correctly.

Please be mindful of your opening statement and tread carefully with your questions. Unfortunately you've shown by past behavior that you're a bit too eager to start up a useless debate and we're not going to tolerate that here. Just a friendly reminder. ;-)
 
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedgehog

Diet
Although traditionally classified in the now abandoned order insectivora, hedgehogs are not exclusively insectivores but are omnivorous. They feed on insects, snails, frogs and toads, snakes, bird eggs, carrion, mushrooms, grass roots, berries melons and watermelons.

From the British Hedgehog Preservation Society
http://www.hedgehogstreet.org/pages/diet.html

Hedgehogs are generalists and feed on a wide range of things, but the majority of their diet is made up of invertebrates (or creepy crawlies). We know what they eat from scientific studies that have analysed hedgehog poo or looked in the stomachs of hedgehogs killed on roads.
As well as these, they also eat a wide range of other insects, and more infrequently will take advantage of carrion, frogs, baby rodents, baby birds, birds' eggs and fallen fruit.

http://animals.pawnation.com/hedgehogs-eat-1900.html

Hedgehog Diets in the WildHedgehogs feast primarily on insects, such as beetles, which offer fiber and chitin, a material found in insect exoskeletons. Yet these small critters will also munch on snails, small animals and plants. A balanced hedgehog diet will recreate this mixture of food while providing plenty of protein and fiber and low amounts of fat.


In captivity we feed them on dog and cat food because it is more convenient for US - not necessarily what is best for them.



While the insectivore term has been largely abandoned, and those animals placed under the title of carnivore, an animal who lives primarily on insects is not the same as a obligate carnivore. And those animals, hedgehogs included, will very often eat vegetation - making them omnivores.
 
Bottom line is all animals are can be dangerous. As long as you understand how to avoid possible injury then it shoulden't matter. not like it should matter to you guys what kind of pets other people have. So the point of my little rant is RESCUE, RESCUE, RESCUE! is a good point but you would never rescue a snake.
 
Petunia brings up a good point.
At some level, all people who chose to keep companion animals have prioritized their needs/wants over the animal.
That applies regardless of whether or not the animal is considered domesticated.

Life in captivity, be it for a rat, cat, dog, bird, reptile, fish or arachnid etc. is one of compromises and of being, however much loved and cared for, subject to the desires of another living being.

Now, as someone who is a guardian of a rescued so-called 'companion parrot' I also realize that sometimes, there are no better options. In the case of the parrot she is a victim of man and thus has been hand-raised and human-identified and imprinted.
She does not know she is a bird and is afraid of trees while also despising other parrots like herself.
But...what are her options?

I will never purchase a baby parrot and I do not support the captive trade of parrots. Why? Humanity has failed again and again to meet their needs. We cannot commit to them, keep them enriched and physically and mentally sound. We violate that which they are.

Now, that said my criteria for 'should I keep this animal?' is not 'is this animal considered domesticated?' but 'can we reasonably keep this animal and fulfill its needs? Is the trade-off worth it to the animal?'.
For this reason, I question (for the average human being) whether or not cats/dogs/rats are appropriate companions.
We are gone for long periods of time and expect them to stay caged.

Honestly, how 'worth it' do we honestly think we are to them? How enriching and satisfying can we make their lives?

As I understand it reptiles do not get lonely, they do not wish to roam or explore (as a general rule) unless they require sex, food or water and as energy-efficient often burrow-living or security-valuing animals...they are not going to be upset being confined (assuming large enough enclosures). They don't (as a general rule) express boredom or undo stress when given ideal conditions. You can give a dog or cat or rat the nicest cage and the best toys...but it's still a box and not nearly as stimulating as the wide open spaces they're meant to roam or the world they need to survive.

To me, this makes them rather ideal as companion animals.
 
Bottom line is all animals are can be dangerous. As long as you understand how to avoid possible injury then it shoulden't matter. not like it should matter to you guys what kind of pets other people have. So the point of my little rant is RESCUE, RESCUE, RESCUE! is a good point but you would never rescue a snake.
Were you saying a snake wouldn't/shouldn't need rescuing or as a personal choice you wouldn't rescue a snake?
 
I've come to realize how extremely greedy and selfish humans are. I will never purchase an animal but I will rescue. And I would gladly never live with another pet again if it meant that all animals could be left alone to live their life without us humans destroying their habitats or stealing them from it.
 
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