# Me & my Meerkats - Pic Heavy!!



## annie.davis

I have been a Meerkat owner / keeper for a number of years now and have always been very protective over them due to the circumstances in which it all started.
I have never broadcasted them or posted many pictures due to the fact that I have never wanted to advertise them as such and for people to think that they would be good as ‘pets’ however it has come to my attention that so many more people are acquiring these animals without knowing their full nature, there are many competent exotic keepers out there and I am not doubting anyone’s ability as I too was new to the Meerkat lifestyle once upon a time. 

So I would like to share my story not to put people off these amazing animals but just to create awareness.

This is Snookie – 
















She is a rescue and how I first became a Meerkat Mother as she was taken away from her parents pretty much at birth and housed in a small cage in someone’s house on her own and fed cat food this resulted in Snookie losing the use of her back legs due to malnutrition and hypocalcaemia ... as she was weaned off her others milk far too early!

After months of vets treatments she is luckily now able to walk although unable to stand up on her toes like a Meerkat & at a high risk of developing arthritis and was informed may never give birth to her own pups due to the way in which her pelvis had formed therefore I did not look into sterilisation.
Snooks became quite attached to myself and seen me as her pack however as Meerkats are social animals and should NEVER be kept alone I got Snookie some Meerkat company … this of course had to be male to keep in with the hierarchy of having an Alpha Male and Alpha Female.

This is Zorro (from a professional breeder) – 

















Snookie’s problems weren’t over though, as she had pretty much no contact with her own kind growing up with her previous owner and obviously spent most of her time in the vets and regaining her health with me before Zorro came along she had already been ‘imprinted’ therefore not only didn’t know she was a Meerkat but had and still has NO FEAR of humans!! 

Zorro will do the standard procedure for a meerkat to protect his territory … tail in the air, keeping his distance, doing the war dance and if necessary will bite, whereas Snookie will jump straight into an attack toward anyone she doesn’t know and latch on with all her might. 

Two years went by and to my amazement Snookie fell pregant, which meant dealing with a territorial, hormonal devil-kat resulting in a few attacks myself – 

















However gave birth to these cuties, Milo & Mitch – 









Another learning curve in the life of a Mother Meerkat! 

She has had three litters since and although at first didnt know how to raise pups as she was never raised as a meerkat should have been, after a lot of help from Zorro ... even down to him showing her how to breast feed :lol2: , she is now a pro! Even though she is more territorial and protective than ever I can now (with eyes in the back of my head) read her every movement and have developed reflexes as quick as lightning!! 

I have many more stories and many more photos of my family! My Meerkats are my life now and for anyone considering introducing these animals into yours all I can say is be prepared!! They are not pets, they require a lot of hard work and dedication, they arent cheap & you must be willing to sacrifice a lot inc Holidays unless you have someone the meerkats trust and know!
However all that aside it is very rewarding and I wouldn’t change them for the world!! :flrt:


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## 5plusmany

Thank you very much for sharing :no1:


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## kodakira

Hi Annie

Brilliant post :no1:.

Could I just point out one mistake :blush:, we are not proffesional breeders !!!. Never have been and never will be. We have homed more animals to colleges, zoo's etc for free, than we have sold animals.


We try to keep our animals in the correct conditions etc and hope that when we rehome or sell that people appreciate the care etc that we have given.

We sold you Zorro from our mob as you wanted to do the right thing for Snookie. We will try and help anyone who is trying to do the right thing :2thumb:.

Thanks for giving Zorro a loving home :2thumb:.

Best Wishes

Neil


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## curleywhirly

Such a beautiful little family you have! What a great story 
One thing I don't quite get tho. You said her pelvis had formed differently so she could never have her own pups. Did this get sorted out?


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## annie.davis

kodakira said:


> Hi Annie
> 
> Brilliant post :no1:.
> 
> Could I just point out one mistake :blush:, we are not proffesional breeders !!!. Never have been and never will be. We have homed more animals to colleges, zoo's etc for free, than we have sold animals.
> 
> 
> We try to keep our animals in the correct conditions etc and hope that when we rehome or sell that people appreciate the care etc that we have given.
> 
> We sold you Zorro from our mob as you wanted to do the right thing for Snookie. We will try and help anyone who is trying to do the right thing :2thumb:.
> 
> Thanks for giving Zorro a loving home :2thumb:.
> 
> Best Wishes
> 
> Neil


Thank you :smile: 

Sorry Neil :blush:, you are very professional though and you did give me the most handsome Alpha Male anyone could ask for!! And I can’t thank you enough for that! He is quite the character haha.

Hope you & and your menagerie are all doing well.

Best Wishes

Anneka


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## annie.davis

curleywhirly said:


> Such a beautiful little family you have! What a great story
> One thing I don't quite get tho. You said her pelvis had formed differently so she could never have her own pups. Did this get sorted out?


Thank you so much :smile:

Due to her size at the time my vet was unable to perform surgery or put stents in her legs therefore the only option was to keep her in a small viv with minimal movement and inject her with a cocktail of drugs and high doses of calcium, this of course helped to strengthen her bones and get back on her feet, however by this point the damage was done and the bones had healed all deformed so she now walks with quite the waddle and stands on the insides of her feet (kinda duck toed). 



The vet had informed me that due to the bones not forming properly in her legs, her pelvis etc wasn’t aligned / formed as it should be and if she were to fall pregnant could put her at risk giving birth however believed that due to her condition it would be highly unlikely she could ever conceive.

This didn’t seem to stop Snooks and she luckily gave birth with no complications … I look back now and I am quite relieved that her first litter was a complete surprise to me as I would have been past myself worrying for her safety ... but now she is popping them out like smarties!! :lol2:


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## Zoo-Man

Nice to hear that story Annie. As a fellow Meerkat owner, it was nice to hear YOUR experiences of these critters.


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## annie.davis

Zoo-Man said:


> Nice to hear that story Annie. As a fellow Meerkat owner, it was nice to hear YOUR experiences of these critters.


Thank you Zoo Man :smile:
Do you have any experiences with your critters to share?


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## Zoo-Man

annie.davis said:


> Thank you Zoo Man :smile:
> Do you have any experiences with your critters to share?


I haven't had my Meerkats all that long really, 9 months


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## scorpy

Fantastic story, loved it, I love meercats, I was even tempted in getting one, what would be your advice, get one? Have one or more, as in the wild they live in groups, and like you said very territorial. Great post:2thumb:


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## Jaymz

Very cool thread Annie.:no1: They are adorable. I knew they had a good set of teeth but wow :2thumb:


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## Zoo-Man

scorpy said:


> Fantastic story, loved it, I love meercats, I was even tempted in getting one, what would be your advice, get one? Have one or more, as in the wild they live in groups, and like you said very territorial. Great post:2thumb:


Meerkats shouldn't be kept singly, as they are highly social animals & it would be very detrimental to keep one on it's own.


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## annie.davis

Zoo-Man said:


> I haven't had my Meerkats all that long really, 9 months


Give it time! You will have lots of fun and stressful experiences haha!!
How many do you have??



scorpy said:


> Fantastic story, loved it, I love meercats, I was even tempted in getting one, what would be your advice, get one? Have one or more, as in the wild they live in groups, and like you said very territorial. Great post:2thumb:


Thank you Scorpy 

Yes like Zoo-Man has already said these animals should NEVER be kept on their own. 

Unfortunantly I am dealing with the classic example of why with Snooks! 
Meerkat pups may seem all cute and cuddly for around a year of being kept on their own but I have heard many examples of them reaching maturity and turning VERY aggressive as they then see you as their pack and can very firmly put you in your place if you are not 'doing as your told' ... and as many people dont speak Meerkat this can be hard to understand haha 

So yes ALWAYS keep Meerkats in a group of their own 



Jaymz said:


> Very cool thread Annie.:no1: They are adorable. I knew they had a good set of teeth but wow :2thumb:


Thank you Jaymz . 

Yes they do have a good set of teeth on them and certainly know how to use them :lol2:
Zorro who is my Alpha Male (in the teeth pic) his are the biggest, but have thankfully never felt the full force of damage they can cause!!


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## Zoo-Man

annie.davis said:


> *Give it time! You will have lots of fun and stressful experiences haha!!*
> *How many do you have??*
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you Scorpy
> 
> Yes like Zoo-Man has already said these animals should NEVER be kept on their own.
> 
> Unfortunantly I am dealing with the classic example of why with Snooks!
> Meerkat pups may seem all cute and cuddly for around a year of being kept on their own but I have heard many examples of them reaching maturity and turning VERY aggressive as they then see you as their pack and can very firmly put you in your place if you are not 'doing as your told' ... and as many people dont speak Meerkat this can be hard to understand haha
> 
> So yes ALWAYS keep Meerkats in a group of their own
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you Jaymz .
> 
> Yes they do have a good set of teeth on them and certainly know how to use them :lol2:
> Zorro who is my Alpha Male (in the teeth pic) his are the biggest, but have thankfully never felt the full force of damage they can cause!!


I have 2, a brother & sister pair, coming up to a year old next month.


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## Bradley

Some great pictures of some geat animals! out of curiosity how much do you spend feeding them a week?


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## Evilshiddenclaws

i want some meerkats!!!! seriously though, how easy are they to keep? what kind of costs are involved and what set up do they need...

i think bad thoughts, it's the cuteness, cant resist the adorabubbleness!


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## annie.davis

Zoo-Man said:


> I have 2, a brother & sister pair, coming up to a year old next month.


Aww that's great :2thumb:



Bradley said:


> Some great pictures of some geat animals! out of curiosity how much do you spend feeding them a week?


Thank you Bradley :smile:

Hmmmm per week approx £30. 
They go through 1.5kg-2kg of mealworms per month, a fair few crickets, locusts, morio worms etc and then I feed a range of fresh fruit and veg ... Mainly consisting of peas, mange tout, butternut squash, parsnip, cherry tomatoes, banana, mango etc 
And as a tea time treat / enrichment / keep out of my way while I clean you ... they each get a milk bottle cap filled with chicken / ham paste :smile:



Evilshiddenclaws said:


> i want some meerkats!!!! seriously though, how easy are they to keep? what kind of costs are involved and what set up do they need...
> 
> i think bad thoughts, it's the cuteness, cant resist the adorabubbleness!


I can't really describe on a level of how easy, but to how dedicated you are and how strictly you can stick to their schedule because if your late making their tea you'll pay the price :lol2:

With regards to their set up you need a large secure indoor & outdoor enclosure with the correct heating & lighting. I supply mine with a UVA/UVB heat lamp indoors as during the winter they cannot get outside as much. 

Then obviously feeding which I have just explained to Bradley ... So they cost more than me to feed :lol2:

Then you need to take into account any vets bills ... Which you would need to obviously find a vet who will treat first and no insurance companies will cover them... Not even on comparethemeerkat!!!! 

So all in all yes they are very cute and 'adorabubble' but their not like going out and buying a puppy ... A lot of thought & planning is needed with these specialist animals.


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## SkinsNScales

love the pic with them all sunning up the window


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## annie.davis

SkinsNScales said:


> love the pic with them all sunning up the window


Haha thank you! This is my fav too! 
I just love Mitch's lil face looking at the camera in such curiosity :flrt:


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## Zoo-Man

I feed a very similar diet to you Anne. Do you feed chicks & mice too? My Meerkats love their chicks or mice a couple of times a week.


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## annie.davis

Zoo-Man said:


> I feed a very similar diet to you Anne. Do you feed chicks & mice too? My Meerkats love their chicks or mice a couple of times a week.


 I actually haven’t tried them with chicks or mice. Are yours fussy with their food or do they feed on pretty much anything you give them? 

Milo won’t touch packet chicken but will eat ham and Zorro wont eat palma ham but will eat normal ham ... I have also found with Zorro that he has a sensitive stomach and I can’t feed him any fruit or veg that is too cold or he will throw up ... eeee all these special requirements eh :lol2:


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## IceBloodExotics

Wow!...must be fun living in your house lol


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## annie.davis

IceBloodExotics said:


> Wow!...must be fun living in your house lol


Never a dull moment :lol2:


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## 5plusmany

annie.davis said:


> I actually haven’t tried them with chicks or mice. Are yours fussy with their food or do they feed on pretty much anything you give them?
> 
> Milo won’t touch packet chicken but will eat ham and Zorro wont eat palma ham but will eat normal ham ... *I have also found with Zorro that he has a sensitive stomach and I can’t feed him any fruit or veg that is too cold or he will throw up ...* eeee all these special requirements eh :lol2:


That's interesting you should say that, as my skunk is exactly the same! I have to make her meals about an hour before feeding and I pop them in the cupboard to come up to room temperature :2thumb:


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## annie.davis

5plusmany said:


> That's interesting you should say that, as my skunk is exactly the same! I have to make her meals about an hour before feeding and I pop them in the cupboard to come up to room temperature :2thumb:


Awww bless her!
I suppose they can have upset tummies just like us.


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## Zoo-Man

annie.davis said:


> I actually haven’t tried them with chicks or mice. Are yours fussy with their food or do they feed on pretty much anything you give them?
> 
> Milo won’t touch packet chicken but will eat ham and Zorro wont eat palma ham but will eat normal ham ... I have also found with Zorro that he has a sensitive stomach and I can’t feed him any fruit or veg that is too cold or he will throw up ... eeee all these special requirements eh :lol2:


I haven't yet encountered any problems with what my Meerkats eat. They aren't at all fussy & have yet to refuse any of the food I offer them.


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## ChazzieJo

What brilliant advice, I love meerkats, but I feel they're a classic example of an animal best kept to the wild, as unfortunately the majority of people who buy them seem to think they're fine being raised in flat. Very sad!

Glad to see there's someone who's dedicated and who lives and breaths for her meerkats!


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## annie.davis

ChazzieJo said:


> What brilliant advice, I love meerkats, but I feel they're a classic example of an animal best kept to the wild, as unfortunately the majority of people who buy them seem to think they're fine being raised in flat. Very sad!
> 
> Glad to see there's someone who's dedicated and who lives and breaths for her meerkats!


Thank you ChazzieJo :smile:
I couldnt agree more! I still believe a lot of animals should be kept in their natural environment unless of course they are in danger of extinction or losing their home to fires or humans taking over their land.

However the popularity of exotics such as Meerkats seem to be going out of control and ending up in the hands of people who just want 'Trophy Pets' :bash:


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## annie.davis

Well for one little Meerkat who would supposedly be unable to carry let alone give birth to pups has now given birth to her fourth litter this year! Bringing this to a grand total of 10 pups!!! ... I hear a trip to a family planning clinic coming on for this little lady :roll:


Before she popped -











After she popped on 21/11/2012









Another three little musketeers :lol2:


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## Rach and Io

First time I've wondered into these parts of the Forums, I've had quite an amusing time! 
I really like meerkats, not that I think I could ever look after them (unless I was the only person that could give them a good life or something of course) but my heart really goes out too you!

Really interesting topic here, and thanks for sharing all the pictures!


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## annie.davis

Rach and Io said:


> First time I've wondered into these parts of the Forums, I've had quite an amusing time!
> I really like meerkats, not that I think I could ever look after them (unless I was the only person that could give them a good life or something of course) but my heart really goes out too you!
> 
> Really interesting topic here, and thanks for sharing all the pictures!


Awww thank you so much, thats very sweet of you 

I'm glad you liked my thread, I just hope it can at least create awareness that these are not animals to be bought on a whim if at all for that matter and those thinking of introducing them to their family should cover all bases.


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## Rach and Io

annie.davis said:


> Awww thank you so much, thats very sweet of you
> 
> I'm glad you liked my thread, I just hope it can at least create awareness that these are not animals to be bought on a whim if at all for that matter and those thinking of introducing them to their family should cover all bases.


Couldn't agree more! I only wish a lot of people would think/research before diving in head first :-/

We researched beardies on and off for 2 years before getting Olwen and still felt totally new to it all lol!


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## annie.davis

Rach and Io said:


> Couldn't agree more! I only wish a lot of people would think/research before diving in head first :-/
> 
> We researched beardies on and off for 2 years before getting Olwen and still felt totally new to it all lol!


 
That’s good to hear! Haha I know, it doesn’t matter how much you research the real learning starts when you take the animal home. 

It does annoy me though when people don’t even bother to research housing or diet needs , I can understand not knowing how to deal with behaviour initially as all animals have their own personalities and temperaments but there’s no excuse not to do a bit of reading up before taking on any animal whether it be a dog/cat or an exotic.


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## Rach and Io

annie.davis said:


> That’s good to hear! Haha I know, it doesn’t matter how much you research the real learning starts when you take the animal home.
> 
> It does annoy me though when people don’t even bother to research housing or diet needs , I can understand not knowing how to deal with behaviour initially as all animals have their own personalities and temperaments but there’s no excuse not to do a bit of reading up before taking on any animal whether it be a dog/cat or an exotic.


Could not agree more! You'll never find a perfect how too but you can always cover the necessities before you go ahead and get any animal


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## annie.davis

Debating on setting up a group/page on Facebook to create awareness and to help protect Meerkats as I am noticing more and more profiles of *pet *meerkats on Facebook.

What do you guys think??


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## Zoo-Man

annie.davis said:


> Debating on setting up a group/page on Facebook to create awareness and to help protect Meerkats as I am noticing more and more profiles of *pet *meerkats on Facebook.
> 
> What do you guys think??


Protect against what? Being pets?


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## Rach and Io

Zoo-Man said:


> Protect against what? Being pets?



Protect them from being mis-treated or not looking after properly. A lot of people dive in head first with pets not doing research, you see it time and time again, sad really. 

Maybe if people knew how much work and how hard it is to look after a meerkat they might think twice about getting one or at least make sure people are committed to it.

I think an awareness group would be a good idea! hit us up a link and I'll happily advertise it for you


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## CommonlyCommon

Awwww that was an awesome read! Thank you! Hope they're all doing well, give em all lots of big hugs from me!! :flrt:


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## Zoo-Man

Rach and Io said:


> Protect them from being mis-treated or not looking after properly. A lot of people dive in head first with pets not doing research, you see it time and time again, sad really.
> 
> Maybe if people knew how much work and how hard it is to look after a meerkat they might think twice about getting one or at least make sure people are committed to it.
> 
> I think an awareness group would be a good idea! hit us up a link and I'll happily advertise it for you


Not* A* meerkat, should be meerkat*S*!


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## Rach and Io

Zoo-Man said:


> Not* A* meerkat, should be meerkat*S*!


Sorry, your right. Maybe that should be a point to make too!


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## annie.davis

Zoo-Man said:


> Protect against what? Being pets?





Rach and Io said:


> Protect them from being mis-treated or not looking after properly. A lot of people dive in head first with pets not doing research, you see it time and time again, sad really.
> 
> Maybe if people knew how much work and how hard it is to look after a meerkat they might think twice about getting one or at least make sure people are committed to it.
> 
> I think an awareness group would be a good idea! hit us up a link and I'll happily advertise it for you



Sorry Zoo-Man I should have made it more clear but Rach and Io pretty much summed this up for me.
Seeing more and more people acquiring Meerkats or even A Meerkat just because they think they are cute & to show them off to their friends frustrates me.

Just recently I have heard another tragic story very similar to Snookie's where three meerkats sadly died after living in horrific conditions in someone’s flat and not receiving the proper care. 

I know I can’t work miracles but even just creating a bit of awareness and helping those who may already have meerkats in improper care change the way they look at things then this may prevent a few more RSPCA cases.

I know I’m no professional and I am in no position to give professional advice but I would hope that with everything I have gone through in my time as a Meerkat Owner I can offer advice where needed and maybe learn a bit more myself along the way


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## annie.davis

CommonlyCommon said:


> Awwww that was an awesome read! Thank you! Hope they're all doing well, give em all lots of big hugs from me!! :flrt:


Thank you, i will :smile:

They are all doing great & my three little musketeers now have the taste for mealworms...although they think my fingers are giant mealworms and like to give those a nibble too :lol2:


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## Rach and Io

I understand your frustration, so many people go into animal care for exotics without even reading so little as a shop pamphlet of instructions. 

They see some animal on tv or something and think "ohh I'll get one of them tomorrow" 
People do not see what their getting themselves into as you said it ends up in RSPCA cases sadly. 

Awareness is the best thing you can do, every little bit of advice you manage to reach people with is a small miracle in itself! Never feel let down for trying! as you said in so many words it's best to do something than nothing


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## Chris Newman

Rach and Io said:


> Protect them from being mis-treated or not looking after properly. A lot of people dive in head first with pets not doing research, you see it time and time again, sad really.
> 
> Maybe if people knew how much work and how hard it is to look after a meerkat they might think twice about getting one or at least make sure people are committed to it.
> 
> I think an awareness group would be a good idea! hit us up a link and I'll happily advertise it for you


Meerkats are no more difficult to look after then any other mammals, in fact decidedly less so than many more commonly kept mammals! Do you actually have any hands on experience in keeping them?


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## Rach and Io

Chris Newman said:


> Meerkats are no more difficult to look after then any other mammals, in fact decidedly less so than many more commonly kept mammals! Do you actually have any hands on experience in keeping them?


No but yet again I never claimed to do so or neither am I sat here dishing out advice on them, if you actually read the last page/this topic you will see that The meerkat in this very start of the thread was rescued from appalling conditions and more have been found in the same way.
Fed on cat food, OH it has kat in the name this must be fine.....
I was just mearly stating how annoying and unfair to the animal in question when owners do no research. I looked up and read stuff on bearded dragons for two years before we even looked into getting one. 

Again from this thread I have learnt they can get really "moody" so to speak when pregnant (the owner here shared some very messy pictures after being attacked by her own meerkat that looked up to her). Careless/unaware family gets a meerkat, attacks kid because kids not been taught to give it space, boof its in the animal shelter or worse on the street.

And that right is even assuming they get it a mate, most people will be like ohh I can only look after one, I'll just get one of them. That's not fair, their not domesticated pets, their still wild and their social creatures, it's not fair to blow them off as just another mammal pet.


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## Chris Newman

Rach and Io said:


> No but yet again I never claimed to do so or neither am I sat here dishing out advice on them, if you actually read the last page/this topic you will see that The meerkat in this very start of the thread was rescued from appalling conditions and more have been found in the same way.
> Fed on cat food, OH it has kat in the name this must be fine.....
> I was just mearly stating how annoying and unfair to the animal in question when owners do no research. I looked up and read stuff on bearded dragons for two years before we even looked into getting one.
> 
> Again from this thread I have learnt they can get really "moody" so to speak when pregnant (the owner here shared some very messy pictures after being attacked by her own meerkat that looked up to her). Careless/unaware family gets a meerkat, attacks kid because kids not been taught to give it space, boof its in the animal shelter or worse on the street.
> 
> And that right is even assuming they get it a mate, most people will be like ohh I can only look after one, I'll just get one of them. That's not fair, their not domesticated pets, their still wild and their social creatures, it's not fair to blow them off as just another mammal pet.


Dogs and cats get kept in appalling conditions or need rescuing that does not mean that all owners are bad! Portraying meerkats as difficult to keep is inaccurate, they are in fact extremely easy to keep and thrive. 

Certainly meerkats are social animals, part of the reason the make excellent companion animals, and agreed they should not [usually] be kept on their own, but them many animals are social and should not be kept on their on, dogs for example!

Most mammals get ‘moody’ when they are pregnant and have you seen what a dog bite can do? Why select these as traits for meerkats when they apply to just about all mammals? As for them not being ‘domestic pets’, they may not be “domesticated” but they certainly can and do make excellent domestic pets.


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## Zoo-Man

I have to agree with Chris in part. I have found Meerkats pretty easy to maintain. They eat pretty much anything, so are easy to cater for. However, they do require a lot of space, with a lot of environmental enrichment. And they do require the company of their own kind. Providing they are obtained when babies, & ideally from a breeder who has handled them from an early age, they can become quite tame, though their tolerance for handling can vary between indivuals. My male is great & will allow you to handle him in any way you wish. My female is fine to climb onto you, sit on your shoulder, etc but try picking her up around her body & you'll get bitten!


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## Chris Newman

I absolutely agree they need lots of space and they are super inquisitive [nosy] creatures. My ‘pet’ meerkats Alexander and Sergei (I know) live free range in the house as would domestic cats. Members of the family can do anything with them and they would never bite, they are the only mammals that I have ever had that you can take food out of their mouth with impunity! They are super pets, the only slight issue is they are not very tolerant of visitors and will bite them given the chance! However, once they have been introduced and made friends with visitors they accept them and also remember them, even if they do not see them for months on end. If there is a down side it is they are very demanding on your time, where ever I go in the house I have two little buddies flowing me, when I sit down I have two little buddies sitting on me, whilst working in the office I will invariable have two little buddies sleeping on my feet. In the morning I will be woken up by two little buddies diving into the bed for a quick snuggle, they are simply outstanding pets….


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## annie.davis

Thank you for your comments and all very valid points, however I personally think they shouldn’t be allowed to free roam a house or flat like a dog/cat for a number of reasons - 

They’re natural born diggers and WILL wreck flooring, walls, get into kitchen cupboards etc and believe me I have seen this many times.

They are also very territorial animals so if your house is their territory and as Chris has obviously discovered for himself they will protect that territory from people they don’t know and automatically see as a threat, and like you said Chris they can get used to you after they get past this initial stage but whether this 'visitor' is willing to go to stage two is another story lol.

I like try to keep my group in as natural an environment as I can provide, with lots of sand, logs, tunnels, hides, burrows etc. Yes I bring them into the house occasionally for play time but would never keep them in permanently free roaming... not to mention they stink :lol2:


I completely support your argument with regards to dogs & cats etc being kept in terrible conditions and I try to help where I can their too,
but Meerkats are an animal very close to my heart now and the fact that due to some inconsiderate person taking Snookie away from her parents so young and all on her own meant that she lacked in nutrition resulting in her poor bone formation and the fact that she didnt and still doesnt really know shes a meerkat has had a major impact on her and more than likely hundreds of other meerkats out there too.


----------



## Zoo-Man

I wouldn't let my Meerkats free roam full-time either. They do have time when they come out of their room & interact with the dogs & cats, but they cause enough chaos then! They have an adapted room as their enclosure, with a lined floor & walls, allowing deep substrate for digging. They have loads of room, with logs, rocks, tunnels, pipes, hide boxes, etc for their entertainment.


----------



## annie.davis

Zoo-Man said:


> I wouldn't let my Meerkats free roam full-time either. They do have time when they come out of their room & interact with the dogs & cats, but they cause enough chaos then! They have an adapted room as their enclosure, with a lined floor & walls, allowing deep substrate for digging. They have loads of room, with logs, rocks, tunnels, pipes, hide boxes, etc for their entertainment.


I do recall seeing your purpose built room for your two babies and it is amazing :2thumb:

I brought my little three legged Meerkat (Stumpy) in the house the other day to have a little play around this resulted in him trying to eat everything, pulling the plaster off the corner of the wall and then chasing away my brothers bullmastiff ... Stumpy was about the size of its paw :lol2:


----------



## PETERAROBERTSON

I have two friends that have pet meerkats.
Free roaming when there home.
Put away when they go out.
After the initial attack there very friendly.
As experianced..lol
Not that i know anything about them.


----------



## Chris Newman

Zoo-Man said:


> I wouldn't let my Meerkats free roam full-time either. They do have time when they come out of their room & interact with the dogs & cats, but they cause enough chaos then! They have an adapted room as their enclosure, with a lined floor & walls, allowing deep substrate for digging. They have loads of room, with logs, rocks, tunnels, pipes, hide boxes, etc for their entertainment.


I completely agree they cause chaos, they dedicate their lives to getting into as much mischief as possible…. If there is any ‘issues’ going on you can guarantee that meerkats will be involved! That said they are not destructive, or in my experience they are not destructive. They love digging so I give them plenty of opportunities to do so, what they love most of all is exploring and nothing is better than cardboard boxes, so we give them new boxes in different places to play with. We also give them the giant cardboard roles from carpet shops, they love those. Our two have the run of the house and we have never had any real problems, other than they really, really hate the postman, it’s become a bit of a game of cat and mouse, they love chasing him down the drive! They are not the ideal pet for everyone, but I won’t be without them and they are most certainly not difficult animals to care for, but they are a challenge, if not for no other reason than to try and outwit the little buggers!


----------



## Rhianna.J

Chris Newman said:


> Dogs and cats get kept in appalling conditions or need rescuing that does not mean that all owners are bad! Portraying meerkats as difficult to keep is inaccurate, they are in fact extremely easy to keep and thrive.
> 
> Certainly meerkats are social animals, part of the reason the make excellent companion animals, and agreed they should not [usually] be kept on their own, but them many animals are social and should not be kept on their on, dogs for example!
> 
> Most mammals get ‘moody’ when they are pregnant and have you seen what a dog bite can do? Why select these as traits for meerkats when they apply to just about all mammals? As for them not being ‘domestic pets’, they may not be “domesticated” but they certainly can and do make excellent domestic pets.


This is the arguement i have with people when they say "people shouldnt be allowed to keep them (insert exotic animal here) as pets, what if they cant look after them properly?". Whats to stop someone not being able to look after a rabbit properly, or a dog.


----------



## Zoo-Man

annie.davis said:


> I do recall seeing your purpose built room for your two babies and it is amazing :2thumb:
> 
> I brought my little three legged Meerkat (Stumpy) in the house the other day to have a little play around this resulted in him trying to eat everything, pulling the plaster off the corner of the wall and then chasing away my brothers bullmastiff ... Stumpy was about the size of its paw :lol2:


Thanks Annie.

How did Stumpy lose a leg? If it is to do with a toy from Pets At Home, then I know the story :lol2:


----------



## Chris Newman

Rhianna.J said:


> This is the arguement i have with people when they say "people shouldnt be allowed to keep them (insert exotic animal here) as pets, what if they cant look after them properly?". Whats to stop someone not being able to look after a rabbit properly, or a dog.


The potential for inappropriate care applies ever bit as much for so called domesticates species as it does for’ exotics’, indeed available evidence suggest there are grater frequency of issues with dogs, cats and rabbits than exotics. Same applies to injuries caused by pets, how many people get bittern by dogs compared say to snakes!


----------



## annie.davis

Zoo-Man said:


> Thanks Annie.
> 
> How did Stumpy lose a leg? If it is to do with a toy from Pets At Home, then I know the story :lol2:


Hahahahaha this made me laugh!! But then made me wonder about this 'toy' your refer to from pets at home ... sounds dangerous :lol2:
Stumpy was one of three in his litter and on the morning they were born I checked on them all (as I do) and was very shocked to find one with only three legs!









I thought that it may have been squashed in the womb or it had possibly been wrapped around the umbilical cord either couldn’t take him to the vets until he had been weaned off Snooks so every day I bathed his stump in warm water and applied Aloe Gel.

As soon as he was old enough I took him to the vets to investigate the true reason for only having three legs and if this were to become an issue as he develops. 

Turns out this wasn’t due to being tangled/squashed in the womb but as shown in the x-ray he has a clean cut across the bone just below his knee … therefore leading the vet to believe it was severed, possibly during Snookie giving birth and pulling him out.








Thankfully the stump didnt’t need amputated and as he doesn’t know any different, he copes just fine with his day to day Meerkat activities :2thumb:








This is me & Stumples after his long tiring day at the vets :flrt:


----------



## Shellsfeathers&fur

Just wanted to say loving your pictures. Thanks for sharing them on here.


----------



## annie.davis

Stephen P said:


> Just wanted to say loving your pictures. Thanks for sharing them on here.


Thank you Stephen, Im glad you like them :smile:


----------



## Zoo-Man

annie.davis said:


> Hahahahaha this made me laugh!! But then made me wonder about this 'toy' your refer to from pets at home ... sounds dangerous :lol2:
> Stumpy was one of three in his litter and on the morning they were born I checked on them all (as I do) and was very shocked to find one with only three legs!
> image
> 
> I thought that it may have been squashed in the womb or it had possibly been wrapped around the umbilical cord either couldn’t take him to the vets until he had been weaned off Snooks so every day I bathed his stump in warm water and applied Aloe Gel.
> 
> As soon as he was old enough I took him to the vets to investigate the true reason for only having three legs and if this were to become an issue as he develops.
> 
> Turns out this wasn’t due to being tangled/squashed in the womb but as shown in the x-ray he has a clean cut across the bone just below his knee … therefore leading the vet to believe it was severed, possibly during Snookie giving birth and pulling him out.
> image
> Thankfully the stump didnt’t need amputated and as he doesn’t know any different, he copes just fine with his day to day Meerkat activities :2thumb:
> image
> This is me & Stumples after his long tiring day at the vets :flrt:


 Ah right, haha. I mentioned the toy from Pets At Home, as my friend was telling me about a woman who had one of her Meerkats get its leg tangled in a toy she bought from PAH, & it had to have it's leg amputated. I thought it could have been you, haha. Glad to hear Stumpy knows no different & still behaves naturally. Well done to you for being so attentive :2thumb:


----------



## annie.davis

Zoo-Man said:


> Ah right, haha. I mentioned the toy from Pets At Home, as my friend was telling me about a woman who had one of her Meerkats get its leg tangled in a toy she bought from PAH, & it had to have it's leg amputated. I thought it could have been you, haha. Glad to hear Stumpy knows no different & still behaves naturally. Well done to you for being so attentive :2thumb:


Oh my god that's awful! :gasp: Poor little thing. I was going to have a trip to pets at home for some sneaky Christmas pressi's today but think I'll give that one a miss haha. 

Thank you :smile:, I was very worried with it being his back leg that he wouldn't be able to have his meerkat stance but he just uses his tail for balance instead and if that fails he leans against a wall  

Snooks initially rejected him from the group (either through guilt or instinct of Survival of the fittest) but thankfully ... After a lot of time & effort he is now a valuable part of their family and gets priority treatment from all members of it including me:flrt:


----------



## Rhianna.J

It was lovely meeting you today Annie. Hope your meerkats like their Xmas presents!


----------



## annie.davis

Rhianna.J said:


> It was lovely meeting you today Annie. Hope your meerkats like their Xmas presents!


You too Rhianna 
They LOVED them, but that bamboo one has had the inside shredded as we suspected lol, but meant I could fill with a mini Christmas dinner of sprouts, turkey & mealworms :2thumb:

Hope you had a lovely Christmas!


----------



## annie.davis

Ive just checked up on my thread here and noticed some pics have vanished or now say 'the photo has been deleted or removed' making it look a bit disconnected ... does anyone know why this is?? 

Anyway if this works then here are a few pics of the progress of the latest litter - 

Now with a taste for worms ... and fingers for that matter!! 









But still depending on Snooks for milk (if you can spot them snuggled up on their heat pads :lol2


----------



## slizard

all I can hear in my head is "simples" :lol2:


----------



## Rach and Io

Haha! I can hear "meek meek meek meek meek" (watched too much of that meerkat manor program that was on tv 

Their so cute though! loving the pics!


----------



## Misselainec

Great story.
Totally agree with the fact so many people delve into buying exotic creatures with little know how, why and when.

They look cute as babies but as with all animals they all need rearing, much time and patience.

Well done on your meerkats family 
Lovely photos


----------



## annie.davis

Rach and Io said:


> Haha! I can hear "meek meek meek meek meek" (watched too much of that meerkat manor program that was on tv
> 
> Their so cute though! loving the pics!


Hahaha thats more like it :lol2:
Thank you so much! I appreciate your support Rach and Io :smile:



Misselainec said:


> Great story.
> Totally agree with the fact so many people delve into buying exotic creatures with little know how, why and when.
> 
> They look cute as babies but as with all animals they all need rearing, much time and patience.
> 
> Well done on your meerkats family
> Lovely photos


Very true Misselainec!! 

Thank you though im glad you like them


----------



## GECKO MICK

Good pics.Crackin meerkats.:2thumb:


----------



## Chris Newman

Some links to my meerkats Alexander & Sergei 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Meerkat-Alexander-and-Sergei/101047676689637

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpyPbmUfsEA48hO78mzjM4g?feature=watch


----------



## jambos reptiles

Do meerkats smell ?


----------



## IceBloodExotics

It would be nice owning meerkats, not sure if I could put up with the millions of comparethemeerkat.com jokes...would drive me crazy...


----------



## Chris Newman

IceBloodExotics said:


> It would be nice owning meerkats, not sure if I could put up with the millions of comparethemeerkat.com jokes...would drive me crazy...


It’s ‘simples’ really! Sorry couldn’t resist…


----------



## annie.davis

Chris Newman said:


> Some links to my meerkats Alexander & Sergei
> 
> http://www.facebook.com/pages/Meerkat-Alexander-and-Sergei/101047676689637
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpyPbmUfsEA48hO78mzjM4g?feature=watch


They are gorgeous Chris :flrt: is there a male & female here though??



jambos reptiles said:


> Do meerkats smell ?


Yes!! To put it bluntly haha 

Not as bad as Ferrets I dont think (If you could compare) but the males scent mark everything which is quite overpowering, females do also but that isnt very strong to humans.



IceBloodExotics said:


> It would be nice owning meerkats, not sure if I could put up with the millions of comparethemeerkat.com jokes...would drive me crazy...


Tell me about it!!! :roll:

NO I dont get cheaper car insurance
NO They dont wear red bath robes 
AND....NO they dont say simples 

:lol2:



Chris Newman said:


> It’s ‘simples’ really! Sorry couldn’t resist…


You kinda asked for it naming them Alexander & Sergei :-|


----------



## Chris Newman

annie.davis said:


> They are gorgeous Chris :flrt: is there a male & female here though??
> 
> 
> You kinda asked for it naming them Alexander & Sergei :-|


Two male’s, that’s enough……. 

I know, it just had to be done!!!


----------



## Rach and Io

Aww haha! really love this thread it's well cute! 
How big do they grow too then? I noticed a picture of two of them in a pair of shoes lol! 

I was going to ask if it was possible to bath them but I guess if their scent marking I guess its not washing them that's so much of the problem, plus I'm not aware of any Meerkat soaps, best not to play around in case they get the a reaction. 
But then without soap I guess wet meerkat is going to smell worse >_< lol! 

Pictures are well cool though! and the videos!


----------



## annie.davis

Rach and Io said:


> Aww haha! really love this thread it's well cute!
> How big do they grow too then? I noticed a picture of two of them in a pair of shoes lol!
> 
> I was going to ask if it was possible to bath them but I guess if their scent marking I guess its not washing them that's so much of the problem, plus I'm not aware of any Meerkat soaps, best not to play around in case they get the a reaction.
> But then without soap I guess wet meerkat is going to smell worse >_< lol!
> 
> Pictures are well cool though! and the videos!


Thank you 

Ermm its hard to explain how big they grow as you will read on the internet that a fully grown adult is 12" however my Alpha Male Zorro has exceeded that to 14" whereas Snookie (Alpha Female) is pretty much half the size!

I found a pic here that kinda demonstrates the different heights - 









Zorro (far left) - tallest, Snookie to his left - obviously she has the disadvantage of not being able to stand on her toes, then Stumpy from 2nd litter April 2012, two pups from the 3rd litter in Sept 2012 and Mitch on the end from the 1st litter in Jan 2012.

And bathing is a big no no unless absolutely necessary as Meerkats HATE water!! They are constantly grooming themselves and each other so keep on top of their own hygiene , although they do still stink :lol2:


----------



## Rach and Io

Awwwww their so lush! 

Such a difference too! I can see what you mean now


----------



## Zoo-Man

They are not as big as everyone seems to think. I am always asked "Are they fully grown? They look bigger on the telly". Haha


----------



## Rach and Io

Zoo-Man said:


> They are not as big as everyone seems to think. I am always asked "Are they fully grown? They look bigger on the telly". Haha


Hate to sound stereotypical but that is exactly what I was thinking lol!


----------



## annie.davis

Zoo-Man said:


> They are not as big as everyone seems to think. I am always asked "Are they fully grown? They look bigger on the telly". Haha


Hahaha I know!!! EVERYONE says that to me too :lol2:
I believe that is just because the camera is on the floor when filming the wild Meerkats giving the illusion that they are much bigger ... unless they are playing around a giraffe’s feet lol.


----------



## annie.davis

Rach and Io said:


> Awwwww their so lush!
> 
> Such a difference too! I can see what you mean now


Haha there is isnt there. I meant to add on that that Snookie & Zorro are both fully grown adults, the rest are all pups 1year and under


----------



## Rach and Io

annie.davis said:


> Hahaha I know!!! EVERYONE says that to me too :lol2:
> I believe that is just because the camera is on the floor when filming the wild Meerkats giving the illusion that they are much bigger ... unless they are playing around a giraffe’s feet lol.


That's true! I honestly expected them to be like 2/3 foot tall standing upright fully grown, ohhhh man! just makes them even cuter though!

------------------------------------------------------------



annie.davis said:


> Haha there is isnt there. I meant to add on that that Snookie & Zorro are both fully grown adults, the rest are all pups 1year and under :smile:



Wow no way! but Mitch is so tall! he's almost the same size as Zorro! :-O


----------



## annie.davis

Rach and Io said:


> That's true! I honestly expected them to be like 2/3 foot tall standing upright fully grown, ohhhh man! just makes them even cuter though!
> 
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> Wow no way! but Mitch is so tall! he's almost the same size as Zorro! :-O


Hahaha.

I know my little Mitch is catching up very quickly! However Mitch's brother Milo from the same litter is even BIGGER!! 
Milo is verging on outgrowing his dad, he's very impressive ... but unfortunately is now using his size to bully poor Mitch :sad:


----------



## Rach and Io

Awwww no way! I guess that's a down side to pack life


----------



## Zoo-Man

I tried my Meerkats with live Madagascan Giant Hissing Cockroaches early. They demolished them in seconds! :lol2:


----------



## Samiwolton

Zoo-Man said:


> I tried my Meerkats with live Madagascan Giant Hissing Cockroaches early. They demolished them in seconds! :lol2:


My 3 looove hissing cockroaches, they always demolish them so quickly


----------



## annie.davis

Zoo-Man said:


> I tried my Meerkats with live Madagascan Giant Hissing Cockroaches early. They demolished them in seconds! :lol2:





Samiwolton said:


> My 3 looove hissing cockroaches, they always demolish them so quickly


Haha i bet! :lol2:

They've just got those in my local reptile shop but I didn't want to get anything bigger than crickets at the time in case the new pups couldn't manage and missed out lol.


----------



## annie.davis

Rach and Io said:


> Awwww no way! I guess that's a down side to pack life


It is  and its very nasty!! 

But so far they've calmed down and no more blood has been shed between them. I'm keeping my fingers crossed they have settled their differences but it may be that later on Milo will need separated to start his own pack and then he can become an alpha.


----------



## Zoo-Man

"Are there any Cockroaches up your nose? I'll just check."


----------



## annie.davis

Zoo-Man said:


> "Are there any Cockroaches up your nose? I'll just check."
> 
> image


Hahaha awwwwwww that's a great pic Colin! :lol2:


----------



## Zoo-Man

Thanks Annie x


----------



## annie.davis

"BUT ... I want Krispy Kreme doughnuts" says Mitch -










"Look, I've already helped you open them ... Teehee"


----------



## jambos reptiles

Hey do meerkats smell ?


----------



## Zoo-Man

annie.davis said:


> "BUT ... I want Krispy Kreme doughnuts" says Mitch -
> 
> image
> 
> "Look, I've already helped you open them ... Teehee"


Haha, they always want what they cant have don't they? Naughty little beasties!


----------



## annie.davis

jambos reptiles said:


> Hey do meerkats smell ?


Haha yes they do. 
I answered this question when you asked on page 8


----------



## Rach and Io

Aww Alpha Milo! ^_^ bless him hehe. 

Great pic Zoo-man! always wondered what a meerkat kiss looked like hehe! 
Ohh doughnuts! can't blame them like


----------



## annie.davis

eeeee finally plucked up the courage after a long debate with myself and hesitation to create my Meerkat page on Facebook!! 

Thank you everyone for all of your support, I never thought I would have such positive feedback from my story but you have really given me the push ive needed to see how many other little meerkats are in need of help or just to share stories with fellow meerkat keepers. 

Here's the link - http://www.facebook.com/MammyMeerkat

Hope you like :smile:


----------



## Rach and Io

annie.davis said:


> eeeee finally plucked up the courage after a long debate with myself and hesitation to create my Meerkat page on Facebook!!
> 
> Thank you everyone for all of your support, I never thought I would have such positive feedback from my story but you have really given me the push ive needed to see how many other little meerkats are in need of help or just to share stories with fellow meerkat keepers.
> 
> Here's the link - http://www.facebook.com/MammyMeerkat
> 
> Hope you like :smile:


Epic! that's great! really cute pictures too! 

P.S Random weird fact : if you right click the word "meerkat" in firefox with the dictionary turned on it will try and correct it to "beermat" Bless! 

I'll see if I can share it out ^_^


----------



## annie.davis

Rach and Io said:


> Epic! that's great! really cute pictures too!
> 
> P.S Random weird fact : if you right click the word "meerkat" in firefox with the dictionary turned on it will try and correct it to "beermat" Bless!
> 
> I'll see if I can share it out ^_^


Eeeee thanks! You were my first ever like! :notworthy: haha

Hahahaha really! That is weird :lol2:


----------



## tonks

I used to work at a wildlife/exotics care centre that had a little troop of meerkats, about 25-50% of their protein came from day old chicks, plus as treats, from eggs - they loved the eggs, there would be a bit of a scrum as they chased and rolled them round the enclosure before managing to crack them open and get to the goodies/smear it all over themselves and then go on a licking frenzy. hilarious to watch!


----------



## annie.davis

tonks said:


> I used to work at a wildlife/exotics care centre that had a little troop of meerkats, about 25-50% of their protein came from day old chicks, plus as treats, from eggs - they loved the eggs, there would be a bit of a scrum as they chased and rolled them round the enclosure before managing to crack them open and get to the goodies/smear it all over themselves and then go on a licking frenzy. hilarious to watch!


Awww that sounds funny :lol2: I bet they were all in a right mess haha!


----------



## tonks

I swear, its the most fun you can have for free; although the times when we put mealworms and waxworms inside cat toys (the type with the little round cages with the bells in) was a close second.


----------



## annie.davis

tonks said:


> I swear, its the most fun you can have for free; although the times when we put mealworms and waxworms inside cat toys (the type with the little round cages with the bells in) was a close second.


Haha yes I do that a lot with mine and although they dont last long they thoroughly enjoy it! I have pics on my facebook page 'Mammy Meerkat' 

I'm always having to come up with new ideas to keep them entertained lol


----------



## KarlHowells

Very interesting read - nice to see how different peoples experiences are :no1:

I'll be honest - my OH is set on getting one - through me reading this I've already brought to her attention that 'one' is not a good move. I think I have to pay for everything too - but feeding wise I won't break the bank too much as got a hissing cockroach and dubai colony on the go for my 3 monitors and 1 tegu and generally but bulk in other bugs for my lot.

she wanted them to be free roam - but I see a problem she has yet to notice, we have a F3 Bengal (11 months old) and he's become adapt (as such) to the cold blooded stuff in the house (possibly due to the fact they're bigger than him)

so I've said if enough research is done (not just by me:bash then it could be possible.

So has anyone had any experiences with Meerkats meeting other animals?

just wanna start asking these questions now as at the earliest I'll be ready is next year - plenty of time for enclosure to be ect. Cheers in advance for any replies!


----------



## Zoo-Man

KarlHowells said:


> Very interesting read - nice to see how different peoples experiences are :no1:
> 
> I'll be honest - my OH is set on getting one - through me reading this I've already brought to her attention that 'one' is not a good move. I think I have to pay for everything too - but feeding wise I won't break the bank too much as got a hissing cockroach and dubai colony on the go for my 3 monitors and 1 tegu and generally but bulk in other bugs for my lot.
> 
> she wanted them to be free roam - but I see a problem she has yet to notice, we have a F3 Bengal (11 months old) and he's become adapt (as such) to the cold blooded stuff in the house (possibly due to the fact they're bigger than him)
> 
> so I've said if enough research is done (not just by me:bash then it could be possible.
> 
> So has anyone had any experiences with Meerkats meeting other animals?
> 
> just wanna start asking these questions now as at the earliest I'll be ready is next year - plenty of time for enclosure to be ect. Cheers in advance for any replies!


When I first got my 2, they were already used to dogs & cats, but I introduced them to our dogs & cats, & they had regular contact with them. Now that the Meerkats are grown, & we had 2 litters of Chihuahua puppies, the contact was stopped as we were worried about how the Meerkats would view the puppies. We also got a new Boston Terrier. So the Meerkats have not yet met the Chihuahua pup we kept or the new Boston Terrier. They might not be as laid back with the dogs & cats as they used to be.


----------



## KarlHowells

Zoo-Man said:


> When I first got my 2, they were already used to dogs & cats, but I introduced them to our dogs & cats, & they had regular contact with them. Now that the Meerkats are grown, & we had 2 litters of Chihuahua puppies, the contact was stopped as we were worried about how the Meerkats would view the puppies. We also got a new Boston Terrier. So the Meerkats have not yet met the Chihuahua pup we kept or the new Boston Terrier. They might not be as laid back with the dogs & cats as they used to be.


Can I ask how you introduced them? to be honest Nuka my Bengal is a complete softy but I know this *could* change with a smaller animal such as a Meerkat.


----------



## Zoo-Man

KarlHowells said:


> Can I ask how you introduced them? to be honest Nuka my Bengal is a complete softy but I know this *could* change with a smaller animal such as a Meerkat.


Because the Meerkats were already used to cats & dogs, it was more getting MY cats & dogs used to them. The cats weren't that interested & would get up high out of the Meerkat's way. The dogs were interested but not too intensely. Everyone just got on. We basically just put the baby Meerkats on the floor of the living room & allowed the dogs & cats to meet them as long as they were calm.


----------



## RhacodactyBoy

Such a great/warming story  thank you for sharing !! They are beautiful little creatures such awesome personalities


----------



## annie.davis

KarlHowells said:


> Very interesting read - nice to see how different peoples experiences are :no1:
> 
> I'll be honest - my OH is set on getting one - through me reading this I've already brought to her attention that 'one' is not a good move. I think I have to pay for everything too - but feeding wise I won't break the bank too much as got a hissing cockroach and dubai colony on the go for my 3 monitors and 1 tegu and generally but bulk in other bugs for my lot.
> 
> she wanted them to be free roam - but I see a problem she has yet to notice, we have a F3 Bengal (11 months old) and he's become adapt (as such) to the cold blooded stuff in the house (possibly due to the fact they're bigger than him)
> 
> so I've said if enough research is done (not just by me:bash then it could be possible.
> 
> So has anyone had any experiences with Meerkats meeting other animals?
> 
> just wanna start asking these questions now as at the earliest I'll be ready is next year - plenty of time for enclosure to be ect. Cheers in advance for any replies!


 Thank you Karl :smile:, 

Yes you should never have one meerkat on its own, Meerkats are very social animals and need company of their own kind.

Also I personally am very against free rome not only for the fact that they are natural born diggers and will make it their mission to wreck anything and everything but they need outdoor space also.

I believe you should try to keep their environment as natural as possible. You have to remember they are not domesticated animals and by no means like a cat (as many like to believe) they are desert animals and love to dig, tunnel / forage in the sand, sleep in burrows and sunbathe.

I have occasionally brought one or two into the house for a short while and as mentioned I brought Stumpy in a while ago where he met Kassie the Bull Mastiff ... Stumpy bearing in mind is a three legged Meerkat and is about the size of the Bull Mastiff's ear felt he needed to defend himself and scared off Kassie, whereas Snookie (my imprinted rescue Meerkat) would literally rip her to shreds with no fear or warning!!! :devil:


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## tonks

Another popular trick for distracting them when we needed to get in/out of the enclosure was to throw in some 'meaty ice cubes' we made from mixing chicken paste with a bit of milk and water and putting mix in icecube trays - on a hot day we would chuck those in and the meerkats would chase a skidding lump of chickenstuff around like nobody's business.


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## annie.davis

tonks said:


> Another popular trick for distracting them when we needed to get in/out of the enclosure was to throw in some 'meaty ice cubes' we made from mixing chicken paste with a bit of milk and water and putting mix in icecube trays - on a hot day we would chuck those in and the meerkats would chase a skidding lump of chickenstuff around like nobody's business.


Haha I use a similar method also to distract while getting in to clean the enclosure - 










I will try the ice cubes when it warms up though! They will probably last longer :lol2:


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