# not a pet??



## mcdougle (Jan 20, 2009)

the word pet seems to be begrudged a bit by people around here and i dont understand why? a pet is kept looked after and loved if this is a bad thing please tell me why? some say its good to keep such and such animal but not as a pet! but if its not classed as a "pet" under personal care then what is it?


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## em_40 (Sep 29, 2010)

pet- a domestic or tame animal kept for companionship

People say 'I keep them but don't consider them pets' because they keep them more naturally not in a domestic setting I should imagine. They're not really companion animals, you form some sort of bond but it's probably not as 2way as with a domestic animal.

It often comes up with monkeys, mostly because a 'pet' monkey is indoors with human companionship, a 'keepers' monkey is with it's troop in an enclosure outdoors rummaging through trees etc.


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## mrcriss (Nov 2, 2010)

I see my skunk/coati/reptiles etc as pets. I think it often depends upon whether you see your "collection" as a hobby or not. Personally, I don't.

It's a case of "you say potato". Does it really matter?


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## miss_ferret (Feb 4, 2010)

its generally not something that bothers me, but i do understand where others are coming from with the whole 'its not a pet' thing.

when many people think 'pet' they think 'i shall love it and hug it and it will be my friend', the 'i shall call it Squishy and it will be my Squishy' approach if you will.

you cant do that with a lot of animals, and trying to do it may well cause harm and stress to the animal or you.

its about reinforcing the 'look but dont touch'/'respect what it can do'/'its not a child substitute dont treat it like one' approach needed with some animals.

bad explanation but its the best i can do.


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## mcdougle (Jan 20, 2009)

em_40 said:


> pet- a domestic or tame animal kept for companionship
> 
> People say 'I keep them but don't consider them pets' because they keep them more naturally not in a domestic setting I should imagine. They're not really companion animals, you form some sort of bond but it's probably not as 2way as with a domestic animal.
> 
> It often comes up with monkeys, mostly because a 'pet' monkey is indoors with human companionship, a 'keepers' monkey is with it's troop in an enclosure outdoors rummaging through trees etc.


so if you dont call it "pet" what do you call it? an animal being part of a collection just seems less personal, like i used to work in dartmoor wildlife park and considered all the animals my pets because i gave them all the care and attention i would have to my own animals and you develop an emotional attachment to them but an animal that is just owned. what you say about a pet being able to reciprecate affection, my snakes dont care about me but i love them to bits there for they are my pets. to me the term pet means to own an animal that you care for as its been for centuries lol


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## em_40 (Sep 29, 2010)

mcdougle said:


> so if you dont call it "pet" what do you call it? an animal being part of a collection just seems less personal, like i used to work in dartmoor wildlife park and considered all the animals my pets because i gave them all the care and attention i would have to my own animals and you develop an emotional attachment to them but an animal that is just owned. what you say about a pet being able to reciprecate affection, my snakes dont care about me but i love them to bits there for they are my pets. to me the term pet means to own an animal that you care for as its been for centuries lol


'my animals'? I don't know, I don't specifically say they're not my pets.
I think it only comes up on here because the people that keep exotics outside, (like I said it comes up a lot with monkeys), I think they say 'they're not pets' to reinforce that they can not be kept like a dog or any other domestic animal, a lot of people want them indoors with only human companionship and 'they're not pets' is one of the things that's said to get the point across. 

I don't think they have to be pets to be attached to them. If I had a tiger it would be my tiger, but not my pet tiger, a pet tiger would be the kind that sleeps on the end of the bed and is taken for a walk on leash.

Just different perceptions of what a pet is I guess.


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## elmthesofties (Aug 24, 2012)

I think it's partly because of misconceptions from other people and what their own definition of the word 'pet' is.
For example, I think a lot of people believe that all 'pets' will be kept in a similar way to a cat/dog/rodent. (free range of the home, free range of the home with walks outside, or kept in a small cage, respectively, and all of them getting lots of cuddles) If I were to keep something like an ocelot, there's no way I could comfortably do any of those, and I think calling it a pet would be misleading to lots of people.


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## mrcriss (Nov 2, 2010)

But my coati has a very large outdoor enclosure.....still my pet though. If I had a tiger, I'd still call it my pet tiger.


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## Salzburg (Oct 17, 2011)

I imagine the main issue people have with the term 'pet' is simply so people new to the exotic hobby or a bit naive about animal care don't just assume you can get an exotic animal and treat it like a dog or cat. But like people have said it is all down to personal perception.

I generally call my animals 'my animals' since they are more like family than a 'pet' that I own. Even animals like my frog or my axolotls that I don't actually handle are more than creatures in a box that move around and I feed, they are part of my animal family and I'd be lost without them


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## elmthesofties (Aug 24, 2012)

mrcriss said:


> But my coati has a very large outdoor enclosure.....still my pet though. If I had a tiger, I'd still call it my pet tiger.


I'm not trying to say that your coati isn't a pet. But, and this is just my opinion, I'd be worried about other people jumping to conclusions. (people that weren't as aware of the number of exotic animals that are kept privately, I mean) If there was ever a time when you weren't aware of the exotic pet trade, what would be the first thing you think of when you hear the word "pet"? Would a coati match that description?


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## mrcriss (Nov 2, 2010)

When people ask, even on here, I actually tell them that coatis don't make very good pets. I don't think that the use of one particular word or label really makes much difference when it comes to people forming opinions. Maybe I'm too generous, but I like to credit most people that I meet with a little more intelligence than that.:2thumb:


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## PPVallhunds (May 23, 2010)

most people see the term pet as an animal you keep that you can pick up and play and snuggle with whenever you want and the animal acept it just like you can with domestic pets eg dogs, but with many exotic animals that is either not possible or not advised, either fro your own good or the animals own good, eg not advisable to go up to a tiger for a hug and kisses.

Some animals are more suited for watching than handling and its those that people advise are not pets.

what you want to call your animals is up to you, i tell people
My dog is my dog, my fish are living orniments, my mice are stock and my budgies are my babies.
The animals i work with i class as stock, i see them as working animals especialy the ones i dont own, doesnt mean i give them any less care i do my pets just see them diffrently. i had to take a rabbit from work to be putdown and i left the vets in tears as allthought i saw her as stock there was still an attachment after 5 years working with her.


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## genevie (Jul 12, 2011)

To me, the word 'pet' means any animal which a person owns and don't use for work or sport (e.g. I wouldn't refer to a farmer's cattle as 'his pets'). And if I want to distinguish between the cuddly (like cats or dogs) and more wild-like (like coatis or skunks), I would use the terms 'domestic pet' and 'exotic pet'. However, that doesn't mean to say my definition is right, or that anyone's definition is the one true meaning. 

I do avoid using the word 'pet' on RFUK when referring to exotic mammals as I know a lot of people don't see the word like I do, but I also think that people should be given the benefit of the doubt more often rather than being instantly viewed as an amateur or someone who hasn't done their research.


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