# meerkats!



## Nerys (Apr 18, 2005)

well, as some of you know, we have a pair of meerkats staying with us at the moment, i'd like them to become permenant residents, but they were taken in a trade, so are technically not "allowed" to stay..










they are an adult proven pair, not cuddleable tame, but getting lots and lots better as the months go by. 

the female is the bolder of the pair, 

she is first out to see what aunty nerys has brought for them to play with..

this time it was a bone.. but with lots of lovely gravey juice in the jug too..

"mmmm that smells good"










"is this for us??? can i have it purleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaseee.... pretty please....???"










"mmmm that IS good..."










jugged meerkat anyone? any further in and she'll get stuck!










MrMeerkat is more timid.. he lets Mrs come out and face the music before he risks it..




























but he soon gets stuck in none the less


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## linda.t (Sep 28, 2007)

wow they are just great 
linda:flrt:


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## Esarosa (Jul 13, 2007)

oh wow lovely pictures


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## sw3an29 (Jul 13, 2007)

they are stunning i can see why you dont want them to go


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## peaches (Apr 3, 2007)

Aww blessss!!!

Poor Mr Meerkat though, by the time that chap gets there it'll be all gone :lol2:

They're sweet Nerys


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## Nerys (Apr 18, 2005)

ta  yus they are rather sweet aren't they, and really do have two distinct characters, i think if we have them for long enough, they will get to the stage i can go in with them a lot more..

on the other hand. i have seen their teeth.. so.. we'll see!

over the last few months they have become a lot more used to me bugging them - sorry, interacting with them!

whilst i am not at the stage where i feel comfy to offer my bare hand to them to smell without the bars being in the way.. i can open the pen door and sit there, the female will come out and stand using my arm as a prop.. and whilst taking these pics the hardest part was she was more into examining the camera.. 

they chat away to me loads.. i chirrrrup. they chirrrrup back.. i look for eagles in the sky... they look with me!

they are brave little things, even when somethings spooks them, and they dash back to the burrow chirruping like mad.. they are both out and back on alert within seconds! great fun to play with, especially eagle spotting..

"Eagle Eagle Eagle" you say as you gaze at the ceiling looking worried...

"where! where? Where!" says Mr Meerkat..










"there! there? there!" says his missus..










lovely little characters i have to say, lots of fun to work with.

N


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## boabloketony (Jan 22, 2007)

Aww they're so cute !!! :2thumb:


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## Catherine896 (Jul 27, 2007)

Aww gorgeous! Ive always wanted some!!


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

COOL!!:no1:


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## Nerys (Apr 18, 2005)

HABU said:


> COOL!!:no1:


wicked!!! 

N


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## LeeH (Jan 26, 2005)

wow nice meerkats..they are wicked


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## sarahssnakes (Feb 19, 2006)

how cool are they,very sweet.


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## saxon (Feb 26, 2007)

Just been to my mates for tea tonight and was playing with Ky her meerkat.
He lost his buddy a couple of weeks ago but doesn't seem too bothered by his loss.
I forgot my video camera but got a few picson the phone. When I get my USB thing I'll put them on.

I have been offered a hand reared meekat pup next year so I think we will have an addition in the Summer!!!!!!!


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## alfiealbino (Nov 25, 2007)

They are lovely, shame they require a DWA otherwise i think they would be very popular exotic pets.

Ben


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## Fixx (May 6, 2006)

alfiealbino said:


> They are lovely, shame they require a DWA otherwise i think they would be very popular exotic pets.
> 
> Ben


They don't require a DWAL.


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## alfiealbino (Nov 25, 2007)

Really? i allways thought they did for some reason? im suprised more people dont keep them then, is there a catch being their cute exterior?

Ben


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## Nerys (Apr 18, 2005)

> Better a Grade A tit than a Grade B [email protected]


guess its not all who are lucky enough to be neither..

N


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## glidergirl (Nov 27, 2006)

alfiealbino said:


> Really? i allways thought they did for some reason? im suprised more people dont keep them then, is there a catch being their cute exterior?
> 
> Ben


See this is what worries me! Meerkats do not make good pets, we've kept them for 4 years and personally I don't like them at all - but that's not why I don't think they make good pets! They require so much discipline to keep them below you and your family in the pack, and that's not as easy as it sounds! If they get above one person then that persons life will be hell, grown men are chased out of rooms, or simply not allowed in! I've had meerkats launch at me and paralyze my thumb because they bite so hard! I've had them attached to the back of my ankle - thank god for jeans, I've been covered in bites. Even rich who seems to have an affinity with meerkats thinks they shouldn't be kept! 

Fair enough if you just want a colony in a large enclosure in the back garden, but not as a 'pet'.

They're NOT an exotic ferret :bash:


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## gecko-kus (Aug 15, 2007)

We've always wanted meerkats but would never keep them unless we had a huge out door heated enclosure, but we just don't have the space at the moment or money lol.


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## Nerys (Apr 18, 2005)

glidergirl said:


> See this is what worries me! Meerkats do not make good pets, we've kept them for 4 years and personally I don't like them at all - but that's not why I don't think they make good pets! They require so much discipline to keep them below you and your family in the pack, and that's not as easy as it sounds! If they get above one person then that persons life will be hell, grown men are chased out of rooms, or simply not allowed in! I've had meerkats launch at me and paralyze my thumb because they bite so hard! I've had them attached to the back of my ankle - thank god for jeans, I've been covered in bites. Even rich who seems to have an affinity with meerkats thinks they shouldn't be kept!
> 
> Fair enough if you just want a colony in a large enclosure in the back garden, but not as a 'pet'.
> 
> They're NOT an exotic ferret :bash:


yup, our two are not house pets. i can go in with them these days, but its still very much on their terms, i would not try and pick one up for a cuddle. the female will just about stand to be very gently touched on the back when i am inside with them, before bolting off. i don't have, as yet, dominance issues with either of them, but the female is very much the boss of the cage, and she is also the one most steady with me at the moment. i let her come to me on her terms, i sit and wait for her to come to me.. ok so sometimes a warm mouse is used as bribery, but i would never stick my hand in her den and haul her out, like i would do the skunks.

personally i think they are great, and like many people, always "fancied" the idea of having them one day. the advantage i have i guess, is that if i want to pick up and cuddle an animal that hugs back, i go dig out a skunk.. i don't have the "need" to feel i have to get cutsey with a meerkat! however if i want to sit and interact and observe a captive kept "wild" animal, i will sit with wilma the porcupine, or these guys. as long as I respect their boundaries, they accept my bumbling presence, and allow me to share parts of their behaviour. i could sit and watch them for hours, and each time feel i had learned a little more about what makes them tick. 

keeping animals is not always about the "how tame is this" and "how cute is this" aspect. i don't think meerkats should never be kept, i do think there are ways you should not keep them though...

the other thing to remember, is that there is ALWAYS an exception to the rule. for every 100 nutty meerkats like marie describes, there will always be the odd one out, the gem amongst meerkats who CAN make a "nice" pet. the difficulty is finding that one, amongst the 100 or so who are not!

N


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## saxon (Feb 26, 2007)

Ky is happy to be 'chucked' under his chin or knitted on the back of his head etc. He will sit on your knee and demand you 'knit' him.
He knows his anme and will do 'most' of what you ask him to a degree. If heis going in the bin and you say 'Ky no' he will come away. If you call him he runs upto you and expects some treat or other.

Another thing that I know no-one will believe is that he is great with Michelle's Husky pups and most of the adult dogs too.
He seems to look on the pups and dogs as his 'family'.
She is going to email me some video, if I can get in on here, eventually of Ky running with a litter of 4 week old Sibes. They appeared to be playing 'follow the leader'. The video is about 6 yrs old so I don't know how good it will be.

Michelle has had him for 8yrs or so and he is a 'wild' reject form a colony that was atn animal 'farm'. He is around 10yrs old now.

I'll email Michelle and get her to send me some pics etc.


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## glidergirl (Nov 27, 2006)

But see Nerys - our meerkats aren't nutty! Clyde was handreared but not by us, he has a fabulous relationship with Rich, but no one else can get near, Stanley and whatever the other ones name is (I have THAT little to do with them now I can't even remember), also have a fabulous relationship with Rich, the other 4 are all hand reared by a friend because their mother died, his situation changed and they came to us! Again all are absolutely fine with Rich. 

The reason you've not come across dominance issues is because you do everything on their terms, you've not actually tried to enter their little pack as anything other than a walking meal tray or a presence in the corner. Look at the meerkat wildlife docs, the presenters are welcome to observe and follow and that's because these animals are a confident, sly predator, obviously they are predated but that's mainly by birds of prey

As I said, in a large enclosure in the back garden fine, but most people seem to want meerkats as something to cuddle, or worse ... a family pet! It's just not going to happen!



saxon said:


> Ky is happy to be 'chucked' under his chin or knitted on the back of his head etc. He will sit on your knee and demand you 'knit' him.
> He knows his anme and will do 'most' of what you ask him to a degree. If heis going in the bin and you say 'Ky no' he will come away. If you call him he runs upto you and expects some treat or other.
> 
> Another thing that I know no-one will believe is that he is great with Michelle's Husky pups and most of the adult dogs too.
> ...


He gets on great with the pups as he's the leader, I bet his tails in the air when they're all following him around! They are at the end of the day pack animals, as are dogs, puppies are easily dominated.


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## Nerys (Apr 18, 2005)

> The reason you've not come across dominance issues is because you do everything on their terms, you've not actually tried to enter their little pack as anything other than a walking meal tray or a presence in the corner. Look at the meerkat wildlife docs, the presenters are welcome to observe and follow and that's because these animals are a confident, sly predator, obviously they are predated but that's mainly by birds of prey


yep, thats what i aim for, observation, without stressing them by me being there. the more time i spend like that with them, the more used to me they get, and the more natural they are around me. you don't always have to be hands on with an animal.

that said, saxon, i would love to "knit" a meerkat lol. as much as i appreciate these two for being the way they are, of course it would be nice to be able to pick them up, if nothing else, at least to give them the occasional once over health wise.

N


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## glidergirl (Nov 27, 2006)

No - you don't always have to be hands on with an animal, but sometimes especially when an animal is a pack animal it is a good idea, from a socialisation point of view it's also an idea, from a health issue, it's a good idea! An unhandled animal that becomes ill is likely to become very stressed by the sudden handling, the stress of handling a previously unhandled animal is not going to help with the healing process.

At the moment Nerys you have 2 meerkats, so dominant male and dominant female, 2 meerkats that haven't accepted you into their pack at any level yet. Meerkats once in a colony (pack) situation will look for openings, if you were accepted and to have a moment of weakness then the one below you would be muscling in! 

And then don't forget - IF you wanted to get in on their pack then you'd have to dominate the current dominant one, some people think dogs are hard to dominate, they have NOTHING on meerkats .


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## reptile king (Jun 11, 2007)

*u lucky*

:cussing:can u swear on here they look good if u dont keep them ill giv u my kidneys for them:bash::whip::lol2::no1:


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## saxon (Feb 26, 2007)

glidergirl said:


> He gets on great with the pups as he's the leader, I bet his tails in the air when they're all following him around! They are at the end of the day pack animals, as are dogs, puppies are easily dominated.


Both Michelle and myself are very much aware of this and why/how he gets along with the other animals in her household. I'm not saying he is a cuddly pet just that it is possible to integrate a meerkat into a houshold!!!!
Her whole household is based on a 'pack' hierarchy. Maybe this is easier for her as she is the only 'person' in it the rest are animals.
I must say he is not dominant with Michelle at all and she is definitely 'pack leader' in her house.
She has had him for 8yrs so she must be doing something right!!!!!!
He doesn't 'mark' in the house and is litter trained, he goes to his cage when told and generally behaves. He has never bitten anyone since he 'tamed down' which took approximately 6 months.


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## glidergirl (Nov 27, 2006)

I never said she wasn't doing something right! I think you've missed the point. When we had just the one meerkat, we had to live our lives as a pack, another reason why meerkats aren't suitable for most households, how many people do you know that would or could live such a disciplined life? 

Also, you say she's the only person, then you have your pack, dominant male and female (i wonder what would happen if a man did move in?), you also said that he was bullied out of his original pack, so he essentially was a rescue, so he's a submissive animal anyway (only being dominant in the absence of other males). Most packs can establish their hierarchy and the submissive males live with it (sometimes challenging the dominance), but sometimes a weaker individual will be singled out and driven away. The fact that he doesn't mark would again suggest his submissiveness! If only they were all like that! 

I'm certainly not bitching about Michelle, i think if she's happy and he's happy then that's great, and the way it should be with all animals, and she's obviously done a great job with him, but I think on the whole they don't make good pets. I've lived with 7 of them for the past 4 years, and to be honest I wouldn't have another one!


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## AZUK (Jul 9, 2007)

A Meerkat in the house is a handful ! In my experiance males make the best *PETS* for want of a better word


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## glidergirl (Nov 27, 2006)

Heh heh that's a good pic - don't you get irritated by all the 'ooohs' and 'aahhhs' though - or am I just a grump! lol. The best one ever was - "oh they're my favorite animals ever, I've got pictures and ornaments of them all over the place ... what is it?" :bash:


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## AZUK (Jul 9, 2007)

glidergirl said:


> Heh heh that's a good pic - don't you get irritated by all the 'ooohs' and 'aahhhs' though - or am I just a grump! lol. The best one ever was - "oh they're my favorite animals ever, I've got pictures and ornaments of them all over the place ... what is it?" :bash:


Dont I just ! not so cute when they spend all day picking stuff out of your ears and nose !

Daftest advice I have heard of late is that you can keep them lose in your home like a cat .............. Hmmm


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## brittone05 (Sep 29, 2006)

Hehehe hey Dave - when WILL I get get to met this little fella?

Must say Nerys and Rory's current lodgers are very (for fear of being jumpe don and bashed) cute - well what other word should I use lol "meerkatish".

they were sound asleep when hubby and I were down - what I REALLY want to know is how the heck Nerys remembers which chirrup and chirp she needs for each animal lol I swear that woman is multi lingual hehehe


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## saxon (Feb 26, 2007)

glidergirl said:


> I never said she wasn't doing something right! I think you've missed the point. When we had just the one meerkat, we had to live our lives as a pack, another reason why meerkats aren't suitable for most households, how many people do you know that would or could live such a disciplined life?
> 
> Also, you say she's the only person, then you have your pack, dominant male and female (i wonder what would happen if a man did move in?), you also said that he was bullied out of his original pack, so he essentially was a rescue, so he's a submissive animal anyway (only being dominant in the absence of other males). Most packs can establish their hierarchy and the submissive males live with it (sometimes challenging the dominance), but sometimes a weaker individual will be singled out and driven away. The fact that he doesn't mark would again suggest his submissiveness! If only they were all like that!
> 
> I'm certainly not bitching about Michelle, i think if she's happy and he's happy then that's great, and the way it should be with all animals, and she's obviously done a great job with him, but I think on the whole they don't make good pets. I've lived with 7 of them for the past 4 years, and to be honest I wouldn't have another one!


I know you weren't and to be honest she did say after they go she wouldn't have another. It was a bit harder when Mikey was alive. He was a nasty little shit. He used to bite your ankles and I suppose was what a typical meerkat should be.
I think with Ky it was more that they had too many males rather than being bullied out of the pack. 
She has had a b/friend live in once but Ky was as good as gold with him. I think if it had been Ky's choice the b/friend would have stayed:lol2:.
I think when they are the only meerkat they 'imprint' on their human and as you say they become the pack.



AZUK said:


> Dont I just ! not so cute when they spend all day picking stuff out of your ears and nose !
> 
> Daftest advice I have heard of late is that you can keep them lose in your home like a cat .............. Hmmm


Ky lives, mostly, loose in the house and has done for 8 yrs. He does have a cage but only goes in at meal times because as you say it gets a bit annoying when you have a little meerkat paw appear over the edge of your plate rifling you lasagne. They have to 'have a piece' of everything.


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## Stuart b (Mar 23, 2008)

*meerkats*

i currently have 2 female meerkats for sale, interested then contact me: [email protected] 

Thanks


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## lendsim87 (Jul 1, 2009)

Very interested in a young male and female would like them to be tame for personal pet! contact me @ 281-907-3112 or [email protected] thanks


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## jaji (Sep 27, 2008)

*zrgh*

IM SO JEALOUS THIS SENTENCE NEEDS CAPSLOCK!
ive always loved meerkats and sponsored them at the zoo back at home for a number of years!
it doesn't make me an owner, but defiantly a big big fan!!
you lucky thing.
you've really captured their characters well with the pictures and descriptions.
I hope you get to own your own, or get to keep these guys so we can get more updates!!


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## madzombieguy (Jul 27, 2007)

How much do these usualy sell for anyways?


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## blowupcavs (Sep 1, 2007)

how bigs the cage.ive always wanted some and tried to get some about a year ago but no luck and no cash.but now im 16 im hoping to get a pair and build up a small colony.


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## taraliz (Aug 10, 2008)

im not the first and i wont be the last but you just gotta do it ...

Compare the Meerkat dot com !! :lol2:


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## blowupcavs (Sep 1, 2007)

all ready tried


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## GeckoLass (Nov 15, 2007)

I got to spend time handling/cuddling a female meerkat not so long ago and she was really beautiful and fascinating. Her little chirps were so cute , it was a real pleasure.:flrt:


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## nikgemzak (Aug 25, 2009)

hi,are they still available?price? 07792194936...devon


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## ditta (Sep 18, 2006)

nikgemzak said:


> hi,are they still available?price? 07792194936...devon


 
as this thread was started in 2007 i highly doubt it


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## Captainmatt29 (Feb 28, 2009)

compare the meerkat.com ?


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## ditta (Sep 18, 2006)

messengermatt said:


> compare the meerkat.com ?


 :lol2:


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## taraliz (Aug 10, 2008)

_Simples !!!_​


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## samiboy (Sep 1, 2009)

simples


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