Are cages cruel?I want to know.

Question

Are cages cruel?

Answer 1

Not if they are large enough for the animal to move around comfortably.

Answer 2

Depends on how they are used.  For crate training purposes- absolutely not!  As a punishment, or an actual home for a dog/cat- most definitely.

Answer 3

No

Answer 4

no its much kinder to allow animals to play in traffic till they get killled.

Answer 5

Of cours they are cruel  

Answer 6

No.,

Not at all.

For small animals, it's stupid not to cage them.

For dogs, they're a great training aid and also gives them somewhere safe to go.

Answer 7

certainly not. my parents put me in one and i turned out just fine

Answer 8

if they are too small for the animal or the animal loooks unhappy then cages are cruel but if its a big space where they can move around and the animal looks happy and comftable then they are ok the animal should be free in a perfect world but people want pets and zoos  

Answer 9

I believe they are cruel you wouldnt cage your child if it was disobedient I have a jack russell and would never cage him I just take the time to teach him unlike some people who just put their dogs in cages and believe it will work.CAGES are for IDIOTS

Answer 10

It depends on what you're using the cage for and what the pet is.  

For dogs, a cage is good to use for housebreaking, but never keep your dog in a cage for more than 4 hours at a time.  If you're at home, make sure to take him out to play and potty several times a day.  When they are trained and trustworthy, you don't really need to use it anymore.  They'll probably love it as their den and go sleep in there on their own.

What kind of pet would you be referring to?

Answer 11

No, it gives your pet a safe place to get away when need be, my puppy loves his crate.  

Answer 12

no.if its for training them then it is well worth it.also at nite it keeps your furniture and wires etc safe not to mention keeping your dog safe.dogs dont know the difference between a chew toy and electric wires (when they are pups) just pop the dog in for 5-10 minutes every hour or so and when you do give the dog praise and or a treat.b4 you know it,the dog will love going in2 the crate

Answer 13

Remove any animal or birds from its natural environment and keep it

in a cage as pet is cruelty. But an animal or bird breed and reared in

a cage is acceptable for future conservation only.

Answer 14

<> If you are talking about  a cage for a dog....No> My dog loves hers, It gives her the feeling of her surroundings and she feels secure with it,,,I don't make her stay in it all the time,,Only when we leave the house.

Answer 15

No they are not cruel ,they are neccesary at times

Answer 16

In my opinion, if the animal is able to move around easily, the cage is clean, the animal has access to food and water, and they're not left in there for a long period of time, then no. :)

Answer 17

They can be - it depends on the animal, the cage, and how it is used...

Cages in part-time use....

(eg dog crates)

These are great if properly introduced and used. Using a crate as a permanent home, or a punishment is cruel.  I think it is very cruel to expect a dog to spend more than a couple of hours (MAX!) in a crate - simply because he can not move around or play etc. But for short periods, to sleep in etc then they are fine.

Of course, for a crate not to be cruel - the dog needs to like going in there. Sadly, lots of people just shove the dog in and shut the door - then wonder why he gets upset! The dog neesd to learn that the crate is a fantastic pace to be, and view it as a safe haven.

Cages in full-time use:

By this I mean animals that are normally caged.

Most small pets NEED to be caged for their own safety. (One of the previous posts said this perfectly).

Animals outdoors need protection from predators (including nasty humans!).

They also need protection from the weather, ie. a well insulated, weatherproof shelter, with plenty of bedding etc. Exposure to extreme heat or cold, damp etc can kill an animal quickly.

Indoors - most small rodents would disappear if allowed to roam. They could escape and die of starvation, be eaten, run over etc. In the house they would probably starve, if they didn't electrocute themselves first.

However, whilst cages may be necessary - it is very cruel to keep an animal in a cage that is too small, or unsuitable.

Small pets spend almost their entire lives confined to their cage - so it is VITAL that this cage is large and interesting enough for them to get adequate exercise and mental stimulation, and to allow them to express their natural behaviours.

Many cages are barely big enough for an animal to turn around in - let alone run about and actually play.

A cage must be large enough to contain suitable enrichment (eg hidey houses, running wheels for rodents, tunnels, toys etc) and still have enough space left over for the animal to run around.

They also need to be suitable for the species you put inside it. For example, guinea pigs are ground dwelling animals and not very agile - so they need their space on one level. Other levels can be nice (if the piggie uses them) but do not count towards minimim requirements. Mice and rats on the other hand love climbing - so can cope with less floor space if the cage has lots of levels. Rabbits and guinea pigs should never be housed in enclosed cages (eg tanks) because of poor ventilation. Grid floors are bad for most species - causing problems like serious leg injuries, pododermatitis etc.

Of course, even the best cage will be cruel if it is not kept clean!

But how do we know they are cruel?

Evidence! It is well established scientific fact that keeping animals in inappropriate environments (too small, barren etc) causes a whole host of health and welfare problems, including:

Increased cortisol (stress hormone) levels

Increased heart rate and blood pressure

Reduced immune response and nicreased healing time

Abnormal behaviour (eg stereotypies or depression)

Poor fitness

Obesity

Muscular-skeletal disorders

Reduced learning ability and memory

Reduced lifespan

The RSPCA gives some excellent minimum cage sizes for most pets. But generally speaking the bigger the better!

Most pet store cages for larger animals are cruel - simply because they don't make them big enough! Cages for small rodents vary from the abusive to the enormous.

I think that's enough detail for now.... (lol)

Answer 18

If they are inward electricity projecting ones

Answer 19

Let's look at it this way:

Some people decide that cages are cruel, so instead of putting their pet rabbit in a hutch, they let him roam the backyard free. Within weeks, the rabbit is attacked and killed by a predator.

What if you gave your hamster free range of the house and he got himself stuck in a wall and couldn't get out?

You leave your dog at home alone without a crate. The dogs eats a whole pack of chocolate, which is highly toxic to dogs and you return home to find your dog fatally ill.

Cages are not cruel. Cages are used to contain our animals and keep them safe. Of course, there are ways to inhumaely keep caged animals. But if you provide a cage large enough for your animal to move around, stretch out, and live comfortably, you are doing better for your animal than you would be by giving it free roam.

On the same token, crate training dogs can be an invaluable tool. It helps with housebreaking, it helps with the safety of the animal, etc. If for any reason there was an emergency where you had to run out of the house quickly, a crate trained dog would run right in, no problems. Which could potentially save the animals life.

Cages have to be used correctly and responsibly, and if they are, they are not cruel at all. We put our animals in even more danger by being too lax on their restraints.