Why do humans feel they have a right to own a caged animal?

Question

I mean domesticating cats and dogs gave a reason for their species to stick around and not become extinct because there would be no room in the wild for them and us unless we domesticated and took care of them. But what about people that sick birds, rodents and reptiles in cages? Living their life in such a small confinement and labeled as a "pet".It's sadistic to think that any creature would want to live a life in a cage. What in your opinion makes that okay?

Answer 1

its all ok if ya eat em when your done

Answer 2

I know what you mean. You know they found out about goldfish acctually having a 6 month long memory? Must be a boring life living in a bowl.

Answer 3

you dont go to the zoo much do you? lions and tigers and bears, OH MY!! whats the difference between a cage and a house, in that statement, why should they have to live in a house, or even in your large backyard? sure its probably not a good life, but its for their safety

Answer 4

Let them all go, especially all the reptiles.  The neighbors will thank you when their kids gets eaten by one of them.  They are animals, don't worry about it.

Answer 5

actually if i were a rat, bird or rodent, i'd much rather prefer a guaranteed meal and some lovin' to being out free and scrounging for scraps

Answer 6

Why do bears feel the right to maul people? No one knows this nature stuff

Answer 7

Do you eat meat? If so then shut yer yap....

Human beings are superior to animals...it's the natural order of things. Do you think a cat would eat you if it had the chance???Yes...yes it would.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

Answer 8

they need somebody to take care of them and if they aren't in "cages" they would be running around the house pooping everywhere. as long as they are well taken care of and they have plenty of room i don't think it's wrong. it's just like a fish in a bowl.. ps: most goldfish don't even live for 6 months

Answer 9

Better than stuck in a cage in a pet store.

Answer 10

sometimes i wonder the same thing, it is sad to see those poor little animals caged up, but unfortunately not everyone thinks the same way and they will continue to cage animals.  remember that you can't change the world over night, you can save it by doing something right one at a time.  good luck

Answer 11

Because it is illegal to have caged humans in your house.

Answer 12

Ha!  Come to my house and meet my poor tortured starving lonely unhappy parrots that have been suffering with me for 15 years!

NOT!!!

Most spoiled rotten life-loving screaming gleeful well-fed happy little buggers you'll ever meet in your life!

Cages are for the animal's protection and my birds are caged ONLY when I am not home or when I am asleep!

EDIT:  Did I forget to mention that my birds haven't had their wings clipped in over 13 years and both can fly quite well-  well, Elvis needs to work on his landings, but that's a different story-  and that they live in a sun room with 3 windows, lots of light, and the ability to FLY back and forth between their cages and the canaries' cage and the playpen?  Approx 10 feet long, 5 wide.  Oh, and the canaries live in a 4 FOOT by 4 FOOT by 21/2 FOOT aviary.  Pretty large digs for 2 itty birds, dontcha think?  And they FLY inside it!  

Imagine!  A pet owner who thinks birds should FLY to be happy and has PROVIDED the means to do so!  Still think I shouldn't have my birds, dude?

Answer 13

I get where your coming from and I understand your opinion but thats just the way things are, there's a reason for everything, And I'm sure they have a reason as to why they cage animals

Answer 14

As long as they are kept correctly, and given the attention they deserve, than I think it's alright. Zoo's today have made great efforts on behave of their animals, trying to replicate their natural habitat as best as possible and to give them toys that act as behavioral enrichment.

As for the pets kept in people's homes- I think that as long as people have done the necesssary research and understand the needs of their pets, and meet those needs, that it is acceptable to have them. So much progress has been made since the days when it was thought to be acceptable to put a goldfish in a bowl. Today we have books, the internet, and websites like these, that can teach people how to properly look after their pets. Every animal that is caged has a space requirement that needs to be met. Animals kept by people live longer than they are known to in the wild.

If it wasn't natural to keep animals, than it never would have happened.

Answer 15

"I mean domesticating cats and dogs gave a reason for their species to stick around and not become extinct because there would be no room in the wild for them and us unless we domesticated and took care of them."  

Where do you get this stuff from??? It doesn't make much sense.

Other animals are not domesticated and there is plenty of room for them and us.

Domestication began as a means to use animals. Use them for our protection, a source of clothing and food, to study them and finally to use them for our entertainment. All that started a long, long time ago, you know back when certain animals were revered as "gods" even.

Anyhow, stop being so d**n rude. Just because some people don't happen to agree with you 100% doesn't make them retarded.

Nobody says YOU have to keep anything in a cage, please don't if you don't agree with the whole idea. Just make sure you do not use anything that's even remotely animal related as it took a level of domestication to get the animal to give up whatever part of itself you're using.

Answer 16

I understand, what your saying and you point of view. If animals are wild animals, such as rabbits for example, they shouldn't be kept in cages. However, i do own three rabbits myself, but they were bred domestic rabbits, they would not survive in the wild, they were brought up to live with humans. I believe you shouldn't stick a wild rabbit, you found on say a golf course in a cage as that is cruel .That's home is in the wild, a domestic rabbits home is in someones back garden.

Answer 17

It actually makes me sad, especially for birds (who were meant to FLY).

However, I also don't want to eat animals, their products, or wear their skins and fur - so I'm kinda far out there compared to the average person.

It all happened when a calf I raised was slaughtered for the family freezer once it got grown.  That event turned my heart forever...

Answer 18

Well yeah I agree with you to a point, but some animal owners are really good to their animals. I have 2 baby bunnies at the moment and I let them out twice a day outside, and they are very happy little bunnies, and they love each other. I take very good care of them, so I think its OKAY to have a caged animal as long as you TAKE GOOD CARE OF THEM... and you know they don't have feelings; they aren't conscious to think "Gosh, humans. They put me in a cage when I'm meant to be outside." pretty much any thought they have has to do with surviving. They don't have a very complex brain [like humans] so they aren't conscious enough to be "sad"

Answer 19

Because we, as humans think we have the right to do what we want and keep what we want as pets. There's even people who think it's Okay to have a pet tiger or a monkey.

Pet rats, rabbits, hamsters & ferrets have been domesticated [somewhat] for years, it's sort of late to start complaining about it now.

And I believe as long as the animal's well taken care of, legal to have where you're at and you can love it unconditionally no matter what for the rest of it's life.. it should be fine to have. Unless it's a big cat or a bear or something. :]

Answer 20

I suppose humans feel it is okay to keep animals in this way because they are the "top of the food chain".  But I think, more than humans feeling they have the right to keep animals as pets this way, they have a need - a need for companionship and love.  And these are things that pets provide to humans even when other humans do not provide them.  Even when we keep them cooped up.

I would not say that it is okay to keep animals caged up, because they were not created to be kept in this way.  For example, birds were created to fly.  But need and desire will overrule common sense every time.  

Answer 21

I have Tarantulas well 10 to be exact and i keep them in terrariums or fish tanks (minus the water) to everybody else. At least they are guaranteed water, food and heat when they need it. In the wild they would have to hunt for food. Look out for other animals that are a danger to them and the endangered species that are kept domestically can be mated (Mexican Red knee is one) so the don't get extinct. Also in the wild when it rained their burrow would become flooded resulting in the death of the Tarantula. In Thailand they eat their native Tarantula (Thailand Black Tarantula) so by keeping these pets we are in some ways also saving them.

Answer 22

If an animal can adapt physically to a domesticated life (to lose their sense of survival in the wild) then they can also adapt emotionally to life inside of a cage.

Of course most Americans see that the real way to experience life is to live in a stimulating environment that produces wonderfully complex brain patterns  and euphoria, but that is not always possible due to the restrictions of a basic cage meant to keep an animal in a small area.

It is not sadistic to think a creature would want to live inside of a cage, although it is rather pitiful if the animal cannot exercise it's functions. A mouse living inside a cage can be rather happy. It has it's exercise wheel, food to chew, other mice too? Whereas a bird is deprived of flying (it's outstanding ability).

Until we can communicate verbally (I mean in understood sentences) with animals those caged animals will just have to not know that there is a wild life.

-I am by no means an animal cager, but an athlete of reason.

Answer 23

Cages are best for rodents, birds, and reptiles because that's the way they stay safe and other people stay safe. i wouldn't want a snake or a tarantula roaming around my house that would give me the creeps lol and you could accidentally step on your hamster or rat. IDK about birds but other than that they like being in their cages it's their home and that's where they like to be. :)

Answer 24

Zoo's are just as bad, however zoo's have a purpose of breeding animals who are on the endangered list. most of the time they breed them and let them go.

And to the silly girl who said that animals don't have a conscious....

is that proven? how do you know that?