Keeping pets in cages - cruel?
Discussion
My next door neighbours kids used to have a rabbit in a hutch in their garden. On a nice day when they were in the garden they'd let it out, stroke it a bit and let it hop round the garden.
The rest (like 99%) of the time the poor wretched creature would just sit there, cold, alone, and imprisoned, staring out through the bars.
Same with people that keep parrots in cages and justify it by saying "I let it out to fly around the room sometimes". Big f
king deal!
Bloody cruel surely?
The rest (like 99%) of the time the poor wretched creature would just sit there, cold, alone, and imprisoned, staring out through the bars.
Same with people that keep parrots in cages and justify it by saying "I let it out to fly around the room sometimes". Big f
king deal!Bloody cruel surely?
Depends. I used to keep rats - for them the cage was security - a home. I'd let them out when I was at home and they would wander about but always returned to the cage to go to the loo even!
When they were adults (after about a year) I'd only close the door if the house front door was open, b cause the neighbours cat would visit occasionally.
But in some cases you're right. As always, it's not black nd white...
When they were adults (after about a year) I'd only close the door if the house front door was open, b cause the neighbours cat would visit occasionally.
But in some cases you're right. As always, it's not black nd white...
Same again with idiots that buy a dog and then barely walk it and never ever take it somewhere it can go off-lead safely. 
I don't get it!
There are some small critters that do OK in the enclosed space - most small rodents don't go further than they need to for food, water, shelter, companionship and exercise - but anything as big as a guinea-pig needs a proper run provided on grass, space to gallop about in.
I don't get it! There are some small critters that do OK in the enclosed space - most small rodents don't go further than they need to for food, water, shelter, companionship and exercise - but anything as big as a guinea-pig needs a proper run provided on grass, space to gallop about in.
Keeping an animal caged is like a human being locked in a room for the rest of their life. Yet still people keep animals caged for their own pleasure. Seeing a bird caged and depriving the bird from flight is both cruel and wrong. I doubt things will ever change in the way we treat animals which is sad.
I have two free range house rabbits which make a mess but at least they have some freedom.
I have two free range house rabbits which make a mess but at least they have some freedom.
shoebag said:
I have two free range house rabbits which make a mess but at least they have some freedom.
Surely some could argue that case as well - don't rabbits usually have a fair few fields to run around & burrow about in 'in the wild' - making your house little more than a glorified cage?I don't think this BTW.
I like pets to not know they are contained! Hence my marine tank was the size of the med! I have just built a gerbil tank for my kids 4 gerbils. Its a 2m long 1m wide aquarium with 9" off substrate for burrows and tunnels.....they have no wheel crap, they spend all day running around their home - the thing is like a zoo enclosure. I can sit and watch them for hours popping out of a burrow and looking around for eagles before running for food and nipping down another burrow! they think they are still in the Mongolian desert!
What really pisses me off is people who cage dogs. I don't get it. I've grown up with dogs all my life and have 2 now. Not once have I ever felt the need to cage them.
The neighbour recently got a puppy. God knows why... They really shouldnt have one...But that's another story...
The wife came to ask our advice on training and was gob smacked that we don't cage ours... Wtf would we? The only time they are "locked" anywhere is at night as they stay in the kitchen. Said neighbour has a cage which is often used in the garden in a sunny day so the dog can sit outside but not have free reign to spoil their garden. No doubt it spends the rest of its time inside in the cage too... What's the fking point if getting a pet like a dog if you can't enjoy them... Or don't want to...
Totally agree with birds too etc. what's the point?
The neighbour recently got a puppy. God knows why... They really shouldnt have one...But that's another story...
The wife came to ask our advice on training and was gob smacked that we don't cage ours... Wtf would we? The only time they are "locked" anywhere is at night as they stay in the kitchen. Said neighbour has a cage which is often used in the garden in a sunny day so the dog can sit outside but not have free reign to spoil their garden. No doubt it spends the rest of its time inside in the cage too... What's the f
king point if getting a pet like a dog if you can't enjoy them... Or don't want to...Totally agree with birds too etc. what's the point?
Edited by MysteryLemon on Tuesday 2nd October 08:34
Depends - its all down to knowing and understanding a pets needs.
We have rats, and they have a pretty big cage, but like the earlier poster they get plenty of time out to exercise - but more often than not they just want to chill out in a hammock.
Our puppy is crate trained, and it gives her security of knowing a safe place and means that we don't have to worry about her if we are out. That said, she gets plenty of exercise and I totally agree that there are people who misuse dog crates, or even who have dogs that don't exercise them enough - and that is unfair.
We also have spiders, some of which are kept in very small containers - but that is because they don't need or want a bigger space.
Good animal husbandry is knowing what your animal needs and giving it to them. I don't think it is as simple as just saying that cages are bad.
We have rats, and they have a pretty big cage, but like the earlier poster they get plenty of time out to exercise - but more often than not they just want to chill out in a hammock.
Our puppy is crate trained, and it gives her security of knowing a safe place and means that we don't have to worry about her if we are out. That said, she gets plenty of exercise and I totally agree that there are people who misuse dog crates, or even who have dogs that don't exercise them enough - and that is unfair.
We also have spiders, some of which are kept in very small containers - but that is because they don't need or want a bigger space.
Good animal husbandry is knowing what your animal needs and giving it to them. I don't think it is as simple as just saying that cages are bad.
MysteryLemon said:
What really pisses me off is people who cage dogs. I don't get it. I've grown up with dogs all my life and have 2 now. Not once have I ever felt the need to cage them.
I recently got a puppy (6mths ago) and wouldnt even dream of putting him in a cage (or crate as people seem to want to call it).Even the vet was shocked that we werent putting him in one,6 mths down the line,hes toilet trained etc-absolutely no need.As for birds in cages-I hate it.Was reading another thread on here where someone was going to make a rabbit run out of a upturned shopping trolley-far too small in my eyes,my guinea pigs when I was a kid had the run of the whole garden and even put themselves to bed at night. 
I agree with Tonker (nice spaniel BTW, excellent photos on the "all creatures" forum). We're now on our 5th dog and she's the 1st one that we've caged. She's a 5 month old springer spaniel that we've always caged at night and sometimes during the day if we are out for an hour or two. She regards the cage as "her place" and will always sleep in there unless I'm at my desk when she might sleep under my feet instead. She's a happy dog and the caging has, in our view, helped with the most trouble free house training we've had. Right now she's packled herself off to her cage to sleep off an hour's chasing sticks and searching for rabbits and squirrels etc.
It seems to be that caging is OK if used sensibly, but, like so many things, some idiots abuse it. I've never understood the point of caged rabbits etc, which does seem cruel.
It seems to be that caging is OK if used sensibly, but, like so many things, some idiots abuse it. I've never understood the point of caged rabbits etc, which does seem cruel.
OP, do you have the same opinion with regards to zoos? also are you against people having tropical pets? and farms, it must be bloody ppor conditions for those dairy cows.
What about horses being kept locked up in a stable every night and being ridden just for fun or money?
I have an african grey and keep it in a cage do you think i should set it free? hope my cat doesn't kill it or if it survives the cat i hope it is OK and not suffer from winter weather.
I also have a tortoise should i let that go also?
We keep our 2 dogs in the house and lock them in a room at night, you reckon i should give them the run of the house?
Sometimes cages, pens, vivariums, ponds etc... is a home to the animal and not a prison.
What about horses being kept locked up in a stable every night and being ridden just for fun or money?
I have an african grey and keep it in a cage do you think i should set it free? hope my cat doesn't kill it or if it survives the cat i hope it is OK and not suffer from winter weather.
I also have a tortoise should i let that go also?
We keep our 2 dogs in the house and lock them in a room at night, you reckon i should give them the run of the house?
Sometimes cages, pens, vivariums, ponds etc... is a home to the animal and not a prison.
PeanutHead said:
OP, do you have the same opinion with regards to zoos? also are you against people having tropical pets? and farms, it must be bloody poor conditions for those dairy cows.
What about horses being kept locked up in a stable every night and being ridden just for fun or money?
I have an african grey and keep it in a cage do you think i should set it free? hope my cat doesn't kill it or if it survives the cat i hope it is OK and not suffer from winter weather.
I also have a tortoise should i let that go also?
We keep our 2 dogs in the house and lock them in a room at night, you reckon i should give them the run of the house?
Sometimes cages, pens, vivariums, ponds etc... is a home to the animal and not a prison.
I think you are trying to justify your own position to yourself.What about horses being kept locked up in a stable every night and being ridden just for fun or money?
I have an african grey and keep it in a cage do you think i should set it free? hope my cat doesn't kill it or if it survives the cat i hope it is OK and not suffer from winter weather.
I also have a tortoise should i let that go also?
We keep our 2 dogs in the house and lock them in a room at night, you reckon i should give them the run of the house?
Sometimes cages, pens, vivariums, ponds etc... is a home to the animal and not a prison.
Your view on the African grey parrot just strikes me as twisted and wrong on so many levels. You're justifying keeping it in a cage because you've removed it from the climate conditions of its natural habitat and put it close to a predator it wouldn't encounter in that natural habitat, and you're trying to justify that as a good thing???
If you'd got the bird's best interests at heart, then you'd travel to Africa to see African greys. You wouldn't put one in a cage and try to tell people (and yourself) you were doing it for the bird's own good!
When the mad mutt was a puppy, he jumped up and fell awkwardly, resulting in rushing to the vets carrying a crying pup, he had a small fracture in his leg, I was told to get a cage for him and try to get him to stay in it most of the time for the next few days.
I got a cage on the way back from the vets and he loved it, it gave him somewhere safe to go away from the kids when he wanted some time out, we only used it for a short time, and now he has one of those big dog cushion things, everyone knows that when he goes on there to lie down, he doesn't want to play/be pestered. (wish he would learn about us having time out and not being hassled all the time)
While we were using the cage, we also used to put him in there if something was going on, like cleaning up, as he was one of those pups that was always under foot and was in danger of being stood on most of the time, even now 8 years on, he likes to be right under foot (or right behind the back of my computer chair), how this dog isn't a rug spread out on the floor I have no idea!
I got a cage on the way back from the vets and he loved it, it gave him somewhere safe to go away from the kids when he wanted some time out, we only used it for a short time, and now he has one of those big dog cushion things, everyone knows that when he goes on there to lie down, he doesn't want to play/be pestered. (wish he would learn about us having time out and not being hassled all the time)
While we were using the cage, we also used to put him in there if something was going on, like cleaning up, as he was one of those pups that was always under foot and was in danger of being stood on most of the time, even now 8 years on, he likes to be right under foot (or right behind the back of my computer chair), how this dog isn't a rug spread out on the floor I have no idea!
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