Despite the cute and cuddly image presented in the media, meerkats are actually equipped with incredibly sharp nails so that they can climb trees with ease and quickly dig and burrow underground (as they like to do) in search of food.
Meerkats don't make good pets. It's difficult to meet their complex needs in a household environment and they're likely to develop behavioural problems. Despite this, we sadly get reports of meerkats being kept in small cages in people's homes or even in pet shops.
Here's more on meerkats and why they don't make suitable pets.
Diet
As natural omnivores, Meerkats mainly eat insects, but they'll also happily eat....scorpions! They'll also eat small rodents, fruit, birds, eggs, and lizards. Meerkats spend much of their time digging in the sand in pursuit of prey.
Meerkats kept as pets are often fed the wrong diet and so become overweight and suffer as a result.
Social animals
Meerkats are extremely social in the wild, living in tight-knit groups of up to 40 individuals. They need the company of other compatible meerkats to live a happy, healthy life. Sadly, we often see individual meerkats being kept or offered for sale apart from their gang.
Lone meerkats are very difficult to integrate back into social groups, so once separated, a meerkat may have to remain alone for its entire life. Meerkats get stressed in smaller enclosures and smaller group sizes, so it's really important that they're kept in large groups with plenty of space so that they can thrive.
Pet suitability
Meerkats aren't suitable pets due to their wild nature and demanding needs. These include:
- they need a unique environment – a UK household is not a suitable habitat for these explorative wild animals
- in fact, every day in the wild, meerkats roam territories that can extend for several kilometres and encompass dozens of overnight burrows and hundreds of emergency boltholes. They need they need big, enriched enclosures that are large enough for the whole group to behave naturally. This simply can't be achieved in enclosures such as rodent cages or in any kind of typical household
- if meerkats don't have the right environment, social group or care they're prone to aggression, destructive behaviour, escape attempts, self-harm and metabolic bone disease
- they can be aggressive – especially to people they don't know and when they reach sexual maturity – and can deliver a really nasty bite. Of course, these aren't ideal traits for a household pet
- they dig – meerkats naturally spend hours every day in the wild digging for food or making new burrows. As they're deprived of this opportunity in the home, it can often lead to carpets, other flooring and skirting boards being destroyed
they scent-mark – it's an important mode of communication for meerkats. In the home, this can mean brown smelly marks on your furniture!
Meerkats under the Animal Welfare Act
While it's currently legal to own a meerkat as a pet, it's also a legal requirement under the Animal Welfare Act to meet all their needs. This includes providing a suitable environment and diet, as well as making sure they can express normal behaviours. Owners also must provide them with the right social group, and protect them from pain, suffering injury and disease. We believe this would be impossible to do in a home environment.
It's worth knowing that Meerkats can live for up to 15 years so that is a long-term commitment.
Helping meerkats
We respond to calls we've received from members of the public concerned about meerkats being neglected or poorly treated. If you're concerned, please contact us.
Find a pet that's right for your family
We respond to calls we've received from members of the public concerned about meerkats being neglected or poorly treated. If you're concerned, please contact us.
