Wild Caught Animals

[MileyMorkie]

This kind of needs to go in depth of phrases such as "don't support wild caught" or "cannot be bred in captivity" and of course we'll be picking apart exceptions and unexceptional animals.

Otocinclus, Velvet ants, Hermit crabs, and certain other animals are not usually bred in captivity, sure *some* of these animals can have a slightly successful chance of breeding but it is hard to get them to that sweet spot in their environment.

Some things that are 90% captive bred like bettas are known for their aggression. Turns out wild caught bettas are more docile to the point 2 males and 1 female can be kept together in a 5g or 10g tank. Sometimes wild caught in this case can be for the best in terms of traits I guess.

Wild caught reptiles, birds, etc are not ok to me.

One thing that can really push to encourage or discourage wild caught specimens are available breeders and sellers for the supply and demand. For me if I want isopods I'm better off catching ones from the wild than paying over $250 USD just to ship them to Canada. Another good example as far as I know is if I wanted to get Rio Grande Silvery minnows which are found all over North America, I'd have to catch them from the wild.

Semi domestic animals like the New Guinea Singing dog are a weird thing, I don't know how to say it. They were kept from going completely wild and domestic. Plus this also goes for wolf/coyote hybrids.

There are people that have a pet bear, bison, lion, tiger, etc which require a license to even own.

What are your full opinions about wild caught animals?

 

[Crispii]

Wild caught animals should not be practiced by novice as they may prove to be problematic for most pet owners. The same should be applied to WC fish. Don't start off with WC animals as they will be harder to keep than their domestic counterparts. However, I'm not saying that we the consumer should not keep wild caught animals. I, too, have kept wild caught fish. So if anyone decides to be wild caught fish or any animal, just remember that you will need the time and dedication to care for WC animals.

 

[Marinus]

I think that it's hard to make sweeping statements for wild-caught animals, especially when it concerns fish because some, like the cardinal tetra, I actually support wild-caught. Especially when it is done in an appropriate way and allows the local people to be able to make a living and keep a sustainable population of those fish. It allows them to not have to turn to other jobs that would lead to deforestation and other negative impacts on the environment.

 

[MileyMorkie]

I think that it's hard to make sweeping statements for wild-caught animals, especially when it concerns fish because some, like the cardinal tetra, I actually support wild-caught. Especially when it is done in an appropriate way and allows the local people to be able to make a living and keep a sustainable population of those fish. It allows them to not have to turn to other jobs that would lead to deforestation and other negative impacts on the environment.

Yeah there is times when if it is done right it is ok. My uncle didn't like Big Al's methods of getting/catching the saltwater fish. Though if you know GoHerping and watch his video on Betty the toad he does say something about if he told his viewer that it's ok to catch toads from the wild the world would be devoid of I think 200k toads. Though you do make a good point, sometimes wild caught is good for the markets.

Wild caught animals should not be practiced by novice as they may prove to be problematic for most pet owners. The same should be applied to WC fish. Don't start off with WC animals as they will be harder to keep than their domestic counterparts. However, I'm not saying that we the consumer should not keep wild caught animals. I, too, have kept wild caught fish. So if anyone decides to be wild caught fish or any animal, just remember that you will need the time and dedication to care for WC animals.

I've kept hermit crabs, and have ottos and wild caught isopods. Yeah with wild caught animals it is a gamble on what they'll be ok around.

In Alberta there was a 201 dog hoarding rescue and of those dogs about 3 or 4 were wolfdogs/wolf hybrids. People think semi wild or full on wild animals are easy or better when it's like asking for a pincushion and getting an urchin. I do agree though with your statement.

 

[Sheldon13]

What about wild caught invasive species? For instance, I have 2 Mediterranean geckos in a terrarium that I caught in my backyard. I didn’t feel guilty about it because they aren’t native and are in fact basically taking over some delicate niches here.

 

[MileyMorkie]

What about wild caught invasive species? For instance, I have 2 Mediterranean geckos in a terrarium that I caught in my backyard. I didn’t feel guilty about it because they aren’t native and are in fact basically taking over some delicate niches here.

Wild caught (non-native or native) invasive species I'm all for as long as their time in captivity is pleasant or ok. Laws for invasive species (especially aquatic animals) is if you catch 'em you can't release 'em. I much rather have people neglecting lion fish than plecos, bettas, and goldfish. I know that sounds weird but since they are a noxious not native invasive species it wouldn't be bad to give the goldfish a break. I do agree with you with your opinions.

 

[Fishcat]

I believe there’s a fellow who catches feral tegus and sells them as pets, which is an admirable idea - tegus are very hard on the native wildlife and also tame very well. And there is an initiative to encourage people to eat invasive lionfish. As long as cruelty isn’t involved, I’m all for taking invasives from the wild, as long as one isn’t breeding them and potentially making the problem worse.
There are animals that I feel very strongly should not be kept as pets, even if they were bred in captivity - monkeys being the prime example here. The entire pet-monkey industry seems dangerously misguided to me.