Mongoose As A Pet

[DavidOxon]

Has anyone kept a mongoose as a pet?

Are they easy to rear?

Are they legal?

David

[Daffy D]

Many years ago while I was in Africa a European family near us had a mongoose pet.

It was so long ago that I don’t remember very much about it except it was a cute little thing that the children loved.

Not much help I’m afraid but something positive untill someone with more information comes along.

D.D.

[raro]

A friend of mine had a mongoose for a pet.

Feeds on anything small and furry and also snakes. If you have cats, better don't have a mongoose...

[Erwin1011]

Mongoose are excellent pets, provided you get them very young off the nest. They are very territorial and protective. In Africa I had a pair on the grounds and I tell you no rats vermin, thieves or snakes. New visitors had to wait at the gate until I came and led them to the house. Regular guests had to go through a kind of ritual of recognition and acceptance. Brilliant !

[tuffy]

Did you ever hear of Ricky Ticky Tavey? It was a childrens story about a pet mongoose who killed a Cobra.

[DavidOxon]

Yes indeed, rather fond of a little Kipling now and then.

Mr whatsit:

Do you like Kipling?

Basil Brush:

I don't know, I've never Kippled!

[oldoldgit!!]

Now I have the answer on how to get rid of the neighbours five cats that are using my garden for a toilet, a Mongoose, thank you!!

[Crow Boy]

Has anyone kept a mongoose as a pet?

Are they easy to rear?

Are they legal?

David

The mongoose here in Thailand is a bit different to the South African and Indian variety - smaller for a start. They need to be taken as young kits and hand raised because they need to be socialised. They bite (hard) as a normal play mode so you will need to temper that behaviour or risk a significant injury. A behaviour of mongoose is that they cannot abide another predator near them and they do normally interpret a human as a parallel predator. This puts then into a flurry of activity. In a cage or enclosure they will run a circuit around and around until the threat (person) leaves.

A mongoose will take on a cat or even a dog and they are fearsome fighters. Cats are very good with teeth and claws for defence but they like to stand off and go through the moves by hissing and spitting at each other. A mongoose will just attack them and is very capable of doing serious damage.

They have a high metabolism so need a high fat balanced diet - quality kitten food is a good start but they like chicken necks to chew on and keep their teeth sharp and clean. I am not sure if there are any vets who would have any experience with them but like cats they need similar shots but at REDUCED amounts due to body size. Similarly to worming them - be careful about sticking a finger down their throat as you try to feed them a tablet. Better is to wrap it in a small piece of bacon.

Legal wise - not really, it is illegal to take them from the wild however if you find one at the weekend market (BKK) they will not exactly be legal but not really illegal either. Bit like everything else here - if everything goes ok there aren't any problems.

Be aware that mongoose like to wander and have absolutely no concept of return on call. If you want to let them run free outside make sure it is in your garden and that it is absolutely, positively impossible for them to excape.

Have fun and enjoy

CB

Edited June 12, 2007 by Crow Boy

[Pink Mist]

and a cousin of the ferret a truly adorable creature

[Nignoy]

AS previously mentioned the native thai mongoose is very territorial, as thai friends of ours in Bkk found out, when their pet mongoose got out and killed the neighbours 2 cats and toy poodle, they are a natural houdinis , and love to Bite,nothing cute and cuddly about a mongoose Nignoy

[RPCVguy]

Has anyone kept a mongoose as a pet?

Are they easy to rear?

Are they legal?

David

The mongoose here in Thailand is a bit different to the South African and Indian variety - smaller for a start. They need to be taken as young kits and hand raised because they need to be socialised. They bite (hard) as a normal play mode so you will need to temper that behaviour or risk a significant injury. A behaviour of mongoose is that they cannot abide another predator near them and they do normally interpret a human as a parallel predator. This puts then into a flurry of activity. In a cage or enclosure they will run a circuit around and around until the threat (person) leaves.

A mongoose will take on a cat or even a dog and they are fearsome fighters. Cats are very good with teeth and claws for defence but they like to stand off and go through the moves by hissing and spitting at each other. A mongoose will just attack them and is very capable of doing serious damage.

They have a high metabolism so need a high fat balanced diet - quality kitten food is a good start but they like chicken necks to chew on and keep their teeth sharp and clean. I am not sure if there are any vets who would have any experience with them but like cats they need similar shots but at REDUCED amounts due to body size. Similarly to worming them - be careful about sticking a finger down their throat as you try to feed them a tablet. Better is to wrap it in a small piece of bacon.

Legal wise - not really, it is illegal to take them from the wild however if you find one at the weekend market (BKK) they will not exactly be legal but not really illegal either. Bit like everything else here - if everything goes ok there aren't any problems.

Be aware that mongoose like to wander and have absolutely no concept of return on call. If you want to let them run free outside make sure it is in your garden and that it is absolutely, positively impossible for them to excape.

Have fun and enjoy

CB

Thank you Crow Boy for the excellent response!!

AS previously mentioned the native thai mongoose is very territorial, as thai friends of ours in Bkk found out, when their pet mongoose got out and killed the neighbours 2 cats and toy poodle, they are a natural houdinis , and love to Bite,nothing cute and cuddly about a mongoose Nignoy

... and if I had any doubts before, Nignoy succeeded in nixing my interests.

Here's some fun background:

I often bike in our rural area. Yesterday I was startled (and startled) a full grown cobra... though it took off across the road into a rice paddy.

I did think it was bigger than the maximum 1.5m, but that's because I saw its head leave the 2m wide lane as I'd just seen its tail cross the yellow lane markers... showing really that we were both afraid and both cruising fast! I've seen cobras this way half a dozen times here, nearly stepped on one with its mouth full once, but never before one so big!

An internet friend then suggested a mongoose (like in Kipling) and when I looked them up I recognized having seen one once not a mile from here out in the fields. There are though severe complications - not the least of which are the very free range chickens in the neighborhood. Any property that cats and snakes can enter are porous also to a mongoose getting out... and enjoying the chickens (inviting a weasel like critter into the hen-yard?)

This would not be appreciated by the many family and neighbors who keep said free range chickens!

and I like to avoid...

I kept thinking... dogs and cats here don't bother the chickens, so there might be a way to satiate and train a mongoose as well, but like I said earlier - it would be a tough introduction.

.. as I was thinking until reading these two posts.

Meanwhile some of the dogs here are renowned as snake fighters, including a big ole German Shepard AND locals are likely more aware of surroundings than those in the city - plus everyone keeps bamboo poles, hoes, and machetes scattered throughout a property so as to have one within easy reach at all times...and likely that's the best we'll ever do too.

Thanks again!