Companion animal rights
My girlfriend and I, after weeks of preparation, got three mice this morning from a small-animal rescue. We've read about what to feed and provide them to keep them healthy and happy while we look after them, but I've also read a lot about mouse 'training' and I'm not sure how I feel about it, exactly. I thought I'd just see how other people here feel about the issue.
On one hand, I don't like the idea of keeping an animal in a master/pet type of relationship where the non-human animal is made to do whatever the human asks of it. I see this happening sometimes with dog 'owners', and it doesn't strike me as being fair, or at all understanding of a dog's needs, to say "do this or you won't eat," or worse, "do this or I will hurt you."
However, taking on the responsibility of looking after an animal which has become domesticated, we should be doing what we can to help them feel more comfortable in the environment that we provide for them. It's all very well and good to leave them in their own territory to do what mice do best, but if they are trained to come when called, for example, we would be able to let them out into certain areas of the house without fear of them running away to somewhere unsafe. Additionally, learning 'tricks' - a term I use reluctantly because, to me, it suggests a one-sided relationship - can be a form of mental stimulation which makes up for the fact that they don't have to live by their wits any more.
It's a problem because I don't know where exactly I would draw the line. I don't want to treat them as objects, but I also want to do whatever I can for them to be happiest. Still, it will probably just come down to whether making more elaborate mouse houses for them with intricate tunnelling systems is enough, or whether I feel having a lot of 'handling time' to make them more comfortable around people is equally important.
How does everyone else feel about this issue?
The question of what to name them is currently on our minds, too. The way I see it, companion animal names are primarily a means for humans to differentiate between them or to humanify them. (I'd say 'personify', but I already consider them 'people'!) They may recognise their name being called as a sort of 'command word', as meaning they are being referred to, but not necessarily that it is 'their name' - similar to how banks and large companies refer to specific people by numbers (something which is equally meaningless to us).
We will name them, even if it takes us a few days (or more) to think of something suitable, something which matches their personalities, because it makes it easier for us. Still, I'd be interested to hear if anyone here intentionally doesn't name their companion animals for any reason.
On one hand, I don't like the idea of keeping an animal in a master/pet type of relationship where the non-human animal is made to do whatever the human asks of it. I see this happening sometimes with dog 'owners', and it doesn't strike me as being fair, or at all understanding of a dog's needs, to say "do this or you won't eat," or worse, "do this or I will hurt you."
However, taking on the responsibility of looking after an animal which has become domesticated, we should be doing what we can to help them feel more comfortable in the environment that we provide for them. It's all very well and good to leave them in their own territory to do what mice do best, but if they are trained to come when called, for example, we would be able to let them out into certain areas of the house without fear of them running away to somewhere unsafe. Additionally, learning 'tricks' - a term I use reluctantly because, to me, it suggests a one-sided relationship - can be a form of mental stimulation which makes up for the fact that they don't have to live by their wits any more.
It's a problem because I don't know where exactly I would draw the line. I don't want to treat them as objects, but I also want to do whatever I can for them to be happiest. Still, it will probably just come down to whether making more elaborate mouse houses for them with intricate tunnelling systems is enough, or whether I feel having a lot of 'handling time' to make them more comfortable around people is equally important.
How does everyone else feel about this issue?
The question of what to name them is currently on our minds, too. The way I see it, companion animal names are primarily a means for humans to differentiate between them or to humanify them. (I'd say 'personify', but I already consider them 'people'!) They may recognise their name being called as a sort of 'command word', as meaning they are being referred to, but not necessarily that it is 'their name' - similar to how banks and large companies refer to specific people by numbers (something which is equally meaningless to us).
We will name them, even if it takes us a few days (or more) to think of something suitable, something which matches their personalities, because it makes it easier for us. Still, I'd be interested to hear if anyone here intentionally doesn't name their companion animals for any reason.