The Mongoose - Snake Killers as Pets

Rudyard Kipling’s Rikki Tikki Tavi tells the story of a smart and loyal mongoose, whose love for a family brings it to save them from two vicious cobras. The story is an old one, but in its telling and retelling, it has sparked a lot of interest in mongooses, particularly in keeping them as pets.

Are mongooses great to have as pets? Are you planning on getting one?

Here are some mongoose-y facts you should know about, first.

Who is the Mongoose and What does it Eat?

A part of the Herpestidae family, mongooses can be found in different parts of Eurasia and Africa. They generally grow up to 1-4 feet in length, weighing somewhere around 300 grams to 4 kilos. They’re typically covered with a thick coat of fur, typically grey or brown in color.

They are carnivores and are known to prey on earthworms, insects, lizards, crabs, rodents and small or medium-sized foul, like chicken. Mongooses are also known to have a penchant for eggs, occasionally. Ironically, mongooses don’t always eat snake meat. The Indian mongoose is famed all over the world for its ability to successfully fight against venomous snakes (Cobras in particular), but not for eating snake meat after a successful kill.

As carnivores, they are predatory by nature, intelligent and quick in hunting down and capturing their prey.

Mongoose as Pets

Most mongoose species are quite compatible with humans, contrary to their reputation as expert hunters and skillful predators.

Fully domesticated mongoose pets are very loyal, and as smart as mongooses are, they also are highly trainable, even trainable to do tricks with balls and/or hoops. But since not all mongoose species are easy to domesticate, it’s highly advised to pick a species that is.

Most mongoose pet owners have a tough time with their pets when veterinarians are being talked about, particularly with annual rabies shots. Not all vets are qualified to treat mongooses after all, and given that the mongoose is still considered as a wild animal, not all territories even consider it legal to keep them as pets.

But should you be in a place where having a mongoose as a pet is legit, and if you find a vet who knows a lot about mongooses, having them around as pets makes for lovable companions, though a bit fickle to keep around compared to cats or dogs.

Mongooses just have to be well taken care of, regularly interacted with and properly trained and taken care of for them to be lovable, loyal pets.

So? Think you’ll still be getting that mongoose?

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Why It Pays to Have Your Cat Spayed

Having your cat spayed is not a bad thing. In fact, it’s even something which defines responsible pet owners from negligent ones.


Directly affecting the aspect of pet overpopulation, spaying your cat thins down the number of homeless cats and/or cats which end up in animal shelters, with statistics rated at 6 to 8 million homeless animals brought to US-based animal shelters on a yearly basis. An estimated half of that number manage to be adopted, with the other half left to be euthanized as an only course of action.


Apart from thinning down the overpopulation of pets, having your cats spayed also lessens the cost of maintaining multiple cats in one household, as well as helps in dealing with a cat’s instinctive persona during in heat seasons.


Tomcats, during in heat seasons, tend to be loud, announcing their presence to females near and far. By having your male cat spayed, instances of late sleepless nights because of a Tom’s yowling will be easily dealt with, along with mornings when Tomcats come home after last night’s brawl with other neighborhood Toms.


A Tomcat announcing his presence doesn’t just draw in female cats, but also males, which would lead to back alley or rooftop brawls. At times, even uninterested females pick brawl with persistent Toms who just can't get a clue, and this isn't only noisy but can lead to serious cat injuries as well.


Female cats in heat tend to be really loud, yowling for days or weeks at a time. Though a female cat's in-heat season happens over sparse intervals, some female cats get in heat on a monthly basis, with some even yowling and marking the house a couple of days each week.


Having your cat spayed won't affect his/her demeanor as a cat, but will greatly reduce the inconveniences during a cat's in heat season and will also maintain the number of felines running around the house.


By spaying your cat, you're doing your part in helping do away with the needless deaths of abandoned or unwanted felines.

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Why Do Kids Need Animals?

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Ferrets as Pets

As with all other pets and pet types, there are pros and cons in keeping a Ferret as a pet.

If you’re deep in thought, mulling over getting one, read on! Weigh the pros and cons known about keeping ferrets as pets before going out of your way in getting one.

Pet Ferrets – The Pros and Cons

Known in taxonomy as Mustela putorius furo, ferrets were historically kept as “hunter’s aids”, often trained to seek out rabbits or deal with vermin like rats.

Today, they’re kept as pets, and are often dubbed as the “domesticated version of the European polecat”, in as much as dogs are viewed as domesticated versions of wolves.

Highly intelligent and affectionate, ferrets are great as pets, provided that they are given a lot of attention, and paired with a lot of active human socialization. Kits, or baby ferrets, are great with kids, and extended interaction between ferrets and human owners are known to lead to promising pet-master relationships.

However, certain considerations have to be said about keeping ferrets as pets.

For one, they are known to get into anything and everything, which means that a potential ferret owner must think about securing home items and possessions. Also, though kids are drawn to the natural cuteness of ferrets, getting one for a child isn’t really smart, given the degree of commitment that must come with owning a pet ferret.

Generally, ferrets require more attention compared to cats and/or dogs, given their generally incessant personalities. Though they do tend to create emotional bonds with their primary caretakers, ferrets tend to be fickle to take care of as they grow older.

Their lifespans are also shorter compared to cats and dogs, with most ferrets living up to 5 or 7 years old. Also, they’re considered as illegal pets to keep in certain states (like in Hawaii and in California).

Bottom line, if you’re thinking of getting a ferret because they’re easier to maintain than cats or dogs, reconsider getting one.

If you can totally commit to have a furry incessant pet that gets into everything and requires regular interaction and monitoring, then you’re on a good start towards becoming a pet ferret owner.

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Old Dogs and New Tricks

If there is such a thing as a metaphor counter, the “can’t teach an old dog new tricks” would be one that prevails in the gapping black hole of too-infinite-to-count metaphors and sayings.

From TV sitcoms to dramas, fantasy paperbacks to bio-epic best sellers, the assertion that old dogs can’t learn new tricks is one of the oldest in record, often metaphorically positioned with senior citizen husbands incapable of catching up with the signs of the times, as old matrons can’t fathom the concept behind a working woman of today.

But, contrary to the number of times the metaphor has been used, reused and overused, you CAN teach old dogs new tricks – they are just more challenging to teach.

Given that dogs develop their unique personalities as they’re growing, whatever trends and practices they get when they’re still puppies stays until they grow older. Take for example a particular pup’s liability to be fearful or afraid, an attribute which tends to stick as pup grows older.

By implementing conditioned stimulus-training strategies AND a lot of patience, cowardly pups can learn to deal with situations with more grace and decorum expected from braver, tougher dogs.

Understanding the reward and punishment system that is unique for older dogs also helps them learn new tricks, doing away with calling them over just to be punished, and enforcing stricter acumens for rewards if ever a dog stops barking or making a mess in the living room.

Dogs are always eager to learn, given the proper understanding and care put into teaching them.

Consistent teachers have to understand one of the teaching profession’s most basic rule – start where your students are – and should be very patient with their wards.

Don’t just give up on teaching your dog just because he/she is old.

You CAN still teach old dogs new tricks.

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