I always feel that it's a shame to only have domestic guinea pigs in the desert house. Surely they could fence off a small part of the building for a species like fennec fox, dwarf mongoose or sand cat? Hyrax could be a good fit and you could (possibly) have them free-roaming?
I always feel that it's a shame to only have domestic guinea pigs in the desert house. Surely they could fence off a small part of the building for a species like fennec fox, dwarf mongoose or sand cat? Hyrax could be a good fit and you could (possibly) have them free-roaming?
I agree with you, up to a point, but any of those three might take the odd bird (particularly fledglings which had just left the nest) and if they escaped they could attack the reptiles too - or even the public. Hyrax likewise. I suppose small wild rodents, like cuis or jirds, would disappear into the rocks and become impossible to manage. Small desert adapted wallabies or rat kangaroos might work. Guinea pigs are safe, if unimaginative.
DavidBrown said:
I love this picture. Your photos frequently brighten my day gentle lemur, and I really appreciate that.
I agree with you, up to a point, but any of those three might take the odd bird (particularly fledglings which had just left the nest) and if they escaped they could attack the reptiles too - or even the public. Hyrax likewise. I suppose small wild rodents, like cuis or jirds, would disappear into the rocks and become impossible to manage. Small desert adapted wallabies or rat kangaroos might work. Guinea pigs are safe, if unimaginative.
Alan
I agree with everything you say, hyrax were a damn stupid idea as I forgot that they're quite agile. I think the biggest problem would be disturbing nests rather than causing any damage to the eggs though.
The small carnivore idea might work if they were completely enclosed, but that would take away from the open feel of the house.
Basically, in hindsight I'm an idiot and now fully understand why they chose guinea pigs!
And I agree with David, it's a great photo of a common (yet unusual on ZooChat) species.
