'Pets' in zoos

According to Jared Diamond there are only a handful species of animals that are truly domesticated. Cows, sheep, goats, dogs, cats, pigs, and chickens are the universal domestics. Bactrian and Dromedary camels, llamas, alpacas, banteng, water buffalo, and gaur are locally domesticated. Or something to the effect.
 
According to Wikipedia, there are 4 levels of domestication
  • Wild: These populations experience their full life cycles without deliberate human intervention.
  • Raised in Captivity/Captured from Wild (in zoos, botanical gardens, or for human gain): These populations are nurtured by humans but (except in zoos) not normally bred under human control. They remain as a group essentially indistinguishable in appearance or behaviour from their wild counterparts. Examples include Asian elephants, animals such as sloth bears and cobras used by showmen in India, and animals such as Asian black bears (farmed for their bile), and zoo animals, kept in captivity as examples of their species. (It should be noted that zoos and botanical gardens sometimes exhibit domesticated or feral animals and plants such as camels, mustangs, and some orchids.)
  • Raised commercially (captive or semidomesticated): These populations are ranched or farmed in large numbers for food, commodities, or the pet trade, commonly breed in captivity, but as a group are not substantially altered in appearance or behavior from their wild cousins. Examples include the ostrich, various deer, alligator, cricket, pearl oyster, and ball python. (These species are sometimes referred to as partially domesticated.)
  • Domesticated: These populations are bred and raised under human control for many generations and are substantially altered as a group in appearance or behaviour. Examples include pigs, ferrets, turkeys, canaries, domestic pigeons, budgerigars, goldfish, silkworms, dogs, cats, sheep, cattle, chickens, llamas, guinea pigs, laboratory mice, goats and (silver) foxes[
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Yes, I know Wikipedia isn't the most reliable source, but this seems to be a decent definition.
 
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@KCZooFan - you've only listed four levels.

:p

Hix
 
I have a degu, ive seen them at brookfield zoo
I have an african pygmy hedgehog, ive seen them at los angeles zoo
I have a short tailed opossum, brandywine zoo has those
I have domestic ferrets, fresno zoo had those
I have seen a reeves muntjac at oakland zoo and los angeles zoo, my dad and i were talking about getting one
domestic mice, my mom has those, i see them crawl through bread at san diego zoo
pot bellied pigs and pygmy goats which are two pets that my mom and i were talking about getting, i quite frequently see those in zoos
i have a domestic dog, i saw one at san diego zoo and at brookfield zoo
the list goes on

and btw way, tell me if you guys have seen your own pets, not meaning specimens of course, but species
and how does it feel to see your own pets in zoos ?
 
ungulate nerd said:
and btw way, tell me if you guys have seen your own pets, not meaning specimens of course, but species
and how does it feel to see your own pets in zoos ?
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I always get excited over seeing my species at zoos, I got an absolute treat at Artis when I saw a hundred or so newborn mantids because I was trying to breed my mantids at the time (they didn't fancy each other :rolleyes: ).
 
I honestly don't mind. I do remember seeing my first Degus at the Buffalo Zoo, before I started seeing them in pet shops and the animal shelter.
 
Just have to mention.

Goats are a typical domesticated species but if they do not recieve regular attention they go feral within months. On the other hand I have had a pet snake disappear for two months and come back just as tame as the day she went missing. And people say there is no selection within these reptiles but there is selection on some level for less agressive induviduals which is more than enough motivation to call them pets in my mind. I do not believe a "pet" can truely be defined. If I were to try I would say a species commonly kept by humans for companionship. This also makes them no less interesting to see in zoo's.
 
ungulate nerd said:
and btw way, tell me if you guys have seen your own pets, not meaning specimens of course, but species
and how does it feel to see your own pets in zoos ?
Click to expand...

I (Bonnie) have 2 Uromastyx (I used to work @ Petsmart) and I get so excited seeing the different types of Uromastyx out there and how they compare to my Miro and Mouge. If a reptile house doesn't have any type of Uromastyx, I don't think very highly of it, personally speaking. They are so amazing and interesting reptiles with such different personalities. Miro is very hyper and intrigued by everything, Mouge is very laid back and just puts up with Miro.

Personality is a huge factor in domestication. I also have a cat, Kasey, and look at how many years of "domestication" that has gone between the feline species. Kasey does the same things that the tiger cubs at Toledo does, i.e. climbing on walls, pouncing on mom, sleeping upside down. It's really interesting to see the similarities between our own loved ones and the ones you meet in a zoo. You feel like you have a "special" connection to that particular animal.
 
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