Experts warn meerkats not suitable as pets

May 10 2009 by Robert Weatherall, Sunday Sun

“You also can’t keep them on their own. They are a pack animal and in the wild can live in groups up to 30. Keeping one by itself would be cruel.”

Gareth, who used to be an engineer before he established Butterfly World 17 years ago, says that recently a woman came in to ask for advice on meerkat care after purchasing a pair of the animals for £500 each.

Gareth, who lives in Newton Aycliffe, has built a special enclosure for the animals which allows them to burrow. He has also built a series of tunnels and areas underground to simulate their natural environment.

He said: “If you do keep meerkats you are going to have to build a secure pen. Fencing just isn’t enough as they can dig up to two metres deep. They could easily escape otherwise.”

Top meer-facts

:: Meerkats are a type of Mongoose.

:: They live up to 10 years in the wild and 15 in captivity.

:: Meerkats at adulthood will grow to a standing height of 12 inches (30 centimetres) and weigh around 2 lbs

:: They generally have excellent vision but bob their heads up and down to help with near sighted vision - they have poor depth perception.

:: A meerkat will lose five per cent of its body weight overnight.

:: The animals burrow their dens to eight feet deep in the wild to protect against heat in the summer and cold during the winter.

:: They are excellent hunters and can easily kill a snake.