Beaver As Pet | How Ideal Are These Rodents As Pets?
Beavers are cute and adorable animals. But these rodents are indeed not easy to handle.
Besides being illegal in many states of the US, beavers wouldn’t be turning up on the list of good potential pets. They can harm other pet animals, and handling them is also not easy!
Regardless of the countless adverse facts, some people find them too adorable not to have a beaver as pet! So how are beavers as pets? How to take care of these animals at home?
There are many things that should be considered before having a beaver as a pet. Let’s find out some important facts about beavers.
Beaver As Pet
Beavers are wild and social animals. They usually enjoy staying together with other beavers and protecting the younger ones. There’s obvious monogamy seen among them.
Since beavers have been living in the wilderness without human contact for such a long time, it’s kinda impossible to tame them. Even with baby beavers, training them is not a child’s play at all.
Besides, no matter how well you train them, their teeth will always tingle to bite at every wood they find in the house. So, you either have to have zero wooden furniture and utensils or have gnawed holes everywhere!
Biting is quite common among rodents. You might be interested in finding out Why Do Pet Mice Bite? Reasons and 4 Effective Solutions to It.
So, I think this is no good news for people who keep asking are beavers good pets.
Beaver Issues As Pets
Food
Beavers are herbivore mammals. What they eat depends on the season. Usually, they like to eat the soft wood right beneath the tree bark. In winter, they typically go for different woods and underwater plants. They also store some food in the frozen water.
Usually, a mixture of grasses, woods, black cherries, maples, etc. is seen in their yearlong diet. They also eat water plants like lilies, etc.
So it’s quite a given that cutting grasses and collecting twigs for these animals at home is no joke.
Water
Beavers spend most of their time in the water. They won’t survive long without access to it. So if you don’t have an enormous pool or something similar to it, taking in a beaver won’t be a good option.
Also, they poop in the water and clean their nostrils there. So a pool will get dirty quite easily.
Territorial
Beavers are very protective of their territory. They can get very aggressive if someone tries to get in. they can seriously injure other pets like dogs and cats. There has also been a case of serious injury of a man by a beaver bite.
Crazy For Woods
Beavers are crazy about chucking on wood. Because their ever-growing teeth need to be a good size.
Even if one provides enough woods for a beaver to chug on, they always look for more. So you won’t be able to leave a beaver unattended around wooden furniture!
You can see in this video how in love they are with woods. Beaver chews through tree limb: close-up footage: See how beavers do it! :
Is It Legal To Have A Pet Beaver?
Besides being a not-so-potential pet animal, beavers are essential for our ecosystem. These rodents are also marked as endangered species.
They are wild social animals and need a huge area to live a normal life. They are just not the kind of animals that should be brought into a house to live as a pet. It will never be good for their growth.
Also, they are not easy to tame. They can bite anyone anytime. They also cause water-borne diseases.
There has been a report of casualty as well. Talking about wild animal attacks, you may want to check out Wild Hamsters Attack | How Aggressive They can Be?
Due to these reasons, it’s illegal to have pet beavers in every state of the US.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What states can you own a beaver?
It is illegal in every state of the US to own a pet beaver. This is because beavers are endangered and also can be quite aggressive as pets. Although they are legal to be pets in Canada.
2. How long do beavers live?
Beavers usually live up to 7 years in the wild. But they have been known to live up to 25 years as pets.
3. Are beavers friendly with humans?
Beavers are not aggressive animals. If not disturbed, they will not hurt other animals and humans.
Conclusion
There’s no denying the fact that beavers are cute creatures. They are pretty interesting and there are just so many things to learn about them!
But having a beaver as a pet is something to consider, as they are not domestic animals. They are endangered, and it’s illegal in the US to have beaver pets.
But if someone still wants a beaver pet, for example in Canada, there’s a lot to know about them. Providing them with proper food and a place to live is very important, otherwise, they won’t live for long.