A British veterinarian has revealed the five animals you would never keep as a pet – and explained why.
Content creator @ben.the.vet shared the list in a video on TikTok, where he has over 208,000 followers.
In the video, he said that listing these animals could make it sound like he hates them.
But being a veterinarian, he said, means you're “exposed to all the challenges, but also all the pitfalls of owning certain pets.”
The veterinarian listed the number one pet he didn't want to have and said, “Number one is a parrot.”
“First of all, having a parrot means never having a non-stick pan again. No joke, the coating releases gases when heated, which can be fatal to your parrot. .”
He said he had “no doubt” that birds could make “very rewarding pets”, adding: “It would be great to have an animal that could talk to you.”
But he continued: “But I think it's very difficult to provide enough space and stimulation for species that normally fly and explore freely in their rainforest habitat.”
“Bored parrots get stressed easily and exhibit loud, destructive or abnormal behavior… those are not for me.”
Continuing, he said: “Number two for me is mice. If they are well cared for and lucky they can live a long time, but the average mouse only lives one to two years.
“I've had a lot of guinea pigs over the years, and you get really attached to them.”
He added that it's hard enough to “say goodbye after four or five years,” but losing a pet after a year of developing a bond is too short for him.
The third pet Ben mentions may come as a surprise to some: a rabbit. But he explained why they often don't make suitable pets.
He said: “Contrary to what many people think, they [rabbits] They really don't make great pets for children. Since they are a prey species, they are naturally very timid.
“They don't necessarily enjoy being held and are very vulnerable. They kick and drop their arms to the floor from high places.
“It's not unheard of to break limb bones or even the spine.”
He added that they have strict needs in terms of food, cleaning schedules, socialization and more.
According to Ben, “T”They are also very susceptible to intestinal stasis and dental problems, which can lead to unexpected vet bills.
“They make great pets if you give them time, but too many people just put them in a shed and forget about them.”
The fourth animal that Ben mentions, which I've talked about before, is an animal that he's very passionate about in that it's not suitable as a pet, the monkey.
He said, “Number 4 can be any monkey.” Now, you may be thinking, “Why is he talking about monkeys? I don't think anyone keeps a monkey as a pet.”
“Actually, it’s just an estimate.” [there are] There are 5,000 primates kept as pets in the UK.
He added: “In another video, I talked about volunteering with a wildlife charity in Ecuador a few years ago.
“Many of the monkeys there were baby monkeys whose mothers had been shot and killed, and the babies were snatched with the intention of selling them as pets to people who simply thought monkeys were cute and wanted to keep them as pets.”
Regarding monkeys, he concluded: “Monkeys are highly intelligent and wild animals,They are not domesticated species like dogs or cats… [it] It is very difficult to cope with that complexity in the house. Please don't do that.
Ben said this about the last animal he wouldn't keep as a pet. “Finally, number five is a ferret.”
“They're cheeky, funny and fun pets, but they're an acquired taste. They're really smelly and bite really bad if they lock onto your hands.
“They are highly intelligent…[and] It requires a lot of interaction and a lot of space. That's not really the case for everyone.
