Pet

This article is licensed under theGNU Free Documentation License.It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Pet" (click for full Wikipedia text)

: This page is about companion animals. For several meanings of the acronym  PET , see PET. For the comedy tv series see Pets (tv programme).  A  'pet ' is an animal that is kept for companionship and enjoyment, as opposed to livestock, laboratory animals, working animals or sport animals, which are kept for economic reasons or to perform specific jobs. The most popular pets are noted for their loyal or playful characteristics or for their attractive appearance or song. Pets can provide their owners with many health benefits. The keeping of pets has been shown to help remove stress. Walking a dog can also provide its owner (as well as the dog) with exercise, fresh air, and the opportunity for social interaction. While in theory one could keep any animal as a pet, in practice a small number of species of mammals, especially dogs and cats, and other small animals, such as birds, have dominated the list of species kept as pets for a very long time. Fish have joined them more recently. Many of these animals are domesticated, while others, such as reptiles, are often considered exotic pets. The glofish, a Genetic engineering zebrafish with a bright red fluorescent color, is the first genetically modified (GM) animal to be engineered as a pet. The captive gorilla Koko (gorilla) is one of few examples of a non-human animal which has had a pet. Koko's first pet was a kitten named All Ball. A pet can be acquired from a pet store, an animal shelter, a breeder, and sometimes from people who have extras due to births. See also Dog adoption. Sometimes people treat their pets like they are children, especially when the people do not have children or their children are grown up.

Terminology

Some animal welfare organisations have proposed that the term "companion animal" be used instead of "pet". The term "pet" may also be applied to humans, usually in an endearing way by a lover, significant other, or partner. Calling another person a pet, though, can just as easily be considered an insult (see "plaything"). In veterinary medicine, dogs and cats are often considered "common" pets, while all other animals are grouped into either "farm animals" (such as horses, cows, sheep) and "exotics" (including pocket pets, birds, reptiles).

Common pet species

Mammals

• Horses
• Dogs
• Cats
• Rodents, including hamsters, guinea pigs, mouse, gerbils, chinchillas, degus, Southern Flying Squirrels and Fancy rat
• Rabbits
• Ferrets
• Fennecs
• Hedgehogs
• Goats
• Alpacas
• small pigs
• Monkeys
• Donkeys

Birds

• Budgerigars (parakeets)
• Cockatoos
• Macaws
• other parrot species
• Canary and other finch species
• Doves
• Cockatiels
• Ducks
• Peafowl

Reptiles

• Tortoises
• Lizards
• Iguanas
• Snakes
• Turtles
• Crocodilians, including alligators, crocodiles, caimans, gavials (can usually be kept as pets only when they are young)

Amphibians

• Frogs
• Toads
• Salamanders
• Newts
• Caecilian, a wormlike amphibian that lives underground
• Axolotls, a large kind of Newt which remains in its larval stage

Fish

Arthropods

• Ants
• cricket (insect)s
• Tarantulas
• Emperor scorpions
• Millipedes
• Roaches
• Sea Monkeys (a type of brine shrimp)

Mollusks

• Octopus
• Cuttlefish

Rocks

• Pet rocks (a type of toy treated as an actual pet)
• Live Rock (Rock with microorganisms and small mullosks within, used in salt water aquariums)

See also

• Animal hoarder
• Digital pet
• human bonding
• Novelty pet
• Pet from Edgar & Ellen, the book series
• Pet passport
• List of U.S. Presidential pets
• Animal keeping

External links

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  This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Pet" (click for full Wikipedia text) Hide