Last Updated on December 27, 2023 by Fumipets
Do Beavers Make Great Pets? What You Need to Know!
The notion of keeping a beaver as a pet might seem intriguing given their unique characteristics and industrious nature. Beavers, known for their remarkable ability to build dams and alter their environment, are fascinating creatures.
However, when considering beavers as potential pets, it’s important to delve into the realities and challenges that come with such a choice. Beavers are wild animals with specific needs that are difficult to meet in a typical home setting.
They are naturally adapted to life in aquatic environments and require ample space for swimming and foraging. Additionally, their instinct to chew and build can pose significant challenges in a domestic setting.
Understanding the complexities of beaver behavior, their environmental needs, and legal considerations is crucial before contemplating the idea of a beaver as a pet. In this introduction, we’ll explore various aspects of what keeping a beaver as a pet entails, helping to provide a clearer picture of whether this is a feasible and responsible choice.
Do Beavers Make Great Pets?
Given how cute beavers are, it makes sense to question if they can be domesticated. But are beavers good pets?
No, they don’t, is the quick response. In addition to being prohibited from being kept as pets in the majority of states, beavers are difficult to teach and care for, and they are prone to gnaw on any piece of wood they can find in your house.
Even though there have been instances of individuals keeping abandoned beavers as pets, these wild creatures are unsuitable for domestication. Continue reading to learn why.
Why shouldn’t you keep Beavers as pets?
The fact that it is illegal to keep wild animals like beavers as pets in all but a few states in the U.S. is only one of the reasons why having one at home is not a good idea. Here are a few other reasons, in case getting into legal problems isn’t sufficient.
Training
Even if you have a beaver from a newborn, teaching them is very hard because they are wild creatures. These creatures, unlike dogs, cannot learn orders or take leashed walks since they have lived contentedly in the wild for thousands of years without human intervention. They are also incapable of housetraining and will urinate anywhere they feel the need: in your pool, on the sofa, or even your bed.
HousingÂ
Beavers are dependent on water for survival since they spend the most of their life in it. In order to accommodate them, you would need a very huge pool or tank, both of which would quickly become quite filthy. You’ll need to replace a sizable pool of water every day to keep it clean because they will live, eat, and defecate in the water.
Territory
Beavers are very possessive creatures in the wild. However, when it comes to their territory, they will claw and bite to defend it. For the most part, they are calm, peaceful creatures who are rarely violent. If you have pets like dogs or cats, a beaver could severely hurt them when defending their area. Even while there aren’t many instances of beavers attacking people, they will undoubtedly bite or claw if they feel threatened, and one fatality from a beaver assault is known.
Wood
Most people are aware that beavers like chewing and gnawing on wood because it helps to reduce their constantly elongating teeth. If there aren’t enough veggies nearby, they will also eat wood, so your front door and any other wooden items in and around your house might be meals for them. They will chew through your furniture before you even realize it since their teeth are designed for gnawing.
They are nocturnal
Although they occasionally may be diurnal, beavers are mostly nocturnal animals that spend most of the day sleeping. This makes it more challenging to take care of them and to keep them away from any wood in your house. They sleep for about 11 hours a day, primarily during the day, so unless you want to drastically alter your sleep cycle, you won’t be able to spend much time with your pet.
They are highly social
Beavers are extremely sociable creatures that preserve monogamy and care for their offspring in the wild. They live in close quarters in tiny colonies. A Beaver will experience a great deal of stress and sadness if they are kept apart from their society, which is not only against their natural instincts but will also make them more inclined to respond violently.
Beavers are a keystone species
Beavers are necessary for the wild and serve a crucial part in their local environment, despite being outlawed and making for less-than-ideal pets anyhow. These creatures are what is referred to as a “keystone species,” which means that their presence has an impact on many animal and plant species. These creatures and plants would struggle or vanish totally without them.
Beavers build wetlands and aquatic habitats for animals including frogs, turtles, ducks, otters, and heron-like waterfowl. The dams that beavers construct to protect themselves from predators and store food are essential to the ecology. These dams filter away silt and sediment like enormous water purification systems, which also serves to improve the soil in the area.
Thankfully, the effects of the practically total eradication of beavers from the United States were easy to discern. Because of this, it is generally prohibited to hunt, capture, or keep beavers as pets, and their population is slowly increasing once more.
Conclusion
Only a tiny number of jurisdictions allow the keeping of beavers as pets, but even in those places where it is permitted, beavers do not make good pets. They are potentially aggressive, challenging to housebreak, tough to train, and will create a lot of filth in your house.
A beaver lives most contentedly and calmly in the wild, where they may fulfill their role as keystone species.
FAQs on Keeping Beavers as Pets
Is it legal to keep a beaver as a pet?
In most places, it is illegal to keep a beaver as a pet. Beavers are wild animals protected by various wildlife conservation laws. It’s important to check local regulations and wildlife protection laws before considering a beaver as a pet.
What kind of environment do beavers need?
Beavers are aquatic animals and require a large water habitat for swimming, foraging, and building. They need a pond or a similar water body, which is nearly impossible to provide in a typical household setting.
Are beavers social animals?
Yes, beavers are highly social animals. They live in family groups and engage in social activities. Isolating a beaver as a pet can lead to stress and behavioral issues due to lack of social interaction with other beavers.
What do beavers eat?
Beavers are herbivores, primarily feeding on tree bark, twigs, leaves, and aquatic plants. In captivity, replicating their natural diet can be challenging and might not meet all their nutritional needs.
Can beavers be trained like domestic pets?
Beavers are not domesticated animals and do not respond to training like typical pets. Their natural behaviors are deeply ingrained, and they are driven by instincts that are suited to wild habitats, not domestic environments.
