Why are some animals capable of being domesticated as pets while most others are not?

And how many animals are considered to be domesticated? Dogs, cats, horses...but fish, ferrets, mice? How is domesticated defined, as in house pets versus farm animals versus raising a 'big cat', legally or illegally?|||Domestication is the process whereby a population of animals through a process of selection, becomes accustomed to human provision and control. A defining characteristic of domestication is artificial selection by humans. Some species such as the Asian Elephant, numerous members of which have for many centuries been used as working animals, are not domesticated because they have not normally been bred under human control, even though they have been commonly tamed.


Animals domesticated for home companionship are usually called pets while those domesticated for food or work are called livestock or farm animals.


A pet is an animal kept for companionship and enjoyment or a household animal, as opposed to wild animals or to livestock, laboratory animals, working animals or sport animals, which are kept for economic or productive reasons. The most popular pets are noted for their loyal or playful characteristics, for their attractive appearance, or for their song. Pets also generally seem to provide their owners with non-trivial health benefits; keeping pets has been shown to help relieve stress to those who like having animals around.


Many cities and towns have local ordinances limiting the number of pets a person may have, and may also restrict or forbid certain pets, such as exotics. Certain breeds of dog, such as pit bulls and rottweilers, are banned in some places. Dog/other canid/wolf mixes are also banned in some places.


In many locations, animals that are considered pets by their owners but are legally classified as livestock, including horses, pigs, camelids, and fowl may be banned from being kept within the city limits or restricted to property of a certain larger size.





To me an aquarium with fish is I consider fish as a domesticated animal, whereas a dog, cat and some birds, etc. can be considered as pets.


I would like to note some domesticated pigs could be as loyal or possibly more loyal and trained than some dogs.


Not all communities accept domesticated pigs as a household pet.





Pigs are known to be intelligent animals and can be trained similarly to dogs, though they may excel in different tasks. Asian pot-bellied pigs, a small type of domestic pig, have made popular house pets in the United States beginning in the latter half of the 20th century. Regular domestic farmyard pigs have also been known to be kept indoors, but due to their large size and destructive tendencies, they typically need to be moved into an outdoor pen, as they grow older. Most pigs have a fear of being picked up, but will usually calm down once placed back on the floor. Pigs are rarely used as working animals. An exception is the use of truffle pigs 鈥?ordinary pigs trained to find truffles.


Miniature pigs, also called micro or teacup pigs, which are specifically bred to be small (from 29-65 lbs) gained in popularity in fall of 2009 after several mainstream press articles claimed they were a popular pet to celebrities such as Rupert Grint of Harry Potter fame.|||Certain species of animals are herd animals, or animals that live in communities and groups, and therefore they tend to see their human adopters as another form of this group. This is why baby ducklings can fixate on just about any creature when they are born and think that is their mother... They are built for it.



All animals, even domesticated ones, retain their natural instincts to hunt etc. So whereas you might be able to domesticate a big cat, its still going to see you as "prey" in certain circumstances. And again, this is why dogs such as pitbulls often attack little children. Dogs tend to be scavengers that hunt the weak or helpless, or small animals like squirrels etc...



Herbivores, obviously, are always going to be easier to domesticate than carnivores, hence the widespread horse, cattle, pig, chicken populations...



Also, mammals tend to have higher brain development than reptiles, which rely largely on their brain stems for guidance - the more autonomic, primitive brain system. This is why reptiles are more likely to eat their own young. They don't have the need or motivation to act in a parenting role as much as mammals do, who have offspring that take longer to mature...|||This is a very broad question which would take the equivalent of several books to answer completely. In a nutshell, though, animals were chosen by early humans for domestication based on their value to the human tribe. Cats eat rodents, and early humans with their agricultural societies needed something to keep the pests out of the grain stores. They simply took advantage of the cat's natural instincts and then improved upon them. Early cow ancestors were less likely to be flighty, had a herd temperment, and could be enclosed in corrals easier than say deer or zebras. Then, it was simply a matter of breeding out the less desirable traits and keeping the more desirable traits in the captive livestock. It occurred over many years, and the modern cows, pigs, and sheep are not very much like the original animals they were originally bred from.



All the many species of dogs came from mainly wolves, and when you think of the many breeds of dogs, it is amazing how they stem from one (or two) species. There are many books that do a better job than I can do here of explaining why some animals are more likely to be domesticated than others.|||I'm not really sure how to answer the question, but I'll take a stab at it. I've had lots of different animals over the years, and some are just naturally tamer than others. One way of looking at it is, if the animal got a chance, would it harm you. In the case of big cats, I think the answer would be yes. I've never had one, but I'm convinced from watching the house cats that I did have, if they were big enough, they would've harmed me (if it meant food for them). I've had 6 foxes over the years (my icon is one) and they are loving, to an extent, but they aren't happy unless they are free. Dogs accept us as a part of the pack and are happy to share their lives with us. Cats like humans because we make their lives easier. Ferrets like our company as do rats. Mice would probably be happier on their own, but they won't turn down a free meal. For the most part, I think it boils down to, is the animal a social one? Most of the domesticated animals are rather social. Dogs live in packs, horses and cattle in herds. Rats are happiest when they live with other rats. Foxes are semi-social, they have relationships with other foxes, yet spend most of their time alone. Cats are a bit odd, since they are content to be on their own. But as I suggest, they are only barely tame. So I guess it boils down to the natural sociality of the animal.|||You'll notice that most 'domesticated' or 'pet' animals are 'social' animals.


They are instinctively 'wired' to live in a group, and can be trained to accept


man as 'group leader'.


Solitary animals like cats, bears, weasels, (ferrets), etc. are not suitable 'pet'


material unless they're too small to be dangerous.|||Cats and Dogs are domestic


Lizards, birds, fish, wild cats, zebras, etc. Are not domestic and should remain in the wild.