If you have ever wanted to make a pet out of an animal, you may be a vegetarian or you may not be sure you can do it. Luckily, making a pet out of an animal is possible, but it does require special care. First of all, if you choose an animal that has just been raised for consumption rather than being an animal raised for research, you will need to find out where they came from and what their habits are like before you attempt to give them a home of their own.
Animals are eukaryotic, multicellular organisms in the microbial kingdom Eukaryota. With few exceptions, all animals breathe air, consume oxygen, can breed sexually, can move, and consume other organisms. Organisms which compose the animal kingdom are very diverse, with about two hundred to five hundred different species recognized. Most animals belong to a class which has a tree of sorts, or a taxonomic group. The most common taxonomic group is Chordata, which includes all vertebrates, including humans. Classes are further divided into Classes A to H, with mammals being one of the largest classes, and amphibians and insects being among the smallest.
The first step towards owning an animal is to acquire the proper equipment and support for animal husbandry. Although it is a more straightforward task than farming, there are many aspects of the livestock industry which still need attention. One of the key decisions to make when planning to raise animals is the type of housing to purchase. If you plan on raising livestock for food, as a hobby or as part of your scientific pursuits, the needs are different from those of industrial livestock production. For instance, you will want a shelter big enough for the animal(s) you intend to keep, which should be a minimum size of 200 square feet per animal, with an adequate shelter’s total floor space set at around four hundred square feet.
The second step is purchasing the animal itself, beginning with cattle, pigs, goats, chickens, etc. to research the different species available and the physiology and behavior of each. Cattle are herd animals which are good for this niche, being sociable and accepting of other animals. Pigs are very hardy creatures and also have relatively high intelligence; good for experimenting in captivity. Chickens are also a good choice for a small family and are fairly easy to care for, having a relatively high metabolism and being a multicellular organism.
Next, you will need to purchase and begin practicing raising the animals, beginning with simple guinea pigs which make good animals models. Cows, chickens, etc. are also suitable candidates for animal experiments, although their requirements are a bit more specialized. A set of chicken eggs is a good way to begin raising baby chicks, but for greater complexity, you will probably want to begin with cows or pigs. The goal here is to develop the animals organs and tissues to a point where they can be used for disease diagnosis and treatment or in research.
Finally, you will want to consider whether or not the animal you have chosen will be suitable for supporting life. amphibians and reptiles are suitable candidates for e-coli, for example, while mammals are better suited to support a wide variety of tissue types, including cardiac, liver, blood cells, etc. You will also want to consider whether or not the animal cell wall will have sufficient bio-accession opportunities. Mice and rats have been successfully used to inject human lung cancer cells into an area of cancer, but these animal models are unsuitable for use in humans. It is also important to keep in mind that even among vertebrates, there are many subspecies with different physiologies and thus different demands. Whatever you decide, you will certainly make great animal husbandry gains.