The Five Freedoms-Standards Of Animal Welfare
Within the animal keeping community, there is a general agreed upon rule that all keepers follow. This is known as the Five Freedoms, and I’m going to share this with you. These are good thing to think about when considering getting an animal, can you and are you willing to provide the following things to whichever animal you choose? If the answer to any 1 of them is no, the animal is not right for you.
Freedom From Hunger and Thirst- this one may seem self explanatory, giving an animal constant access to fresh, clean water and food. However, this means maintaining a diet for an animal that will give it what it needs to remain healthy and be itself. Examples of this are feeding cats and ferrets diets high in protein and meat content, or feeding a lizard live crickets. If part of an animals natural diet makes you uncomfortable or you feel you cannot give it the diet it should have for whatever reason, that animal is not for you.
Freedom From Discomfort- This means providing an animal with an appropriate environment to thrive in, fit with a shelter and comfortable resting areas. This includes giving an animal the space it requires for caging, like not putting a fish in a bowl or keeping a mouse in a small glass tank. This also includes providing hides to animals that need them, keeping their areas clean and if you are keeping outdoor animals (such as chickens, rabbits, horses, etc) providing them with a place to go to get out of bad weather or the sun. If you are unwilling or unable to provide an animal with a properly sized and put together enclosure, that animal is not for you.
Freedom From Pain, Injury and/or Disease- This means being able to take your animal to a vet should it fall ill, proving it with immediate medical attention should it hurt itself or suddenly become very sick. This also goes back to the freedom from discomfort. If an animal is caged incorrectly, it could lead to injury or illness. If you are unable or unwilling to take an animal to a vet should it require it, the animal is not for you.
Freedom To Express Natural Behaviour- This means you must provide an animal with all the things it needs to truly be happy and be itself, proving sufficient caging/space, as well as toys. If the animal requires the company of others of its kind, you must also provide that. For example, rats need to chew so you must provide them with toys and things that they may chew to file down their teeth. They also require the friendship of other rats, they must live in groups. If you are unable or unwilling to provide this for an animal, that animal is not right for you.
Freedom From Fear and Distress- This means ensuring conditions and treatment that do not create mental suffering. Keeping an animal is not something to be taken lightly, and by not providing any of the above 4 things, you will create mental anguish in your animal. By providing all of these things, you create an environment in which your animal can be truly happy and healthy. However, this also means not subjecting your animal to things that may upset or disturb them such as making loud noises at an animal that scares easily, not taking a cat who is afraid of dogs around a dog, or not getting in to a dogs face with your face as this makes them very uncomfortable. Of course, you can scare animals on accident, it happens to all of us, but if you are unwilling to not do things that would disturb or scare your animal, that animal is not for you.
Always do your research before getting an animal, and ask yourself these 5 things when considering one. If you cannot meet all 5 of these requirements with an animal, consider one that works better for you and your lifestyle instead.
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