# Animals that might be candidates for full domestication and why **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 22, 2024, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-that-might-be-candidates-for-full-domestication-and-why/996508 "2024-01-22T18:53:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2024, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-that-might-be-candidates-for-full-domestication-and-why/996508/1 "2024-01-22T18:53:54Z")
If you could choose one animal not currently domesticated to be introduced to a domestication program, what would it be and why? Not thinking of exotic pets here. I have a few but the Raven might be close to the top of my list. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2024, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-that-might-be-candidates-for-full-domestication-and-why/996508/2 "2024-01-22T18:57:08Z")
I want an army of trained bees. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2024, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-that-might-be-candidates-for-full-domestication-and-why/996508/3 "2024-01-22T18:59:13Z")
Domestication was to have animals to consume or use as workers and protection. I’m going for deer, there are lots of kinds. I think there are places that may be doing it now. For food. Of course primates could be used as workers. Which is kinda sad. ---
**Author:** ![Deanna\_D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e495f1/32.png) [@Deanna\_D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deanna_D)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2024, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-that-might-be-candidates-for-full-domestication-and-why/996508/4 "2024-01-22T19:01:07Z")
Squirrels, because they’re adorable! Plus, they seem very motivated by food, so they’re probably easy to bribe into doing stuff. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2024, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-that-might-be-candidates-for-full-domestication-and-why/996508/5 "2024-01-22T19:02:15Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Of course primates could be used as workers. Which is kinda sad. Monkeys are used to pick coconuts and other fruits. , I am not sure if the term domestication would apply to primates, I don’t know why, it just doesn’t sound right. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2024, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-that-might-be-candidates-for-full-domestication-and-why/996508/6 "2024-01-22T19:18:11Z")
Well, domestication requires breeding and choosing the qualities you want in that animal. Remating pairs of preferred qualities til you get what you need. Yes it’s wrong in primates, to me. But aren’t zoos already matching apes and monkeys. And many other species. It’s all just so distasteful in higher order animals. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2024, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-that-might-be-candidates-for-full-domestication-and-why/996508/7 "2024-01-22T19:21:19Z")
Funny, I was thinking of domesticating long-tailed weasels (which prey on squirrels), to solve the problem of a persistent squirrel(s) who thinks that the paint on the floor of my porch is a tasty treat to be chewed off. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2024, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-that-might-be-candidates-for-full-domestication-and-why/996508/8 "2024-01-22T19:23:38Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Funny, I was thinking of domesticating long-tailed weasels (which prey on squirrels), to solve the problem of a persistent squirrel(s) who thinks that the paint on the floor of my porch is a tasty treat to be chewed of This was actually my first pic for similar reasons as yours. Smaller than the ferret and better able to go after rats which seem to be over populating since coyotes have killed off most of the feral cats. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2024, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-that-might-be-candidates-for-full-domestication-and-why/996508/9 "2024-01-22T19:27:06Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > But aren’t zoos already matching apes and monkeys. And many other species. They do that because animals in captivity (which is very much NOT “domestication”) come from limited gene pools, so zoos with breeding programs go to great lengths to avoid matching closely-related animals - which, due to things like animal trafficking and the illegal pet trade, may be available from seemingly far-apart regions. In other words, a female of a particular rare species originally from Country X may turn out to be surprisingly closely related to a potential male match from Country Y that’s 5,000 miles away, if the male was smuggled internationally years earlier. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2024, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-that-might-be-candidates-for-full-domestication-and-why/996508/10 "2024-01-22T19:34:50Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Of course primates could be used as workers. Which is kinda sad. I often (far too often, if I’m being candid) opine that any monkey could do my job. Well, not just any monkey - it would have to have some body mass, like minimally a macaque. A little spider monkey wouldn’t work. At that point honestly things get very expensive: 1.) special housing for the monkey 2.)special permits to keep the monkeys 3.)special diets to maintain the monkeys 4.)special trainers to train/monitor the monkeys 5.)special veterinarians to keep monkeys healthy. 6.)special protective gear so you’re not replacing trained monkeys more often than necessary 7.)monkeys have shorter lifespans, so higher workforce turnover So any monkey of a certain size may be able to do my job. But despite my exorbitant wages/benefits, I am quite certain I am much cheaper and more cost effective than any monkey 😀. ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2024, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-that-might-be-candidates-for-full-domestication-and-why/996508/11 "2024-01-22T19:35:34Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > If you could choose one animal not currently domesticated to be introduced to a domestication program, what would it be and why? What would it be about that animal that made you want to have it as a household pet or companion? I have some friends who had a couple of pet rats. They were completely tame, clean, housetrained I think, and friendly. They used to climb into my lap, snuggle under my shirt and snooze there; they were nice little creatures. Presumably you have to bring them up from babies to domesticate them, probably true of any animal. Alas they don’t live very long. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2024, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-that-might-be-candidates-for-full-domestication-and-why/996508/12 "2024-01-22T19:38:08Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I’m going for deer, there are lots of kinds. I think there are places that may be doing it now. For food. [There is a young man in Pennsylvania who has his own private deer herd.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across/851674/4238) Not for food. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2024, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-that-might-be-candidates-for-full-domestication-and-why/996508/13 "2024-01-22T19:41:32Z")
> [@xtenkfarpl](#): > > I have some friends who had a couple of pet rats. I’ve had them, too. If they’re raised well - like dogs! - they make excellent pets. Unfortunately short-lived, as you mentioned. They are completely domesticated, descended from an existing wild species: > **[Fancy rat](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fancy_rat)** > > The fancy rat (Rattus norvegicus domestica) is the domesticated form of Rattus norvegicus, the brown rat, and the most common species of rat kept as a pet. The name fancy rat derives from the use of the adjective fancy for a hobby, also seen in "animal fancy", a hobby involving the appreciation, promotion, or breeding of pet or domestic animals. The offspring of wild-caught specimens, having become docile after having been bred for many generations, fall under the fancy type. > Fancy rats were ... * * * ETA: to answer the O.P. more directly … snow leopards, or maybe clouded or marbled leopards, would be gorgeous pets … but, damn, they do need an enormous amount of climbing-type exercise. Perhaps a domesticated pet could accompany its owner to one of those urban indoor rock-scaling gyms? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2024, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-that-might-be-candidates-for-full-domestication-and-why/996508/14 "2024-01-22T19:46:06Z")
> [@Deanna\_D](#): > > Squirrels, because they’re adorable! Plus, they seem very motivated by food, so they’re probably easy to bribe into doing stuff. - There _was_ that one candy manufacturer who used them to shell walnuts. ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2024, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-that-might-be-candidates-for-full-domestication-and-why/996508/15 "2024-01-22T20:00:14Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > ETA: to answer the O.P. more directly I really like Cheetahs. But of course, you would probably need to raise one from birth so you were regarded as its mother, or at least family. Not to mention the food bill…? Mind you, the male ones at least are used to living in coalitions, so they might be more susceptible to group living? Historically they have been kept as status symbols by rich rulers, it seems. Pretty high maintainence, I suspect… they do purr nicely though… ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2024, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-that-might-be-candidates-for-full-domestication-and-why/996508/16 "2024-01-22T20:13:14Z")
What do you want the domesticated Cheetah to do. If they are bred down to have more cuteness and be less vicious as to be able to live in your house. Then there’s the box training and training not to eat your toddler or tearing up the furniture. These things can be difficult in a regular house cat. You accomplish all this what’s the Cheetah gonna do? Not for protection. It might preserve it’s own life, I promise he will throw you under the bus. Mainly because felines are butt heads. I wouldn’t wanna eat one. The fur trade? Oh no. Let’s don’t go there. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2024, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-that-might-be-candidates-for-full-domestication-and-why/996508/17 "2024-01-22T20:17:39Z")
Too many exotic pets are kept for the cool factor. Remember people taking a food source and turning it into that very cute baby pot-bellied pig. 200lbs. Later it’s in a rescue place. Living among it’s own kind. The people who couldn’t resist getting it had to move cause that smell stayed in their house for years. ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2024, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-that-might-be-candidates-for-full-domestication-and-why/996508/18 "2024-01-22T20:18:59Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > What do you want the domesticated Cheetah to do Hmm, I can see we’re not in the presence of a cat lover here. 😉 It was a fantasy of course. A nice warm big furry friend sleeping on the bed with us, purring happily. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2024, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-that-might-be-candidates-for-full-domestication-and-why/996508/19 "2024-01-22T20:24:50Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > the Raven might be close to the top of my list. Considering both the mythological qualities of Raven and the apparent intelligence levels of corvids, I think that might be a pretty risky enterprise. > [@xtenkfarpl](#): > > > [@Beckdawrek](#): > > > > What do you want the domesticated Cheetah to do > > Hmm, I can see we’re not in the presence of a cat lover here. JoJo I’m sure would differ with you here. Probably so would the Siamese. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2024, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-that-might-be-candidates-for-full-domestication-and-why/996508/20 "2024-01-22T20:27:21Z")
Nobody has suggested raising fully domesticated humans yet? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-that-might-be-candidates-for-full-domestication-and-why/996508.md?page=2)