Goats As Pets Pros And Cons

Goats as pets pros and cons can help you decide if you want to keep a pet goat or stay away from them. Not enough people have realized that goats make really good pets. It’s good to note that goats are not the right pet for everyone.

Goats as Pets Pros and Cons

This post looks at what it’s like having goats as pets and what you need to keep them happy. The information will help you decide if they are the right pet for you.

Goats As Pets Cons

Goat pets can be obnoxious and annoying. They will chew on your clothes and can even pull and tear them. Goats can also chew on hair which can be annoying especially when they tag and pull.

Your pet goat will not give you personal space. For most pet owners, this is not a problem. However, goats will need to be taught not to jump on you and your children.

Damage to gardens and flower beds. You cannot stop your goats from eating your plants and flowers. You have to keep them separate from your garden or flower bed because they will eat everything.

Goats as Pets Pros

Pet goats are friendly and most goat owners compare them to having a pet dog. You can play with them as well as pet them.

They are great companions for workouts. You can take your goat on a walk, hike, as well very relaxing goat yoga.

Goats are easy to keep and raise. As long as you have sufficient space, water, and feed, goats are easy to raise.

Most goat pets are also well-behaved. Goats can be trained on what you want them to do or not do.

Owning a Pet Goat

If you want to own a pet goat the first thing you should do is find out if you are legally allowed to own one. In some cities, it is illegal to have farm animals in residential areas.

It is also good to note that although some cities allow farm animals, some neighborhoods have restrictions on the type of animals you can have within the area.

If there are no restrictions, then all you need is an area that you can fence off for your pet goat. This will ensure that the goats have enough space to move around.

The area doesn’t need to be huge. Just large enough for them to run around. It should also have some things for them to jump on to keep them active.

The fence only needs to be about 4 feet high for miniature goats. Avoid putting anything next to the fence that they can jump on and get over the fence.

Introduce your pet goat to a harness at a young age. They will see you as part of their herd and have an easy time following you.

It’s also important for you to get at least two pet goats.  They will be easy to train and manage in pairs.

Goats are herd animals and they do need to be kept in pairs for their mental well-being. If you keep one goat it will be lonely and will not thrive.

Choosing Pet Goats

When choosing pet goats especially as a beginner, I recommend going for wethers.  These are boy goats that cannot have babies.

Female pet goats are also fine too. They can also be kept with wethers.  However, females are often more expensive to purchase.

I do not recommend getting billy goats. These are males that can make babies. Billy goats stink horribly and don’t make good pets.

Billy goats also pee on themselves and are more aggressive compared to the wethers and the female goats.

It’s advisable to purchase your pet goat when it has already been castrated by a vet. This method of castration is less painful for the goat. They heal fast and experience less discomfort compared to tying a band around their testicles.

Surgical castration also ensures that whether goats don’t remain with any of the characteristics of billy goats.

Types of Pet Goats

Miniature goats can make good pets. I recommend breeds like Nigerian dwarf goats or pygmy goats. Both are small but pygmy goats are often bulkier and stockier.

Nigerian dwarfs were bred for milk production while pygmy goats were bred for meat. I have Nigerian dwarfs who have been great pets.

To create a bond with your pet goats, I recommend getting them as babies and bottle feeding them. Some goat owners don’t like this idea and prefer getting a grown goat.

Feeding A Pet Goat

Bottle feeding baby goats is not hard you just need to ensure you know how to do it properly. Before attempting it, get a milk replacement for goats. Don’t use cow’s milk that you can get from all types of stores.

Although bottle feeding is not hard, if done wrong it will make your baby goats sick which can even result in death.

Baby goats that are about a week old are ready for bottle feeding. That way they have had some of their mother’s milk to start them off.

When your pet goats are still nursing you can begin introducing hay to their diet. The goat diet primarily comprises grass hay.

If you don’t have high-quality hay you can still have healthy goats. Just watch out and make sure that the goats don’t lose weight.

Grains should also be added to the diet. They are essential in providing certain vitamins and minerals for your pet goats.

The feeding grains can be found at most food stores. The goats don’t need much grain, about half a cup to a cup is sufficient.

Ensure that water is always available for the pet goats. Even when they are nursing, they need to have access to clean water.

Final Thoughts

Goats are making great pets for many families. They are friendly and playful. If you have the space that you can afford to set aside for them, then they are a great option.

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