Can Platypuses be pets, if so, can they be good pets? (just curious)?

Question

No special interest, i just think they seem very gentle...If there was ever risk of extinction, how could we keep them..?

Answer 1

Probably not. They need special conditions to live and breed. I am not sure if there are any successful in captivity. If so, they would need a large area with a lot of water invertebrates and muddy banks they can dig and create a home into.
The life of mammals by
David Attenborough. It is a BBC thing, but you can rent it in the US- they have a neat piece on platypuses and other mammals.
As for pets- I think it would be like having a pet beaver- you really can't unless you have a ton of space and the right conditions such as habitat, temperature, food availability, etc.

Answer 2

So far I've only heard of Platypuses being housed in Zoos and not as pets. Australia Zoo has a few. They need special care and I don't think your average pet-keeper would be able to supply these needs without more research. The male Platypus has venomous spurs on his hind legs and only experts should handle them. Females are smaller and don't have these spurs.

spazrats

Answer 3

Platypuses for one thing are very poisonous! They have a spur on their back leg that has very toxic poison. For that matter alone they would not make a very cuddly pet. You would need to recreate their habitat and they need a lot of room to live. Beyond that I don't own one and I do not know anyone who owns one either.

Answer 4

They would not make good pets as they are wild animals and need to have their environment recreated in order to thrive/breed. Males also have poisonous spurs on their hind legs.

Answer 5

I have found them to be ard to house train. They don't seem to like the litter box much.