• Question: do animals like to be played with.

    Asked by imnotagingerscientist to Charlotte, Jo, Kevin, Louise, Valeria on 13 Jun 2012.
    • Photo: Kevin Mahon

      Kevin Mahon answered on 13 Jun 2012:

      Obviously some prefer it than others! Domestic animals such as Dogs and Cats need to be played with in order to keep their minds stimulated, so it’s almost a case of needing as opposed to liking!

      I somehow think however, that a Portugese Man of War or a Madagascar hissing cockroach will be less enthusiatic to play with you.

    • Photo: Louise de Raad

      Louise de Raad answered on 13 Jun 2012:

      Most pets like to played with (although my 3-year old niece has a very different way of playing than my dog would like to .. pulling the tail is not his favourite game), but animals in the wild usually have a fear of people. This is a good thing though, because if some animals would not be afraid of humans there would be a lot of conflicts… This is happening already in many parts of the world, where there are monkeys stealing food out of people’s houses or cars. Tell me if you’d like to play with any of these … ?? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYG9MzdE5Wo

    • Photo: Joanna Cruden

      Joanna Cruden answered on 13 Jun 2012:

      animals like to interact with people and/or other animals, even very wild animals may play together, especially when they are young as it prepares them for adulthood. Pets seem to enjoy playing, but it can also depend on the animal. Sometimes they may not fancy playing and then suddenly they will. The most important thing is that they find the experience fun and want to do it again.

      Animals also like training and working, some working dogs like police sniffer dogs think that their work is a game, so there are different levels of play for different animals. I think all mammals like to play at some points in their lives

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