Hi, I am now responsible for a captive group of meerkats. The alpha pair are prolific in their breeding and my preference is to prevent it rather than removing individuals. We havent had any aggression yet but the group has gone from 6 to 17 in 18 months. If the female was to be neutered would the male then move onto his daughters? Are implants feasible or is full on speying the only option? Also if the male is castrated would he then lose his position due to the changes in hormones? Thanks
I am not quite shore who will be able to answer your question on here. Have you tried talking to an exotics vet?
Single sexed groups. I think anaethetic on a meerkat is risky due to their size, and I think it would be costly to perform neutering on multiple group members.
Ferrets are rourinely neutered, spayed and vasectomised; wouldn't vasectomy of the alpha male serve the purpose here?
Join the zoobiology yahoo group and ask on there. It's full of people who actually work in zoos and will be able to answer your question. Or you could phone a good zoo with a meetkat group and ask their keepers/curators/vets for advice. Most people on here are simply zoo enthusiasts, not husbandry experts.
Some good advice offered, but out of curiosity, I'd like to ask; Why do people always suggest phoning their local zoo etc to ask them how to manage your own animals? It may come as a shock to some but the average member of animal staff in a zoo is snowed under all day every day. Answering basic husbandry, veterinary or social management questions just isn't something we really have time for. Chances are if the person on the other end does spend the time trying to answer your question it's because they care deeply for animals and feel obliged to help.
