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Quality Pet Pygmy Goats  

The Advantages

Pygmy goats are very adaptable animals and will happily fit into most environments. Being much smaller than other goats makes them easy to handle as family pets. They are not demanding on housing and are not prone to the many ailments of sheep. Kidding is normally trouble free and the Females make excellent mothers, feeding twins and even triplets without help. Male kids are very popular, if wethered (castrated) and make lively and rewarding pets. Entire males do not make good pets, the kids may be charming but as they grow they may become more aggressive and will certainly develop a very unpleasant smell. This comes from musk glands around the horn and the front legs, the adult male spends much of his time spraying his head and body with urine to enhance the odour. Wethers do not develop any smell at all and have no objectionable habits therefore making ideal pets. If you are thinking of buying a female kid or an adult female remember that they may become noisy when they are in season calling for a male, especially if you have an entire male local to you.

So check with your neighbours before going ahead.

Pygmy goats can live for fifteen years or more so they are a long term commitment. As pets you can keep wethers and females together without any problems. Keeping an entire male with only one female will drive him insane and could result in her being chased (when in season) to complete exhaustion and collapse. If contemplating setting up a breeding herd the ratio of females to males should be at least four to one or more if possible.