Do pandas make good pets?
What You Really need to Know About Pandas

Really, who doesn’t like pandas?
As far as many people are concerned, they are the cutest animals ever to have walked the planet.
Would they be suitable as pets, though?
The only way to know is to investigate.

First, the quick answer.

As pets, would pandas be suitable?
Incorrect, as pandas are in risk of extinction, a.k.a. endangered species.Believe it or not
, Worldwide just around 2,000 pandas remain.
However, even if you were given permission to purchase a panda, you would still need to cultivate a massive bamboo field, since pandas consume over 23 kilograms (50 pounds) of bamboo every single day.

Let’s look at the panda’s background and characteristics to determine why they wouldn’t make suitable pets even if they were legal to own.

Put aside any preconceived notions you may have had about pandas.

So many false beliefs surround panda bears.

The general public views them as lovable cuddly bears.
As we shall see, this is far from being the case.
Something about them suggests a cuddly teddy bear rather than a fierce predator.

You probably immediately wanted to step in and start cuddling the poor animal.

Not to mention, they don’t constantly run a nose.

The panda spends at least 10–15 hours a day nibbling on bamboo and prefers to be left alone.
They are not friendly animals, and they don’t like being stroked.

In that case, why is it that I can’t have a Panda bear as a pet?

For the most part because they are a critically endangered species.
The People’s Republic of China claims legal ownership of all pandas, even those living in zoos.

But let’s set that aside for the time being and take a deeper look at the specifics of keeping a Panda as a pet.

Although pandas seem gentle and cuddly, they are really rather aggressive.

There have been countless cases of humans being attacked by pandas after getting too near to them in zoos or the wild.
As well as a powerful bite, its claws are razor sharp.

How much does a Panda cost?

As was just said, China is the only owner of the world’s pandas.
This implies that the Chinese government requires all zoos to lease their facilities.
The normal length of such a contract is 10 years, and it will cost close to $1,000,000 (!).
Also, that’s yearly, so a zoo would spend around $10 million over the course of a decade on this deal.

Because of this, even though pandas are among the most well-liked animals, you won’t find them in every zoo.

The expense of maintaining a Panda is another topic entirely.
Let you know that bamboo is the main food source for them.
The pandas at the Edinburgh Zoo consume almost $80,000 worth of bamboo per year.

So that’s another another valid argument against keeping a panda as pet.

Because you (probably) couldn’t afford to retain it for more than a few weeks even if you convinced the Chinese government that you were a great match!
Even if they handed it to you for nothing.

Can Red Pandas be maintained as house pets?

You may be wondering whether you can have a Red Panda as a pet if panda fantasies continue to plague your waking hours.

Similarities between the red panda and the larger black-and-white Pandas may be seen.
In size and appearance, they are more like to a Raccoon.
Sorry, but a rent-free hole in the ground is also off limits.
Due to the Washington Convention, they cannot be kept as household pets.

This species is likewise considered to be critically endangered.

Somewhere in the neighborhood of 5,000 red pandas remain in the wild today.
About eighty are housed in zoos across the world.
If you want to see a Red Panda up close, you should go there.

What about the United Kingdom, Canada, and India, among others?

No.
You can’t take a Panda as a pet anyplace in the world.
Or, instead, get one.

As was previously established, the Chinese government legally owns all pandas and does not allow their sale or purchase.
Anywhere.

Both of Jackie Chan’s Panda bears are named Po.

It would seem that the wealthy and renowned can keep Panda bears as pets.

AND if the Chengdu Research Center believes you have what it takes to raise public interest in pandas.

A pair of enormous Panda bears were adopted by Jackie Chan in 2009.
In exchange for his about $150,000 investment, the Chengdu tourist board named him the city’s official “Panda Ambassador.”

Huge pandas may be rather deadly.

As a final disqualifier, pandas are just too big to maintain as pets.

A lot of people have the impression that pandas are friendly, cuddly creatures you can pet and go around with like a pet. Not at all.

There is an excellent reason why they are often referred to as Giant Pandas.

They are around 3 feet tall (90 centimeters) to the shoulder and 5 feet long (150 centimeters).
Males may grow to be around 350 pounds in size (160 kilograms).
Because of this, it would be impossible to transport it or use a leash to guide it (like a dog).

Because of their ancestry, pandas are more inclined to act like pet bears than domesticated dogs.
There aren’t many accounts of pandas attacking people, but this is likely due to the fact that there aren’t very many pandas remaining.

In what ways does a panda’s size contribute to its strength?

Holy cow, that’s potent!

Keep in mind that we’re talking about a bear that weighs in at 160 kilos (around 350 pounds).
They have powerful jaws, which they need to break down the bamboo sticks with.
They consume bamboo for the majority of their awake hours.

A mature panda has the equivalent strength of over 600 pounds.
Double the power of a Pitbull.

The Panda’s jawbone is on display here.
Joints are massive, and overall, it’s quite sturdy:

The skeleton of a panda

Therefore, you shouldn’t approach the panda.
Don’t bother it at mealtime in particular; it doesn’t like being disturbed.

In fact, it’s not uncommon for a mother panda to have twins.
It’s true of around 50% of all pregnancies.
And when that occurs, mom will weigh the two pandas and choose the one she thinks will be the strongest panda.
As the mother prioritizes feeding the healthiest child, the weakest child will starve to death.

That may seem harsh, yet it accurately describes the way nature works.
The mother panda just can’t provide for all her pandas, so she’ll give her preference to the healthiest.

Here are 7 tidbits you may not have known about pandas.

Astonishing information about panda is provided here.

1. Pandas have 6 fingers. Yep!

The thumb on their little hands is the smallest of their five digits.
That’s the equivalent of six fingers, so to speak.
Its powerful paws are mostly used for grabbing bamboo, which they grasp with ease.

Foot of the panda

Their ability to climb trees is aided by these claws.

Only the forepaws have this unique characteristic.
A total of five paws may be seen on the back.

Quickness: 2) Pandas

Pandas have been clocked at speeds of up to 30 kilometers per hour (about 20 miles per hour).
That’s a lot quicker than people can move.

Pandas in captivity aren’t as swift as wild pandas since they don’t have to run as often as part of their more laid-back lifestyle in captivity.
After all, they are always guaranteed a meal, and nobody is ever going to come after them.

Thirdly, newborn panda cubs are really little!

A panda cub is born to the mother and is quite small.

Panda cub, the smallest of the species

Images courtesy of REUTERS.

Its whole body is a bright shade of pink, and it now lacks the ability to see.
Even as little as 0.2 ounces is possible! (100 grams).
Just 20% of all newborns, that is.
So, they still have a ways to go before they mature to the size of their mother.

A newborn cub is only around 6 inches (15 cm) in length, as reported by National Geographic.
That’s about the thickness of a pencil.

4. Pandas never stop eating

On average, pandas consume 23 kilograms (almost 50 pounds) of bamboo every single day.
The majority of its awake time is normally devoted to eating so that it can chew and digest such a massive quantity of bamboo.

They’ll eat for as long as 18 hours a day, on average 12.
Consequently, it has very little time left to accomplish anything other than gnaw its way through the bamboo.

They also develop a taste for things like vegetables and meat.
Still, bamboo makes up 99 percent of the dish.
Therefore, it’s not a very complicated eating plan.

Five) In the winter, panda bears do not hibernate.

During the winter, other bears will often hibernate or spend the vast majority of their time sleeping.
They do this to save energy, and their core temperature drops until it is the same as the surrounding environment.

However, the pandas are an exception to this rule.

Usually, pandas will go to the south.
Why? Because they want to get to a more comfortable temperature.

Six), We only just learned that pandas are really bears.

The Red Panda, which resembles the Giant Panda quite a bit, was considered to be a subspecies of Raccoon until 1995.

But after extensive analysis and DNA sequencing, experts have shown beyond a reasonable doubt that the Panda is a bear.

7) The panda has at least 11 distinct vocalizations

There are 11 distinct cries that have been detected by scientists, but we have no idea what they imply.

They have the same growling abilities as regular bears and also have the ability to bark, puff, and squeak.
Most of the time, newborn panda cubs make a squeaking sound that is both adorable and endearing.

How can I contribute to the protection of pandas?

If you want to help the WWF, you may donate to them.
They’ve been assisting pandas for almost 50 years, and they’re still hard at work every day to improve life for these two pals.

They do this by providing bamboo-rich environments for pandas to inhabit.
You may adopt a panda and get a plush panda and several images for your collection by purchasing an adoption kit.

In 1976, the global number of wild pandas was estimated at at about 1,000; since then, it has more than quadrupled.
More and more pandas are being housed in zoos, and our ability to provide excellent living circumstances for these animals has improved greatly over the years.