Small mammals including meerkats, naked mole rats, and suricates present unique welfare challenges in zoo settings.
Small zoo mammals are often undervalued from a welfare perspective because their small size and apparent "simplicity" lead to inadequate housing standards. However, species like meerkats and prairie dogs have complex social structures requiring large group sizes and extensive foraging territories. Inadequate burrowing substrates prevent expression of essential natural behaviors in underground species. Lighting mismatches in nocturnal species cause chronic disruption of physiological rhythms. The available welfare science for small zoo mammals lags significantly behind that for charismatic megafauna, meaning exhibit design decisions are often made without adequate evidence base.