They are a commitment, then, so you’ve got to keep this in mind if you are considering getting pygmy goats.
They’re adorable and universally beloved, but they still require a fairly high amount of maintenance.
Keep that in mind before you buy.
Let’s look further into this.
How long do pygmy goats live as pets?
It can obviously vary to a degree, but 15 years is a good ballpark figure.
As long as they are treated well, fed right, kept in the right conditions both in terms of their physical and social environments, then your pygmy goats could live for even longer than this.
Of course, them living to this ripe old age is all dependent on how well you take care of them.
Though goats have a reputation for being able to eat anything, this is really far from true.
In fact, they need a very specific diet.
They should have hay, or a large pasture to forage, whenever they need to.
In my opinion, it is overall better for their enrichment if they can roam a large pasture to find things to eat.
Even for little pygmy goats, having space to roam is essential.
Then you should supplement their diets with treats, and things like pellets.
They will need a variety of fresh fruit and veg, although not too much.
As you can see, it is all a careful balancing act.
Keeping goats is certainly not easy, if that is what you were thinking.
What about in the wild?
How long do pygmy goats live in the wild?
There are actually no endemic populations of wild pygmy goats anywhere in the world.
Pygmy goats are quite a specific breed, established in the 1980s from the cross-breeding of a number of miniature goats from the West African Dwarf group of pedigrees.
So, while there are natural populations of dwarf goats, pygmies are really only the result of human intervention, and so they aren’t really found in the wild.
That said, the obvious fact is that any breed in the wild will live for a shorter time than its domestic cousins.
As I said, your goats will have their needs provided for.
Wild goats need to scavenge and roam, and if they can’t find nutritious food, then there’s not much to be done about it.
One question I have seen a lot about pygmy goats is whether they tend to have health problems as a result of their breeding.
This is common in many pedigree species, so let’s look into it.
Do pygmy goats have health problems?
In general, pygmy goats do not suffer disproportionately from health concerns that don’t affect other breeds.
Like most goats, they are hardy and healthy, and not prone to many bodily health problems.
Pygmies do suffer from conditions such as enterotoxemia, but this is a common thing among all goats and is easily curtailed with vaccinations.
Of course, many pygmy goats have also been bred for their beautiful long coats of hair. Any goat with longer hair is more susceptible to lice, but, again, this is very easily treated.
The other common thread when it comes to pygmy goats is whether they are okay to be kept inside or not.
Let’s consider this.
Can pygmy goats live inside?
My answer, and I would venture to say the general consensus, is no. pygmy goats are certainly small, smaller than many dogs that are comfortable living inside a house.
But they’re still goats.
They have just the same needs as other goats, if on a slightly smaller scale.
They need a pasture to roam, to forage for food, and in general to be outdoors most of the time.
Not to mention the amount of damage they would likely cause, even if inadvertently.
Pygmies are small, but they’re still not dogs or cats.
They need outdoor space just like any other goat.
A pygmy goat that lives outside will live a longer, happier life than one that lived inside.
Do not keep your pygmy goats inside.
Pygmy goats might be small, but that doesn’t make them house pets.
They are the same as any other goat in every other way.
If you’re prepared to look after several goats for as long as 15 years, then pygmies will make great companions for you.
If that doesn’t sound appealing to you, then as much as you might think pygmy goats are cute, they’re not for you.
Remember, the welfare of the animal is always the first and most important thing in keeping them.