Animal fancy is a hobby involving the appreciation, promotion, or breeding of pet or domestic animals.
Fancy may include ownership,[1] showing, animal sports and other competitions, and breeding. Hobbyists may simply collect specimens of the animal in appropriate enclosures (vivaria), such as an aquarium,[2] terrarium, or aviary. Some fanciers keep hobby farms, or menageries (private zoos). There are many animal fancy clubs and associations in the world, which cater to everything from pigeons to Irish Wolfhounds. Fanciers and fancierdom may collectively be referred to as the fancy for that kind of animal, e.g. the cat fancy.
Animal fancy includes the keeping of animals considered exotic pets; a rapidly growing[3] example is herpetoculture, the keeping of reptiles and amphibians.
- ^ Waiting for Wolves in Japan By John Knight, Oxford University Press 2003, pg 212 ISBN 0-19-925518-0
- ^ Pennak's Freshwater Invertebrates of the United States by Douglas Grant Smith, Robert William Pennak, 4th ed. John Wiley & Sons 2001, pg 468 ISBN 0-471-35837-1
- ^ Reptiles now more popular pets than dogs By Jasper Copping, The Telegraph.c.uk 2008