Why don't cheetahs do well in captivity?

Answer 1

It's not that they don't do well, they do. They are easily tamed and live much longer lives than their wild counter-parts. They don't breed well in captivity because of the different social behaviours of the sexes. The males are social, form packs, and establish a set territory. Females roam over a large range alone, avoiding the males until she is ready to mate. By nature, the sexes don't want each others company, so when they're forced together in a confined setting, they don't mate. To have a successful breeding program in captivity, the female needs a very large enclosure, and male cats only occasionally introduced.

Since her native range is about 14 miles square, or 196 square miles, minimum, or an area about the half the size of Texas at the maximum, your talking about a really big expensive cage. It's more cost effective to use invitro fertilization rather than create an adequate simulation of nature.

Answer 2

Mortality under captivity is generally high for cheetahs; reasons include stillbirths, birth defects, cannibalism, hypothermia, neglect of cubs by mothers, and Infectious Diseases. For more information see this link.

Answer 3

it still breeds the same way as in the wild because a cheetah in captivity is still the same animal as a wild one

Answer 4

Cheetahs are poor breeders in captivity, while wild individuals are far more successful.

Answer 5

Yes, cheetahs can reproduce in captivity.