Coatimundi Texas
Listed as a threatened species in Texas, white-nosed coatis – also called coati-mundis – belong to the family Procyonidae, a group of small carnivores that includes raccoons and ringtails. They occur largely in woodlands and canyons found in Mexico and Central America but have ranged northward as far as southern Texas.
Raising a pet coatimundi (also known as Coatis) can be quite a challenge at the start especially if you’re going to do this for the first time. You need to know a lot of important things. You also need to consider different sets of factors while you’re doing this so that you can ascertain that your exotic pet won’t grow up having bad habits that may cause you some harm later on.
One of the most important things that you need to know about raising a pet coatimundi at home would be not overfeeding your baby during one feeding. You need to watch how much you feed your exotic pet because coatis usually continue feeding until they become really bloated. Overfeeding can lead to inhalation pneumonia; loss of body condition; and loose stools. When you finish feeding your pet coati and it’s still hungry, you have to wait for at least 45 minutes before you can offer the bottle again. At 5 weeks of age, your pet coati should start eating an average of one ounce per feeding. You should feed your pet four times daily. You can increase this frequency as your exotic pet gets older. Don’t forget to burp your pet coati after each feeding.
The next important thing that you need to know about raising your exotic pet would be the right time when to wean. This is usually up to the pet owner and can be based on your own circumstances. You have to know that the more frequently you bottle feed your baby coati, the less inclined it’s going to be on eating solid foods. At 5 to 6 weeks of age, you should start leaving some dry puppy food for your exotic pet. When you start feeding solid foods to your exotic pet, you can mix some apple juice with puppy food or monkey biscuits. Each coati is considered as individual with its own unique taste buds. Some of the favorite foods of coatis include pizza, luncheon meats, newtons, blueberry muffins, watermelon, eggs, and bananas.
Vaccination schedules are another thing that you should consider. These should be the same with puppies and kittens. First vaccinations and worming are given at 5 to 6 weeks of age. After which, this is then done every 3 weeks until coatis reach the age of 16 weeks. Annual boosters and worming are also highly advised. Aside from this, coatis should also receive a dog distemper-parvo shot or DHLP-P and the cat panleukopenia vaccine. You can have your pet coati wormed with any good cat wormer or dog wormer.
Next, never use too much over the counter flea prevention products because most of these products are toxic to exotic animals. If you have a pet coati that’s below 12 weeks of age, it would be best for you to spray Adams brand flea spray on a towel and wipe it on its skin. Don’t overdo this too much so you do not cause harm to the animal.
Lastly, if you have a male coati, it’s highly advised that you have it neutered. Males that are intended to be breeders on the other hand, should be mother raised or should be placed in the breeder pen at 4 to 6 months of age.
Best Gifts For Coatimundi Lovers
You May Also Like This Article…
