Raising a coatimundi as a pet can be quite a challenge at first, especially if you are doing it for the first time. You need to know many important things. You also need to consider different sets of factors while doing this to ensure that your exotic pet doesn’t grow up with bad habits that could cause him some harm later on.
One of the most important things to know about raising a coatimundi as a pet at home would be to not overfeed your baby during a feeding. You should watch how much you feed your exotic pet because coatis generally continue to feed until they become very bloated. Overfeeding can cause inhalation pneumonia; loss of body condition; and loose stools. When you are finished feeding your pet coati and it is still hungry, you should wait 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 a day. You can increase this frequency as your exotic pet ages. Don’t forget to burp your coati pet after every meal.
The next important thing to know about raising your exotic pet would be the right time for weaning. This is generally up to the pet owner and may be based on their own circumstances. You should know that the more you bottle feed your baby coati, the less inclined he will be to eat 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 your exotic pet solid food, you can mix some apple juice with puppy food or monkey biscuits. Each coati is considered individual with their own unique taste buds. Some of the coatis’ favorite foods include pizza, cold cuts, newtons, blueberry muffins, watermelon, eggs, and bananas.
Vaccination schedules are another thing to consider. These should be the same with puppies and kittens. The first vaccinations and deworming are given at 5 or 6 weeks of age. After which, this is done every 3 weeks until the coatis reach the age of 16 weeks. Annual boosters and deworming are also highly recommended. Apart from this, coatis should also receive a distemper and parvovirus vaccine for dogs or DHLP-P and the panleukopenia vaccine for cats. You can deworm your pet coati with any good cat or dog dewormer.
Next, never use too many flea products because most of these things are toxic to exotic animals. If you have a pet coati that is less than 12 weeks old, it would be best if you spray Adams brand flea spray on a towel and wipe it on the skin. Don’t overdo this.
Lastly, if you have a male coati, neutering is highly recommended. Males that are intended to be breeding stock, on the other hand, must be dam-raised or placed in the breeding pen between 4 and 6 months of age.