# Kinkajou



## Hedgian (Aug 18, 2014)

I've been watching a few videos on kinkajous on youtube and I think they'd be really interesting animals to have around. So I was wondering if anyone here has a kinkajou? I highly doubt anyone does since it seems very few people have them but it's worth a shot.


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## Lita (Jul 10, 2014)

Kinkajous are wild animals and as such are a high level exotic requiring very special care, diets, and a vet knowledgable n their health. The vet will be the hardest thing to find, their diet will not be easy either. They may also be illegal in your area or require permits. You will also need the proper enclosure for them. If you have never owned a wild exotic of a similar nature then be prepared to do a lot of research. They will cost a lot to. And if you are not experienced with wild life rescue/rehabilitation, and again if you havn't had one or a similar wild animal then I would never recomend a rescue. You would need one from a liscenced and credible breeder, at a young age, as you will have to hand tame it and will need to be able to turn to the breeder for questions only an experienced owner would know. Rescue exotics can have major behavior and health problems, and some species of exotic can be very violent with those they were not raised with. I support responsible, informed exotic ownership, I personally want a Fennec Fox one day. But it's important to know how difficult and costly these kind of animals are.


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## Hedgian (Aug 18, 2014)

Lita said:


> Kinkajous are wild animals and as such are a high level exotic requiring very special care, diets, and a vet knowledgable n their health. The vet will be the hardest thing to find, their diet will not be easy either. They may also be illegal in your area or require permits. You will also need the proper enclosure for them. If you have never owned a wild exotic of a similar nature then be prepared to do a lot of research. They will cost a lot to. And if you are not experienced with wild life rescue/rehabilitation, and again if you havn't had one or a similar wild animal then I would never recomend a rescue. You would need one from a liscenced and credible breeder, at a young age, as you will have to hand tame it and will need to be able to turn to the breeder for questions only an experienced owner would know. Rescue exotics can have major behavior and health problems, and some species of exotic can be very violent with those they were not raised with. I support responsible, informed exotic ownership, I personally want a Fennec Fox one day. But it's important to know how difficult and costly these kind of animals are.


Yes, that's why I would wait until I am able to fully support it before ever getting one (which wouldn't be several years as I am still extremely young)


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## Lita (Jul 10, 2014)

My main point was the adopting would not be a good idea, but I kinda went on a tangent. It's good your young, you can do all the research now before you even have a chance to get one! If you haven't, you might be able to find breeders to talk to and get the good and the bad. It's always good to get the good and the bad about an animal and if you can find a breeder who will tell you as such then you'll be in a good place. And forums for exotic pet ownership. Those are great to because many exotic owners have multiple types and can recommend if a kinkajou would actually be a good fit for your personality, and if not then they might be able to offer similar animals. Do you have any wildlife/exotic sanctuaries in your area you can volunteer at? (if your old enough to, I am not sure the age restriction on volunteering at those kind of places) depending on the people you may get some negative response if you mention wanting to own one, but usually it's just because the people there have had to take care of many animals abandoned when the "owners" freak out over their newly grown raccoon destroying their walls. I joined fennec fox groups on Yahoo when I was in high school and most of them had more then one kind of exotic. I guess they are a bit addicting.


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## Hedgian (Aug 18, 2014)

I am sure there are a couple sanctuaries around here I am just not sure what they are, and if I can't apply to work at petsmart I highly doubt I can volunteer at an exotic animal sanctuary so I will just have to wait a couple more years for that!


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## Lita (Jul 10, 2014)

You'd be surprised, working and volunteering aren't classified under the same things I believe. In most places you cant work till you are 16 but I've seen volunteers much younger then that. You'd be doing clean up work, or preparing meals, things that won't put you in contact with any animals more then likely. I've seen exceptions but its usually when the person has been around the sanctuary for a long time or their parents are very involved. You'd need parent approval, I almost guarantee, or a parent with you, if you are that young. But that is something that will be specific to the individual rescue. Places like that love to have people who are passionate and interested in learning and working. It will make it easier to get a job as well if you show you have volunteer experience. Shows you are responsible and not afraid to get your hands dirty.


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## Hedgian (Aug 18, 2014)

I could work now at some places but I am only 15 so it's difficult to find work so maybe I will go find a sanctuary and volunteer to get some experience in.


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## MeinTora (Mar 19, 2014)

Our breeder owns a kinkajou! They call her Dahlia. They are amazing to watch, and from what she has told me they are a full time job...if I ever had the opportunity to rescue one I would, but I doubt I'd ever seek one out. Breeder practice for such expensive exotics (thousands of dollars) are sketchy. They also live for twenty years, so they are a serious commitment. But they are so freaking cute. I literally watched a five minute video of her eating a banana, and it was face meltingly cute. Her kinkajou is still very young and she is very infant like! She needs to be burped, bottle fed...lots of work.


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## rudecrudetattooedfatgirl (Aug 30, 2014)

One way you could get experience is finding a business that does wild animal shows, there's one here in Indy called Silly Safaris and they have a kinkajou. You could find something like that and apply for a job with them. You'd have to deal with various other animals too, so if you're squeamish about snakes or frogs maybe not, just an idea though.


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## Vegn (Jan 2, 2014)

Wildlife shows are either good or bad. Like, they actually care about the animals or they use them for profit. There aren't many that are in the middle of good intentions bad care. If you want to work with one, really look into it. I don't know about kinkajou's but look at something like a sugar glider or prairie dog first. They are exotics but not as exotic as kinkajou's and at the very least would be a stepping stone. We almost got sugar gliders once. Very sweet and SO SO SO soft. Also they are adorable. They need special food, large cages, and many things that would help prepare for a larger exotic but also make nice pets that live about as a long as a cat or dog, 12-15 years.


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## Hedgian (Aug 18, 2014)

Vegn said:


> Wildlife shows are either good or bad. Like, they actually care about the animals or they use them for profit. There aren't many that are in the middle of good intentions bad care. If you want to work with one, really look into it. I don't know about kinkajou's but look at something like a sugar glider or prairie dog first. They are exotics but not as exotic as kinkajou's and at the very least would be a stepping stone. We almost got sugar gliders once. Very sweet and SO SO SO soft. Also they are adorable. They need special food, large cages, and many things that would help prepare for a larger exotic but also make nice pets that live about as a long as a cat or dog, 12-15 years.


I did almost get a sugar glider a bit ago but then there was an emergency with a rat (who is now my rat: Blaze) so we scrapped the idea of getting one. Maybe sometime in the future though.


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## JessYep (Apr 27, 2014)

Yes, I have one. Here are some picture! Her name is Lea and she is 3 years old.


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## SaraLovesRats (Jan 11, 2015)

Wait is a kinkajou a monkey? Or if not what family would they be categorized under?


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## Hedgian (Aug 18, 2014)

I don't think it's related to monkies anyway. It's a marsupial so if anything it's related to anything with a pouch (Sugar gliders, kangaroos, koalas(?))


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## Hedgian (Aug 18, 2014)

@Jessyep
She's adorable!


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## SaraLovesRats (Jan 11, 2015)

Hedgian said:


> @Jessyep
> She's adorable!


Huh I'm gonna do some research now I'm curious as to what these things are lol


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## TattedRat (Jan 28, 2015)

Kinkajou's are very exotic. As Lita mentioned, it may be illegal in your area. Most states require and exotic pet permit. The link I will provide will show you what your states status is. I'm from CT were you cannot have any exotic animals at all. Some states require permits, some don't, and some ( like CT ) you cannot have any. Since you are young, do tons of research. Try and volunteer at an animal sanctuary as others have suggested. You will find out how much harder it is to own an exotic animal like the Kinkajou. With dedication and knowledge, you can become a great owner of one of these animals if you eventually choose to. Just keep in mind that they live 20-25 years, so its a long dedication. & Don't forget, they come from the rain forest so you would have to mimic that environment to keep them happy and healthy! Hope this helps a tad! Xox

http://www.bornfreeusa.org/b4a2_exotic_animals_summary.php 

This is a "care sheet" giving some more info on these animals

http://www.juliesjungle.com/documents/kinkajou care sheet.pdf


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