Description
Scientific name: Potos flavus
Life span: Up to 20 years
The kinkajou is characterized by a spherical skull, huge eyes, and a short and pointed nose. It has short limbs. They have a long prehensile tail with a total length of 39 and 57 cm. The body length measures between 83 and 132 cm. Males are larger in size in comparison with females. They have short and rounded ears that are 3-5 cm long. When exposed to light, their eyes display a radiant yellow and green. The tongue is easily extrudable, lengthy, and thick. They have a snout that is black or brown in color. Their paws have small but sharp claws. They feed on ants, seeds, spider monkeys, figs, honey, eggs, and fruits.
Native Region/Habitat
The kinkajou is native to Mexico, the Andes, and Brazil. They inhabit lowland rainforests, gallery forests, montane forests, secondary forests, and dry forests.
As Pet
Behavior/Temperament
Kinkajous spend their nights under trees. They move from tree to tree by using overhanging twigs rather than coming down from the upper branches in the forest canopy. In the daytime, they prefer to hide and sleep in tree holes or hollow spaces. They may utilize the same location or a different one every day. Some kinkajous build nests in coconut palms as opposed to using a hollow tree. Since their backbone is pretty flexible, they can easily tuck themselves into small spaces. At night, they come out and scratch the ground before starting their search for food. They return to a secure resting place before dawn.
In captivity, they become social with you and form a strong bond with you. They make a bond with about 1-2 people at the same time.
Care/Grooming
It is crucial to devote as much time as you can to bonding with newborns throughout the initial days. Feed babies by hand, and spend more time with them playing and unwinding. For a few days let the baby out of the cage so that it may become accustomed to humans and its surroundings and feel at ease. Nail trimming is important for their grooming because their nails are sharp and they scratch if they get a chance. Kinkajou needs a sink bath to remove dirt or dust trapped in the fur. Mild soap can also be used for such purposes.
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