Living with kinkajou as pets can be a challenge. However, by making a few adjustments, living with one of these playful raccoon-like mammals, also known as "honey bears," can be fun and rewarding. Here are a few tips to make life with a kinkajou as a pet more fun.
Let Them Be Nocturnal
Let your kinkajou be nocturnal.
Don't try to make it stay awake during the day while you are active. A kinkajou is most active between 7 p.m. and midnight. Plan your time with your pet during that activity window and you will both enjoy it more. Trying to change their being nocturnal can cause them to become stressed and sick. Also, they are active just before daylight. If you are up during this time you can enjoy more time together.Hand Feed
Does your kinkajou throw its food everywhere and then you spend hours cleaning it up? Just hand-feed it a piece at a time. Once the kinkajou eats that piece, feed it another. It can be a kind of game you play together and constitute some of the time you need to spend with them each day. Only having one piece at a time will keep the kinkajou eating instead of throwing.
Water Everywhere
Does your kinkajou dump its water every time you fill the dish? Get a heavy water bottle with a sipper tube. Teach your kinkajou to drink from the sipper tube. They can't dump the water but can still get the water they need. You will need to check the bottle regularly if you can't see through it to ensure there's an ample water supply available to your pet.
Plan Time Together
Kinkajous are like babies -- you need to spend time with them.
Plan to spend at least two to three hours with them every day. You can take them outside, because they tend to stay with you and not run off. Or just spend time cuddling and being together inside. Your time of feeding them and cleaning their cage can be part of your time together.Give Them Toys and Playthings
Kinkajous get into trouble when they are bored. Keep them interested in playing with lots of toys, provide them with objects to swing on and climb, and give them time to play outside of their cage. Make sure they have room to climb high also.
A kinkajou makes a great exotic pet. Kinkajou as pets are good for people who work and are home at night. But be warned: Kinkajous require effort. For example, kinkajous need their nails trimmed once a week, for both your and their protection.