Other non domesticated exotic animals

Not all animals that the AAP foundation takes in are on the list of endangered species. All primates are, but there are still enough of the other non domesticated exotic animals in their countries of origin for governments to see the need to protect them. They can be traded freely without any demands on their housing, feeding or general care.

Certain animals, such as Degus and Prairie Dogs have become so common that one forgets that they are wild animals, which leads to all sorts of problems. Other animals remain tourist attractions, at most acquired by obscure little zoos or eccentric individuals. Once the little toys disappoint or the zoo has to close it is not at all easy to find accommodations for the cast-offs. Big zoos do not find them rare enough and their behaviour is too unattractive for private individuals. Frequently those animals have had many owners before they get to AAP.

Sleepy, boring and smelly: There is no other way to characterise a Civet. This South Asian animal with its beautiful, spotted fur is also named Coffee Rat because of its preference for coffee beans, of which it digests the pulp and secretes the core undamaged. According to the native population coffee beans that have been through this process produce the best coffee.

Like all members of the cat family, the civet is a solitary, nocturnal predator. But unlike our domestic cat that does not mind purring and playing during the day, the civet keeps strictly to its sleep-wake cycle. It does not show itself before nightfall. At most, it will, when disturbed while sleeping, show who is in charge of the house by spraying around some of its famous scent. This may be used as a raw material for perfumes but on its own it is intolerable.

The Common Brushtail Possum is an Australian member of the genus Trichosurus, a genus of marsupial. The Kinkajou, also known as the Honey Bear, is a South American mammal of the family Procyonidae that has a strong prehensile tail. Both are typical arboreal animals, which means they are agile jumpers and climbers, equipped with sharp claws with which they can pull themselves up on nearly any piece of furniture. Being nocturnal they are poor company during the day, though they are breathtakingly present then by means of their stench. The Common Brushtail Possum has a well-developed glandular field between the chest hairs, which it rubs against branches or other things; The Kinkajou uses urine to mark its territory.

The animals will never lose these habits, no matter how many scratch poles you put down for them or how many scented candles you light. Just as your house is not catered towards them, they do not take your LCD TV into account, nor grannys antique clock or the figurines on the mantelpiece.