Pua on the wall

Well I wanted a fewnnec fox and to work with exotics but lived in CA. I moved eventualy to OR. When I was looking OR had a list of what animals you can have, can't have or need a permit for. Tamanduas were on the okay list.

Way back had seen the wild on the set with a tamandua http://babyitscoldoutside.net/video.html and remembered how cute it was in a parka. so I looked into them as a possibility for working with some day and the more I learned the more I loved them so Tamanduas became my top love and got a tamandua first.

I just stumbled across this thread.

WOW, that is a cute little critter! I had no idea they were so cute!

Are they bred domestically, or wild caught?

Unfortunatly most are still wild caught but with more research into their diet ect there have been more captive births and that is slowly changing. I tried to buy a captive born and bred baby from a lady who had a pair but she claimed she wasn't getting my messages and sold him to someone else.

I plan to get her a mate in the future. I also know someone kind of local with a male but he needs to grow up first. Then we will do our small part to help ensure their future in captivity and we will be educating about them in the wild as well.

She basicaly came right to me from the wild with a stop or two along the way. She was in ruff shape and so likely wouldn't have survived much longer in the wild. For a "wild" animal she is very loving. She has no want to escape either. When I take her in the yard when the weather's nice she knows her way right back to my door and when I take her out to pee at the shop when it's warm enough she also heads right back for the shop door when done.

I know how some feel about it and thought it over myself and decided I was fine with it long as I did something to help out. I can't feel bad about it myself. Aside from the fact I feel her life was saved by coming here they aren't excatly a prized species down there. One study showed they are tied with capuchin monkeys as most comonly killed as nusance/pest animals. They are known to wander into homes and trash/dumpsters also killed by hunters on sites for the mistaken notion they are dog killers. They can but only in self defense. Sometimes killed for food or tourists and as with most wildlife is most common to see them dead on the road than in the wild.

They are not endagered though or officialy threatened. The trade is heavely regulated and the amount they allow out gets smaller each year. So trade may be stopped in the near future.

Even on my Xenartha keepers forum(anteaters, sloths, and armadillos) there are differing views so I know how some people feel. But all species in captivity started somewhere. Even hamsters haven't really been raised in captivity all that long, a few decades.

But however anyone looks at it look on the bright side in a few years if all goes well you'll get to see baby anteater pictures :)

Sorry if that got to long winded but I just figured I would go ahead and explain how I saw it all before anyone commented. Most exotics are bred in captivity. Certainly no one prefers to get a wild animal over a captive bred baby but it all starts somewhere. The way I see it if I'm succesful in breeding it will help give others an option to wild caught.

Pua is beautiful..Love the pics...I see nothing wrong with what you are doing. If educating some people on animals like her you will make people want to protect them, then all the better. Lucky for you Oregon allows so many different kinds of animals to be kept.

Pua sure is a cute little thing. I really enjoyed the pictures and the video. Thanks for the info on her. She sounds like a wonderful pet to have.

Willie :)

Thanks.

That's why i moved to Oregon :)

Of course I think she's perfect but like with any animal exotics especialy there are negatives. Noctural isn't a problem for me but she's very messy with her food. Not just from spills but it's their natural instinct to claw at their food. She needs her tail oiled to keep it from getting to dry. And being a girl she has monthy female issues, spotting and restlessness. Their pee does smell skunky but she doesn't have a body odar that I notice.

She isn't really destructive and is gentle when playing but know of some others that aren't.

The only negs I count personaly are messy eating = lots of extra laundry and sometimes when restless she keeps me up.

To me she's the perfect pet and makes up for anything else in hugs and kisses and playfulness.