# Any help from civet owners?



## genevie

Our family was fairly set on getting a genet, but unexpected circumstances mean I'll be moving out within a few months time, so I've been looking into Asian palm civets as they've been recommended to me by more than one person. I've done a lot of internet research and tried to make a little care sheet of sorts for myself based on everything I've found. I'm wondering if anyone who knows about APCs can help me out here and tell me if any of my information is incorrect, or if there's anything other important things I should add? 



*ASIAN PALM CIVETS AS INDOOR PETS [PARADOXURUS HERMAPHRODITUS]*

*ABOUT
*Asian palm civets (paradoxurus hermaphroditus) – also known as the common palm civet, musang or toddy cat – are small viverrids native to southern Asia. These nocturnal, arboreal omnivores are often found in the forests of countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, China and the Philippines, where they will live in, and feed from, fruit trees. On average, they can live from 15-25 years in captivity.

Asian palm civets usually weigh around 5-11lb (3-5kg). They’re typically 19-23 inches long (48-59 cm) with a 17-21 inch tail (44-54 cm). They have soft shaggy fur of a grey-black colouring, with facial markings similar to a raccoon’s. They also have sharp claws.


*BEHAVIOUR
*Asian palm civets have very diverse personalities. Sometimes a civet will enjoy sitting on their owner’s lap, being stroked and petted on their own terms. At other times, they would much rather play chase. What a civet wants to do is up to them, and they will not usually tolerate forced activity (i.e. being picked up and placed on someone’s lap). For the most part, they enjoy human interaction, and can become very personable. They will enjoy being involved in all aspects of their owner’s life. Asian palm civets have many quirky “games” they like to play, hiding and stealing being two of these.

They are not destructive animals are rarely use their claws to tear, but their arboreal nature means they often knock things over when climbing. They don’t usually initiate rough play, but their claws can inflict a nasty scratch at times. Gentle training can discourage use of claws on humans. They can also be trained to know their names, and use a harness. Nipping can be a problem during play, but they rarely draw blood unless threatened. Asian palm civets would also not be described as particularly loud animals.


*SOCIAL STRUCTURE
*In the wild, Asian palm civets tend to live alone and only come together to mate. However, in captivity they do fine in pairs or groups all year round. There are usually no problems with introducing new civets to current ones, but care and caution must be taken just in case.

Zoos and private keepers have also found that, in certain situations, they can get along with lemurs, servals, domestic dogs, coatis, wallabies, kinkajous and even tiger cubs. They should never be introduced to prey animals, however, as they are excellent hunters.


*FEEDING
*Asian palm civets are omnivores, mainly frugivorous. Their diet in the wild is about 65% fruit, 25% meat and 10% insects. This should be replicated in captivity where possible. It is best to feed civets in two sitting in the evening/night. Sometimes, keeping civets apart during feeding is recommended to minimise aggression.

They eat a wide variety of fruits. In the wild, primary sources are chiku, rambutan and mango. In captivity, however, they will also eat bananas, grapes, green beans, melons, apples, pears, plums, peaches, mangos, kiwis, pineapples, papayas and strawberries. They must be given a variety of different fruits daily, as too much of one type can cause stomach upset.

The meat in their diet can come from monkey biscuits, high-quality cat food, chicken, turkey, beef, chicks, mice or reptiles. They also enjoy insects and eggs.

As a treat, fruit juices can be given. Asian palm civets like human food, but this should be restricted as much as possible to prevent obesity.

Fresh water must always be available, preferably in a clean bowl or dish rather than a water bottle.


*HYGIENE
*Many keepers agree that civets do not smell much more than a domestic cat. When startled, alarmed or threatened, they may spray a strong popcorn-like odour from their scent glands. During mating season, they may also give out a musky odour.

Litter training a civet is possible, and usually quite simple. They are not known to have “accidents” once litter trained, but their droppings are usually dry and hard so are easy to clean up.


*REPRODUCTION
*In the wild, Asian palm civets usually give birth between October and December, but in captivity they can breed all year round. They reach sexual maturity at 11-12 months, and have a gestation period of 60 days. They should not be bred more than twice per year, and have an average litter size of 3-4. At birth, they weigh 0.09kg (0.2lb).


*ENRICHMENT
*Enrichment items are important to Asian palm civets, as they encourage natural behaviours and keep the animals occupied. There is a range of ways to enrich a civet’s life.

Civets may enjoy hearing the natural sounds of the Asian forest, as well as the calls of other animals. Care should be taken to make sure the sounds of predators are not heard, and if they are the civet should have a means of leaving the room if they wish.

Food can also be used as enrichment, to encourage foraging. Live insects are appreciated, as well as dried fruits, animal carcasses, whole pumpkins and watermelons and jelly (Jell-O). Coconut feeders and puzzle feeders can keep a civet busy for a long time. The owner must make sure they don’t feed too many enrichment foods to their civet, as this can cause obesity or tooth decay. New foods must be introduced slowly to about stomach upset. Any food given needs to be free of fertilizers and herbicides, and food that appears to be spoiling should be removed immediately. If animal carcasses are used, they should be previously frozen and cause of death must be known – diseased or chemically euthanized animals can harm a civet if eaten. There must always be enough food for all civets otherwise aggressive competition can break out.

And, of course, civets enjoy a variety of toys. They enjoy commercially available bird and cat toys, as well as balls, cardboard tubes and boxes, buckets, feathers, rope toys, bells, paper bags, ice blocks, rattles, spools, pine cones, tubs, carpeted cat trees and sticks. It’s important to make sure there are no sharp edges, or small parts that could be ingested and cause choking or impaction. Civets also like secluded sleeping places, so a nesting box would be preferred over a regular cat bed.


*REASONS FOR AND AGAINST GETTING AN INDOOR CIVET
*Civets can make great pets as they become comfortable around humans and enjoy their company. Their care requirements are not as difficult as some exotics, and are perfect for people who have most of their free time during the evening/night.

However, like any pet, they require patience, time and tolerance. They can be expensive, due to potential vets fees and the food they eat. Those who are house-proud would not appreciate the obvious odour of a startled civet, or their tendency to climb everywhere. Any room a civet will be in must be animal-proofed to make sure they don’t injure themselves. They can also inflict a hard bite if scared, so are not recommended to families with young children.


Thanks in advance!


----------



## 5plusmany

Did you put that together yourself? If so well done, it's very good! :2thumb:
I know squat about civets so cannot comment on the content but it's *almost* convinced me I want one :lol2:


----------



## genevie

Yep  all the information came from about 20 websites that I bookmarked as well as a long zoo care manual, I just bullet pointed all the relevant information I could find and then wrote it out. It's definitely convinced me! But that's if all the information I found was accurate, hopefully someone with more knowledge than me will stumble across this soon


----------



## genevie

Anyone? Perhaps I should PM this to some civet owners


----------



## The_Chosen_One

Admittedly we aren't civet owners yet but we recently put together a caresheet for civets for our own use using:
* the association of zoo's care sheet
* online caresheets and info
* advice from owners on here and EKF 
*from some science studies into the diet of asian palm civets in the wild and their distribution and activity
so hopefully that gives us some right to say your caresheet sounds pretty good. 
I know there is a lot of different info on how much meat they should have in their diet though, so i personally couldn't give an answer about that, but i would say the rest is fine :2thumb:
Hope this of some help/reassurance. Well done for putting it all together - I wish there had been something like this when we were first looking as there isn't much out there info wise. Happy to chat about civet care if you want to share any other info and for us to share any with you


----------



## tapirgirl19

Just created my own account so i don't have to keep using The _Chosen_One's account :mrgreen:


----------



## genevie

The_Chosen_One said:


> Admittedly we aren't civet owners yet but we recently put together a caresheet for civets for our own use using:
> * the association of zoo's care sheet
> * online caresheets and info
> * advice from owners on here and EKF
> *from some science studies into the diet of asian palm civets in the wild and their distribution and activity
> so hopefully that gives us some right to say your caresheet sounds pretty good.
> I know there is a lot of different info on how much meat they should have in their diet though, so i personally couldn't give an answer about that, but i would say the rest is fine :2thumb:
> Hope this of some help/reassurance. Well done for putting it all together - I wish there had been something like this when we were first looking as there isn't much out there info wise. Happy to chat about civet care if you want to share any other info and for us to share any with you


I asked Dave (animalsbeebee) to verify, and he said I covered everything correctly so I think I'm good to go with this info :2thumb: As I said in the other thread, I'd love to hear how you're getting on with your girl when you get her, experience gives a completely different insight than facts do!


----------

