Hi all, I am at a loss with my Coati, Harvey. I have had him for a year and from about 6 weeks old. All was fine up until about 8 weeks ago. When he very quickly and suddenly went off his food and started being sick and loosing weight. we took him to a specialist vet and it was touch and go as to whether he was going to make it. His kidneys had started to fail. The vets flushed his kidneys through and gave him antibiotics. Harvey started to pick up and started eating again but is very fussy and does not eat anywhere near what he used to. Also He is very small for his age and vet seems to think he is nearly fully grown so may have a genetic problem. Anyway about two weeks ago harvey's fur started to fall out and he is scratching the end of his tail so it bleeds badly. Any advise would be great as we have been trying everything that we know, we have been to the vets and looked up all we can online. Please if anyone has any ideas please get in touch. Thanks Simon
It sounds like it could be dietary. What have you currently feeding it? Have you just got the one ? It may be worth finding a friend for it as they are highly sociable and it could be a stereotypical behaviour leading to the self mutilation, if this Is not possible is it worth rehoming it to somebody with a group? Coatis are very active animals and need a lot of enrichment to keep their brain occupied, this could be a cause also.
Mirroring the kinkajou thread, I completely agree with stubeanz. I have 4 coatis (two pairs), and they do so much better with company. As far as the kidney thing goes....well that's a matter for you and your vet to deal with. As for the fussy eating thing....well it just so happens that I have the fussiest coati in the world. I don't know why, but it also got to the stage where he was losing weight. So I went on a mission to offer every kind of foodstuff going, and found a few things that he really liked. As soon as we hit on a regimen, he started stacking the weight back on again. His favourites are raw eggs (I've yet to find a coati that won't touch these), and bizarrely....tripe! Loves it. There's a coati FB group you could join with loads of friendly people on it that have good tips. https://www.facebook.com/groups/411054995610854/
Hi and thanks for the replies and THE FB group. We did do lots of research before getting our coati and as I said have had him nearly a year now. Up until the kidney trouble he was fine and would eat plenty. We were on the understanding that the males where actually solitary animals, but it could be an option to get a mate. It's not an option to give him to someone else though as we have got a really good relationship with him and spent lots of time with him. We have been trying all types of food but have to limit the amount of protein in his diet due to the kidney problem but will try the raw egg and tripe. He will eat melon, some dog biscuits, monkey nuts, cooked egg (but only yolk as does not touch the white), some cereal. he will also eat other treats but we limit these, he loves marshmellow. His diet now is not as health as it used to be but it was a case of just getting him to eat something as he was loosing weight and it was vet's advise. One thing I did read about was monkey chow. Has anyone used this in their Coati diet? If so did they like it? I have tried to find a supply of it in the uk but with no luck. Thanks again Simon
Have you tried whole frozen/thawed mice or chicks ? Generally natural whole prey has quite the allure if he has never been offered it before.
Whilst it's true that wild males are kind of solitary (although they often form bachelor groups), it's my experience that captive males do better with company.....stops the boredom. No need to cook eggs.....they wouldn't be able to boil any eggs in the wild. Raw is better, and he'll absolutely love it! If I were you, I'd try to remove the dog biscuits from his diet. For protein, you really need to be looking at meat, eggs and bugs/worms. Chicks are good (and cheap), rodents, and one of mine apparently likes a whole rabbit carcass (which I haven't given her yet). Also, as I've said, tripe really goes down well with one of my pairs, though not with the other. Stick with melon and monkey nuts, and I've yet to see a coati that doesn't love grapes. Also, try sugar snap peas, rambutan and lychees! I'd not bother with marshmallows either.....there really can't be anything good in them. For treats, try little pieces of dried fruit (those ones covered in yoghurt are great), or even small pieces of fig rolls. Another good treat that always goes down well are Petit Filous fromage frais for kiddies. Monkey chow is something that is recommended by US keepers, it's very hard to get here. But don't even get me started on american coati husbandry....they're generally incredibly cruel to their pets, advocating fang and claw removal!!!
Thanks again will try the suggestions. Totally agree with you about the fang and claw removal really cruel and un-necessary, I don't understand why people who have this done to their pets thinks it's OK. He likes worms and meal worms, used to love small pieces of fig roll and grapes but not so keen at the present time. Back off to the vets tomorrow for check up so fingers crossed. As I've said it is difficult because we have to really limit the protein side of things because of the kidney problems and obviously this has a knock on effect to weight gain and getting all the nutrients that he requires. He does seem a lot happier in himself at the moment compared to a few weeks ago though, so that's a plus, but does not look so good due to the lose of fur (which on further inspection seems to be through scratching rather than biting) which I have also been told by the vet could be due to the kidney problems and should improve with time as long as the kidneys are working OK. His tail is healing up too which is good as we have been uses antiseptic powers and creams which have lessened the itching I think. Thanks again all Simon
Hi. I read this thread with interest. I have a Coati who has the very same symptoms. He has dropped weight, become a fussy eater, started itching and losing fur and sometimes vomits after eating. I will take him to the vet to see if medication can help, but in the meantime I have been trying to find things he will eat. Although he was off colour and seemed unwell a few weeks ago, he is now bright and alert again but just not eating like he used to. He is over the age of 5yrs and I have had him for ten months. When I got him he was very fat, and had been kept in a small cage where he was circling non stop. Even when I let him free in the house he was circling on the spot for weeks before he started to exhibit normal foraging and exploring behaviour. Once installed in a large building where he could climb and dig and see outside he stopped circling altogether. He used to love bananas, grapes, dried fruit, chicken carcass, raw eggs, raw rabbit and day old chicks. These days he will still take eggs and chicks but he has nowhere near the appetite he used to have. I am interested to learn how you have got on with your Coati SJA. Many thanks.
Hi Unfortunately Harvey our Coati passed away just after my last post. According to the Vet, it would appear Harvey had a problem from birth that caused this. In the end I was having to give him fluid through a drip as he was not eating anywhere near enough. Funny thing was his kidneys picked up for a bit, but his fur was completely gone in areas and was in over all poor condition and he had a lack of weight. We returned to the Vet and he was now seriously anemic. So much so that there was nothing that could be done and the vet sent as home to spend our last days with Harvey. The Vet said that he was not in pain and would probably pass away in his sleep (which he did). Looking back with hindsight we feel there was a few things that we would have changed but do not know whether or not it would have made any difference. Harvey had the injection for distemper and was neutered. He also had banana and grapes which he loved. Given the chance again we would think very carefully about giving the injection and feeding so much banana and grapes (as grapes and raisins can cause renal failure in dogs. Bananas are high in Potassium, which is bad if you have kidney failure). By the way this is just personal reflection and not evidence based as far as Coati's go. After a period of time we found the house to be to quite and was missing having a coati, so we went and did what we said we wouldn't do and got Bailey. Bailey is great and totally different in character to Harvey. He is much more playful but also calmer at the same time. After a long discussion with our Vet we decided not to give the injection for distemper. Now this is a bit of a no win situation, we did not want to take any chances in case the injection had caused a problem with Harvey as it is a live vaccine. The problem with not giving it is that we like to take bailey out to the woods etc and if he comes into contact with it, it is fatal (The vet has stated that he has not seen a case of distemper for over 20 years in the area, so this helped to make up our mind, along with him not being keen on giving it). We are also not so keen on the idea of having him neutered just because if something does not need doing don't take the risk. If his temperament changes in the next few months then we will consider it. This time around we have been a bit more careful with the diet and do not feed grapes or bananas anymore (there is so much fruit and alternatives to choose from that this does not cause any problems to him and puts our mind at ease.) I am sorry to here about your problems and hopefully it is nothing to worry about but I think it is a good idea to get to the Vets for a check up. Are his gums pale in colour? If it is anemia and caught early they may be able to give iron, its just that they can not give transfusions for obvious reasons. Sorry I could not be of help and in fact probably worried you more but there are a lot of things it could be and most are easy to solve. Good luck with the Vet and hope all works out. Simon
So sad to hear that you lost Harvey. Thank you so much for your reply. Bailey is a lucky guy to have found himself with you. Paddington does not have pale gums. He seems pretty happy and lively at the moment. I have taken on board what you say about bananas and grapes. He actually used to gorge himself on raisins and dried mixed fruit ... I don't allow those anymore either. Thanks again for your reply. Jan
