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Ringtail Breeders

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Ringtail
(Bassariscus astutus)

Interview with Brian Robards and Christine Ham

Postives Of Ringtails As Pets:

• Small size, which makes them great indoor pets. The best procyonid for being indoors in my opinion. They can't tear things up like coons and coatis.
• Child-proofing is relatively simple.
• Easily litter trained. When they're young they eliminate randomly, but as they mature they'll have specific areas, maybe two or three depending on the size of the house or apartment, where they'll regularly go. It's the owners job to put the litter boxes in these places.
• They LIVE to play. They are very affectionate animals. Mine generally didn't like me out of his sight. They bond very easily when given love and several hours of interaction with their owner. Caution: They will attempt to rough house! It's a sure bet! I loved rough housing with mine, but most people probably wouldn't enjoy it. Try to not let them become accustomed to biting your hands in play.
• They generally have very even dispositions. When upset they almost always start grunting to let you know not to mess with them. Heed the warning or get bitten.
• They can be left intact and still be pet quality animals. If they're intact, this might make them less than desirable indoor pets. Both sexes will mark, but neutering/spaying should eliminate that behavior.

• They are wild animals, and thus, you can never trust 100%. I basically did trust mine 100% with me, but NOT with others. He was always a doll with other people, but I was still wary and close by to supervise.
• They will have a favorite. I wouldn't call them one person exotics, but I think it's likely that they will have a favorite person. They could bite your child or wife, while never biting you.
• Some ringtails may not be pet material. I think this is uncommon, but true.
• They are nocturnal. As pets, they'll probably get up and play whenever possible, but they're more active at night.

Is it a ringtail, a cacomistle or something else?
Many names apply to ringtails. It doesn't matter if you call them ringtail cats, ringtails, cacomistles, or a million other lesser known names. Ringtails have many "country" names that are combos like raccoon cat, coon fox, etc. They also have many Indian names which is what cacomistle is derived from. It means bush or brush cat. Cacomistle is the "official" name of Bassariscus sumichrasti, the Central American cacomistle. Cacomistles are basically not available as pets. Captive born ringtails are also rare, but are available in small numbers each spring/summer. They cost around $1,000.

Do they have scent glands or smell (like ferrets or gliders)?
Yeah, they have scent glands located in the anal area. The only time you'd smell it was when the ringtail became upset or scared. Otherwise, I thought Strahd smelled like a house cat. To me, house cats have no smell. Other people have commented to me that their ringtail has a slight musky smell. He did release his musk a few times, and I thought it smelled very much like an angry rat snake. Don't know if that comparison helps *L* The smell lasted between 15 and 30 minutes. It's not great, but at the same time it's not that bad.

How long do they live?
Generally for 12-14 years. Record longevity is 16.5 years.

I had talked to one breeder who said they were "nasty" and that I wouldn't want one.
This person was talking about the wild caught ringtails. They are generally defensive and unfriendly. Christine Ham is the only person I know who has semi-handleable wild caught ringtails.

Are there personalities like kinkajous? coatis? raccoons?
I think ringtails have even dispositions like kinks. They seem to lack the possessive nature of coons and coatis. You can take things from them without a fight. I didn't socialize mine that much, yet he never met a person he didn't like. Well, he did learn to dislike the vet. Ringtails have a high degree of curiosity, but they aren't nearly as good as coatis and coons at destroying things. They are small animals. They have a lot of character and personality like all procyonids.

Are they sweet and petable, mischievious? playful?
Females are sweeter than males. Either sex makes a great pet, but the females are sweeter and less hyper. The males can be bold and macho. They do LIVE to play, though. They love playing chase games, or with toys and other animals. If the other animals don't like the ringtail it may pester them. They will have their quiet moments each night, but they'll also be running around and investigating. They can be quite mischievious. Strahd always followed me around and wanted to know what I was up to so he could make it his business.

How destructive are they for an average household?
They love high places. They can be very careful moving in out of objects but I would be careful with favorite things that can be broken.

They are careful about where they place their feet and stuff, so they're pretty good at not unintentionally breaking things, but they are also mischievous and will break things intentionally. Your bottles would get broken. Yes, I think they would knock things off the mantle. Things like that are very amusing from a ringtail's perspective...lol Shoot, from my perspective too! I did away with many of my possessions. Into boxes they went! I don't call them destructive animals because they won't rip holes in furniture or walls, but they will destroy small movable objects. The heaviest thing mine ever moved was my VCR. He knocked it onto the floor. Thankfully, it wasn't broken, but I bet he sure was proud of himself! They are also thieves. Strahd had different places where he'd place just about anything. Forks, spoons, socks, pens, candles, keys, plus his toys. They will also hide excess food.

Do they climb, tear up furniture? Do they have retractable claws?
They can climb like hell. Excellent climbers. They prefer elevated places when resting. They could tear up some furniture by playing on it, but they don't sharpen their claws on furniture like cats. The claws aren't truly retractable - they just don't touch the ground when the ringtail is walking or running. The claws are very sharp. I've heard of ringtails scaling glass. If they are raised rough housing you would definitely suffer scratches and play bites.

How messy are their droppings?
Their drpppings aren't messy at all. Usually very firm. Ringtails are easy to litter train, and very faithful about using litter boxes.

Can they be trained?
Yeah, they'll learn the meaning of "NO", but that doesn't mean they'll respect it! If they aren't getting attention, they'll do what they want to do. That's how Strahd was, anyway. They can definitely be leash trained, but I didn't do it with Strahd. I've seen them on leashes in books and on TV before. I want to accomplish it with my next ringtails. It will probably just take time, patience, and positive conditioning, ie, giving them treats for being good, and lots of loving praise.

How are Ringtails with other pets, larger and smaller?
If they're raised with other pets, they should get along pretty well. Mine tried to be friends with my cats, but they wanted nothing to do with him, so he pestered them when he wanted to have fun. I don't know what predator type animal would be smaller than a ringtail. They look bigger than a ferret because of their tail, but they're about the same weight. If you have older animals I think the ringtail would try to be friendly with them, but they might not appreciate the new beloved baby, you know. It all depends on so many things, but if you raised a ringtail with a puppy, kitten, or other predator type animal, I think they'd be buddies.

What size cage do they need, if they receive several hours of interaction daily?
Cage size - the bigger the better - at least 4 feet long by 2 feet deep by 6 feet high. If you can go bigger great. Use multi shelves, branches, lots of toys!

What is the best diet for them?
Diet - this a funny area. Some people swear by cat/food food. But I don't agree - I feed mine Mazuri's Omnivore dry diet, plus fresh fruit, live mice, insects, cooked chicken, cooked eggs, yogurt, thawed mix frozen vegetables, -you may use a canned cat/dog food but only a small amount like a tablespoon a day. These guys balloon very easily.

Invertebrates make up almost 50% of the total yearly diet in nature. In the summer invertebrates jump up to 70% of the diet. So feeding lots of insects in captivity would be appropriate. There is also an insectivore food made by Zoofoods which I'm planning on using as part of the diet. Mice, fruits, bites of human foods, and Mazuri or Zupreem omnivore dry food will also be included. You could also use cat or dog food as long as the ringtail gets a lot of natural foods. I'm not going to use them myself, but I did with Strahd. Captive ringtails are prone to obesity, especially if fed too much cat food.

What vaccinations/vet care do they require?
Vaccines - another area that is hard to talk about. With research and my vets researching we believe that vaccinating is always not the safest way to go. Seems there is no vaccines that are made just for Ringtails. I would though make sure they are vaccinated for rabies - all you need is for a pet to nip someone and they cry rabies. If you decide to vaccinate because the area you live in is bad for certain diseases these vaccines are currently recommended : killed feline panleukopenia vaccines, killed rabies, MLV Onderstepoort strain vaccine or Galaxy 6 vaccine. Recently many zoo's and Veterinarians have been using avian cell line vaccines. Talk to your Veterinarian about vaccines and de-worming.

At what age would it be best to get one?
Ringtail kits are generally pulled from the mother at 4 weeks of age. This is when their eyes begin to open. I would get the kit between 4 and 8 weeks of age.

Other Considerations for owners of ringtails?
Always make sure they are legal in your state/county/city. Always have access to an exotic vet, and try very hard to locate vets who have worked on ringtails if your vet hasn't. They may be able to help your vet. Do you have young children or are you planning to have children? If so, it may be wise to stick with domesticated animals until they are older. This isn't a rule, but children and wild (or domestic) animals don't always mix well. Definitely something to heavily consider. Do you move often? If so, it could come between you and the ringtail. Holidays and vacations take on a new meaning when you live with an exotic carnivore.

What kind of person should own these animals?
This is a hard question. It helps to have patience, intelligence, perceptiveness, knowledge, and a willingness to get scratched, bitten and have personal property destroyed. In general, it takes a person who can sacrifice for the animal. If a person ends up with a de-clawed, de-fanged ringtail which is always in a cage, then chances are they weren't the right person for the animal.