Agouti Update

[dani]

I just wanted to give everyone a little update on my agouti, he's quite a big boy now, and a very interesting and unusual animal. He's out of baby- hood, although he will get quite a lot bigger, but he is certainly not fragile and delicate anymore. He's a robust, sweet, friendly fella with a trusting personality. I know a lot of you might never have seen an agouti... so here he is:)


http://picasaweb.google.com/danielle.liesel.86/Agouti

[Bomom]

Wow cool looking critter! Does he roam around the house like a cat or is he kept in a pen?Does he interact with you? Sorry for all the questions but I'm curious 8)
How much bigger will he get? Thanks for sharing him with us.

[dani]

I keep him in a big cage and we let him out supervised, I'd like to have him roam around but he's like a mutant rabbit :) He can jump really high, and he would eat through all our furniture. I think he'll get quite alot bigger, as big as a small to medium sized dog. I've seen them get pretty large in the wild, but I'm not sure if he'll be a bit smaller because he's lived his entire life in captivity. My little dog is terrified of him :lol. He's a nice boy though, he likes head and tummy scratches, and he will give us the occasional lick to show affection. Most of all, he LOVES to eat, he gobbles through fruit, veggies and rabbit mix like there's no tomorrow, i think the day we took the pics he actually ate a hole in my brother's pants....

[Aquiel]

What an interesting little thing.... very cute!

[wilkiecoco]

ummmm.........he looks like a very very very large rat or mouse!! he is such an interesting animal, and you're right, i had never seen one before.

are you going to be keeping him with you, or is will he be able to be released back into the wild?? :)

[LauraO]

WoW! Thanks for the pics. I've never seen one of these creatures. I can't believe how big he'll get. He's definately cool and is lucky to have all the food and love your family is giving him:D .

[beckyg]

Very interesting animal. I just read that they are related to guinea pigs (random thought *smile*).

Does he have a name?

Thanks for sharing him with us!

[butterfly1061]

Wow! :omg: I've seen them on documentaries before, but never thought of them as being someone's pet. They are larger than I thought. Will he be a pet for life now?

[dani]

His name is Aztec and he had a sister named Inca who died sadly, but most of the time he is lovingly called Mr. Agouti or Stinky:lol.

He is pretty much a big, wild guinea pig!!! Some people are scared of him and think he's quite ugly, but we've had him since he was a wee baby, and we think he's beautiful. He's very sleek and shiny. He is a bit rat- ish though. I never thought of them as pets either, but he was a little orphan and i dropper- fed him for months, mashed mangoes and bananas for him and provided him with comfort and warmth, and now he's surprisingly tame. Yes, he will remain our pet, we've grown very attached to him.

Originally I wanted to release him into a wildlife sanctuary, but I was told that his chances for surviving in the wild would be slim because he depends wholly on people for food, and will probably starve in the wild. Aside from fruit, veggies and pellets, he's a big fan of pancakes, scrambled eggs and birdie bread :lol Don't think he'd have gotten that in the wild...

[butterfly1061]

Dani,

How long do they live? What animals are they related to? He's very interesting.

[dani]

They have been known to live up to 15 years or so in captivity I think. He is related to all the bigger rodents, but also similar to the hare, when his sister died I read up on raising orphan baby hares and that's what I think kept him alive. I forgot to mention that he whimpers like a puppy when he's hungry... very cute. And when he's pissed off, he raises up all the long fur on his rear end, and thumps his foot really loudly.

[Bella]

What a wonderful boy. I like agoutis.

[carrier]

He is related to all the bigger rodents. very cute. And when he's pissed off, he raises up all the long fur on his rear end, and thumps his foot really loudly. :rofl: :rofl:

I would love for my new 4-month old scottie dog, Gracie, to see one of them.. He looks bigger she is! I wonder if her ratter instincts would take over or if she'd be all submissive with him like she is with everyone/thing right now! :lol :lol

He does look like a giant rodent with super long legs and no tail. I like him! :D

[dani]

He has a weird little tail... it's about an inch and a half long, and hairless... to match his status as a weird little animal :D

He is a cool guy... it always surprises me the capability of animals to receive love and to return love.