| Small
Spotted Genet
(Genetta genetta)
Interview
with GBearcat@aol.com
Positives
of small spotted genets as pets?
Extremely cute acting, they love to watch everything their humans do,
and will roll around and act totally silly often for no apparent reason.
Extremely active, which can be considered pos or neg -- lots of fun to
watch as they race all over their cage. We've heard small-spotted's are
friendlier than large-spotted's, which tend to be nastier dispositioned
Negatives
of small spotted genets as pets?
Ours were never tame, so I can't tell how they would be as pets actually.
The males scent mark a lot, all around the sides of their cages. It doesn't
smell bad at all (genets are closely related to the civet, whose scent
is used in perfumes) but leaves a brown stain on the walls. If you get
it on your hands, it has an odor, but otherwise is not offensive in the
cage.
Anecdotes/stories
about your small spotted genet pet?
When they go to sleep, they really sleep hard. You can walk up to a totally
wild sleeping genet and touch and pet it, and it won't even wake up or
notice a thing. When they get scared or on the defense, a ridge of black
hair the length of their back rises, and they make a spitting sound. Otherwise,
never a sound -- totally quiet; for all I know, they don't even have a
voice at all, I never heard one in years of owning them. They are amazing
mousers, and love chasing anything that gets in their cage, such as flying
insects. They can spot something moving from 30 ft away, and be on top
of it in an instant.
Do they
have scent glands or an offensive smell?
Gland, yes. Offensive, no.
What
is their average life span?
Don't know, ours were caught in the wild, so were of indeterminate age.
Do they
enjoy interaction?
With each other, very much. Since they were not pets, I don't know if
they would with people, but they love to watch humans.
What
is their general personality, disposition, and attitude?
Sweet and cute, though we could never touch them without a nip. But we
always imagined one raised on a bottle would be a lot of fun, and a roomful
of little ones would be a total hysterical riot.
Are they
sweet and pettable, or mischievous and playful?
Ours were mischievous and playful.
How destructive
are they for an average household?
They would probably not be too destructive on purpose, such as deliberately
tearing things up, but they would be quite apt to knock things over, since
they race around and up and down faster than any cat could ever imagine
doing. They love to climb, and can cover the full length of a room in
about one second.
Do they
climb or tear up furniture?
Climb, yes. Tear up, no.
Are there
any problems associated with their claws?
Just like a cat's
How messy
are their droppings?
Not messy at all
Can they
be litter box trained?
Totally, they never miss, even the wild ones, and it didn't even require
a bit of training. They just took right to the litter.
Can they
be trained?
A bit, ours were trained to come in a small tunnel into the house through
the window on cold days, or actually any time they wanted, to a small
cage inside. Their main cage ran the length of the house outside, which
they definitely needed and appreciated -- the more room the better for
a genet, they love to run. A small tap on the window would bring them
running in, for a treat.
How are
they with other pets, larger and smaller?
Never came in contact with any.
What
size cage do they need?
Ours was 8 ft tall and 4 ft wide and about 40 ft long, plus the small
cage inside the house they had access to. It MUST have lots of ramps and
ladders and large tree limbs overhead for them to run around on, they
are not comfortable on the ground, and spend 99% of their time up high
in the cage. A heated area was not really necessary in our Oklahoma climate,
just a small sleeping box with carpeted walls all over that kept the air
out, with a cloth flap for a door. Ours could come inside the house anytime
they wanted, but usually preferred to sleep in their cozy padded box outside
instead of in where it was warm, though they would come in and out several
times a day just to see what was happening inside.
What
do you feed them?
IAMS dry cat food in the orange bag. For a treat, they love chicken gizzards,
hearts, and livers -- one or two every day, but not necessary.
What
vaccinations/vet care do they require?
Ours never had any.
At what
age would it be best to get one?
Younger the better for pet quality.
What
kind of person should own these animals?
Just about anybody -- they can be left alone for a while if the owner
wants a vacation. Easiest animals we ever had to take care of.
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