Living with Anteaters

Eldorado peed in his hammock the other night and didn't like the backup hammock or Pua's as they are to small. He's huge. He slept in his dirt box & made mud in is water(he's got a second bowl of water that is safe). So I spent Sunday making him another jumbo hammock, & made it a blanket hammock, open on two side instead of pocket. I was tired and sewed the top on upside down but he might not mind. It's a back up and I cleaned and mended his so it too is a blanket hammock. He likes it and has spent some time inside the blanket even.

I'm not interested

It's kind of hard to ignore

well, a quick sniff

Video of her checking out the hammock -

Eldorado in his hammock

Back after washing and modification to make it open on both ends.

Eldorado size

The hammock is 39 inches by 39 inches. I sort of measured him before by not touching him and the estimate was 19 inches which is about right as he takes up a bit more than half the hammock.

The night Eldorado didn't have his favorite hammock he "played" but it might have been more taking out his frustrations. I looked up and he was hanging from the underside of the shelf whacking at the hanging toy. Then he grabbed hold of it with both claws poking it. He stopped when I got the camera, of course.

Eldorado is an aggressive boy, especially food aggressive. Also if I pick him up with a towel he will attack the towel for quite awhile after I let go. One time I was moving a treat cup around from under the shelf and he pounced on it with his claws like a cat after a mouse. I thought it was just a fluke till he ran out of food last night. He acted like he was willing to kill me for a meal and was in a tizzy so had to carefully show him where the food was as he kept trying to get me through the bars till I helped him figure it out. Okay I know a once starved animal can be food aggressive but wow. I used to say I had never known or heard of an aggressive Tamandua and that they were strictly self defense but Eldorado has changed that. Vesteds can be aggressive.

We are making baby steps, I can touch him while giving him ketchup and last night as he was getting up and headed to eat the first time.

Pua in the safari hammock, otherwise known as the backup hammock

She felt I should have a treat bribe if I was taking photos

She got her treat

Video of her licking -

Hanging on the bars

somehow I hung it wrong and he couldn't lay on the branch so he did this instead.

Hope everyone had a good 4th. Pua likes to sit in the window and sniff and listen to the fireworks. She's not fond of the dogs barking though. She just jumped once when a boom went off real close.