Can you have coati as pets?

Answer 1

I have held a number of coatis over the years for a wildlife rescue group and the answer to your question is no. While coatis can become friendly and somewhat affectionate, they are still wild animals. They have instinctive reactions that they can not control and humans rarely recognize when their behavior will be misinterpreted by the animal and trigger an instantaneous and violent reaction. I have scars to prove this. Removing an empty food dish or feces from the animals cage can cause a nasty reaction. In most states where coatis live naturally, they are not allowed as pets and considered a protected species.