- a female African Civet born in February of 1993 and arrived to live with us on
4/15/94. She was raised as a pet but when she was one year of age, she began chasing their toddler
around the pool making herself a persona non grata. We have been looking for a mate for her for
over two years.
The Civet is found from Senegal to Somalia and south to Namibia and eastern South Africa. The
African Civet is widely distributed in both forests and savannas, where there is long grass and
thickets for sufficient daytime cover. It seems to use a permanent burrow or nest only to bear its
offspring. It is a solitary animal but has various visual and auditory means of communication. The
Civet's scent glands have a major social role. It leaves its scent along paths to convey information,
such as whether a female is in estrus. It also has three agonistic vocalizations: the growl, cough-spit,
and scream, but the most commonly heard sound is the "ha-ha-ha" used in making contact.
The Civet's head and body length can be up to 36 inches, tail length up to 25 inches, and weight up
to 44 pounds. Its coat is black with white or yellowish spots, stripes, and bands. The long and
coarse hair is thick on the tail. All of the Civet's feet have five claws and the soles are hairy.
The Civet's diet consists of carrion, rodents, birds, eggs, reptiles, frogs, crabs, insects, fruits, and
other vegetation. After a gestation period of 60-72 days, the female will give birth to one to four
offspring. A Civet in captivity will live for about 28 years.
other civets at easy street
Stetson - a male African Civet joined our happy home on 10/15/96. He was purchased as a
mate for Rashid.
