Yeah, unfortunately, the little guy passing always going to be something you're going to have to prepare for. It's going to happen eventually. I don't even know how long they live.
First video I saw from your channel was the video of you feeding Kemo different fruits. I loved the video so much I checked out the rest of your videos and have been subscribed since!!
How. I love that you refer to him and the others as a being. Perfect! It is a joy to watch Kemo and you interact. To hear him talk/respond to you! Gave sent this video to many friends. Grateful you are there!!
His quills are partially up pretty much all the time, even when he's just chilling and doing things on his own. His quills do go up higher and straighter and he'll include his longest midsection quills and tail quills when he gets started or upset (like if he hears the vet). So there's defintely a difference between upset and not upset and his quills being partially up might be just part of his personality. There are some coendous who keep their quills really flat and others who keep them a little looser. Kemosabe's quills don't even get as flat as some when he's deep asleep.
Can I ask a dumb question? Do prehensile-tailed porcupines actually made those cute little squeaking noises? Because I've seen a lot of prehensile-tailed porcupine videos, and kemosabe is the only one I've seen make those noises. Also, you can't see it, but I'm wearing the official kemosabe shirt right now.
I wonder how much happier the crate makes kemo? Because it's ultimately his choice to walk in, and he made that very clear by refusing to walk in for 2 months! So he probably feels in control about the crate, and feels like he can communicate his displeasure by not going into the crate. Also, how the heck do you trim a porcupine's tooth that doesn't like being touched??
How would Kemosabe feel about a cat tree or other vertical climbing toys? Can he climb straight up or in his old age does he prefer more gentle slope climbs?
He can climb straight up and I think he'd enjoy a cat tree. Buuut, Kemosabe also pees on all of his things and there's just no way we could keep a cat tree from soaking it all in. Gross.
Kemosabe does shed his quills. We've collected them for years and you can actually get your own Kemosabe quills from our Animal Shop if you want! Find the Shop on our website animalwonders.org :)
Thanks for asking. It does help him grab bits of food and pull it into his mouth. His lips aren't like ours so, it would be more challenging to eat without the tooth. However, the main reason is because it's still healthy and strong. Rodent incisors are anchored deep and that tooth actually goes back about an inch into his gums and is right next to his sinuses. Pulling an incisors is a major surgery and very risky. The chances of infection are high because of the big hole it leaves behind and bacteria can easily propagate in deep dark wet holes. When his last bottom incisor became unstable and needed to be pulled, it took over 10 months to clear the recurring infection and we were very worried he wouldn't make it. So we're definitely not in a rush to relive that time and I really hope his last tooth stays intact for years to come.
