Hello All: I don't frequently post here, but as I live in Costa Rica and do know something about Tayras, I may as well share it. Tayras are very much like domestic ferrets in terms of their temperaments. This is despite them being "wild animals." As they are not generally pets and unlike domestic ferrets are very skilled at living on their own in the jungle, they are of course under "normal" circumstances a much more predatory. Unlike the domestic ferret, they tend to not live in groups, but it is not strange for them to form groups of as many as four animals. Until domestic cats were introduced, many indigenous groups throughout the Americas frequently kept Tayras as pets because they were good at hunting rodents. The Tayra, especially one taken as a baby is comparatively easy to domesticate, especially if it has easy access to the outside. In this way they are more like "outside cats." Although it does still happen at times, Tayras are not anymore frequently kept as pets. To begin with, Tayras when kept as pets are of course not neutered, so they have a VERY strong smell which most people today find disagreeable, especially in our modern closed in homes etc ... Although the Tayra prefers a diet of small mammals, they are omnivorous. Would I recommend a Tayra as a pet? NO! Unless you live in the jungle in a more or less open space, this would NOT be a good pet. Cheers, Jay [Posted in FML 7104]