Fumis as Pets
Despite their popularity as companion animals, fumis are rather high-cost and high-maintenance creatures to possess. Although the specific care requirements differs between breeds, the high cost remains a general constant across the entire species. This guide in particular will be focusing on the care fundamentals for the painted and dwarf breeds, since they're similar enough to lump the information together, although some care information can be applied to other breeds.
Feeding and Enclosure
Fumis are completely opportunistic omnivores that prefer fruits/berries/mast, fish, and (rarely) whatever other creatures they can catch. They prefer to eat whatever is most abundant and/or easiest to find/catch, so a fumi who is kept full with fruits + mast and the occasional meat for nutrition is not going to be a threat to other pets or livestock. Additionally, fumis who are raised around people and pets usually grow up having a sort of kinship with them, and will not view them as a food source (so, no need to worry about your fumi eating your baby or pet). Only in very rare cases (some wild fumis) has man-eating been observed. The sheer intake of food for a fumis daily diet is by far the most costly aspect of owning a fumi.
Smaller fumis may be able to live indoors, but it's very impractical since such an environment doesn't provide a healthy amount of mental stimulation for a fumi. The most beneficial enclosure for a fumi would include a large area of land to roam and search for food in (especially with lots of sand or loos soil and/or a sizable body of water to swim and fish in), some sort of structure for the fumi to take shelter in as needed, and perhaps most importantly, other fumis to socialize with. Most owners are unable to afford such an enclosure, and oftentimes opt to house their fumi in a local foghouse instead, a much cheaper if not free alternative to keeping a fumi at home.
Smaller fumis may be able to live indoors, but it's very impractical since such an environment doesn't provide a healthy amount of mental stimulation for a fumi. The most beneficial enclosure for a fumi would include a large area of land to roam and search for food in (especially with lots of sand or loos soil and/or a sizable body of water to swim and fish in), some sort of structure for the fumi to take shelter in as needed, and perhaps most importantly, other fumis to socialize with. Most owners are unable to afford such an enclosure, and oftentimes opt to house their fumi in a local foghouse instead, a much cheaper if not free alternative to keeping a fumi at home.
Understanding your Fumi
Although fumis are intelligent enough to be taught to vocalize their needs to us via chirping, any good fumi owner knows to learn their fumi's natural language first and foremost. A fumi's main form of communication is through subtle scents too subtle for the human nose, but a great deal of communication can be done through body language instead. See this section dedicated to fumi behavior and body language here. Being able to read your fumi in this way is essential to learning boundaries and developing a healthy and trusting relationship between the two of you.
Injury, Recovery, and Tail Dropping
Please see click this link here. To view the article on fumi injuries and tail autotomy.