I am 12 years old. I DO NOT want a monkey as a pet NOW. I do want one after I graduate college.
What kind would you recommend? What kind bites harder? What kind is smarter? Thanks for answering.
TO ALL THE PEOPLE WHO WILL SAY SOMETHING BAD ABOUT MONKEYS AS PETS!!
I will not get convinced, so do not waste your time writing all of the bad stories about monkeys. I have read a few, have done some research, because I was curious and want one AFTER college.
That is a very good question.
In the past few years my family has welcomed in to our family, many primates. As of now we have a Spider Monkey, 2 Capuchin Monkeys, and 2 Squirrel Monkeys. They are all very fun to have around the house but they are a HUGE responsibility. For example, we spend about $2000 a year on each monkey. This cost goes towards providing food & cage reparations for the monkey, toys & enrichment for them, and also there yearly vet check up. This is around $10,000 a year for all of our primates!!! Also, the monkeys themselves are VERY costly. Our Spider Monkey, Hansly, was $18,000. Our female Capuchin Monkey, Giselle, was $9000. The male Capuchin, Franky, was $7500. And we spent around $7000 on each squirrel monkey.
Although we can afford the costs, the average family cannot, and you must be able to afford for yourself first before you can even consider deciding on owning a monkey as a pet. Also, RESEARCH RESEARCH and do some more RESEARCH…
Now to answer your questions…
I honestly LOVE all my monkeys equal. They are all so much fun and entertaining and NEVER become boring for even the slightest minute of the day. They also all keep you occupied and on the go, there is always something extra you can do for your monkids. But, if I had to choose something for you, then I would go with a Squirrel Monkey as a first time Primate owner. Then I work my way up in experience for a Capuchin Monkey. Capuchins can be very demanding, and if you have a time consuming career, as you say you are going to college, are not recommended. Also, capuchins can become aggressive at times and are sometimes wild and maybe even uncontrollable. Not necesarilly females, but males sometimes. My female is the perfect little angel, she has never really done anything to upset us. We love our little Giselle… However our male Franky, has just turned 5, and he is a doll also. (Giselle is 4 btw) Although Franky is very playful and loving, sometimes he can become aggressive but nothing severe as attacking one of us! He has only scratched and nipped. I wouldnt call them biting because if he did bite, he could send one of us to the hospital, so he has only nipped. Franky also can get hyper when we play or wrestle around with him and he can get pretty fisty. But overall Capuchins, well you could say are my favourite. (I won’t get into Spider Monkeys that much because you didn’t mention those.)
Capuchins do bite harder, but they are a lot smarter.
Squirrel Monkeys, are also very loving as well. Squirrel Monkeys can be nippy when upset, but are mostly happy campers. As squirrel monkeys are smart, they are not anything compared to capuchins. They can obey commands but there attention span isnt as long as capuchins. (Like you wouldnt be able to hold your squirrels attention as long as a capuchins.) Also, squirrel monkeys are not as friendly around strangers, they are shy and more of only a one person or family pet. Capuchins will welcome a stranger more readily then a squirrel will but you must be careful because they arent like dogs, if provoked they may attack someone they dont know very well. And if they report your monkey, they could get it conviscated…
So that is just a warning….
Also, back to the biting harder issue. Although I said Capuchins bite harder, Squirrels are probably going to bite more often then a Capuchin will because of there small size and "shyness". Like our monkeys for instance, our capuchins haven’t bit us that much at all, or strangers. Our female has actually never been aggressive at all, our male has just nipped a few times here and there. But it has never been to the point to where people have been afraid of him.
So I would go with a Squirrel Monkey to get experience and then get a Capuchin monkey afterward. Unless you feel ready enough for a "female" Capuchin. Males can be intimidating at times, so Ive heard, although ours hasn’t done anything so severe.
Well I hope this answers your question, and I’m glad you made the right decision to waiting until after college to get one of these precious primates…
And also, vote NO to the Captive Primate Safety Act or else we will not be able to travel across state lines with our primates. =[
This act is now in progress and on the verge to passing, but we can only hope. =]
Also, I pray that you will get to own one, one day, because priamtes are on the verge to becoming Illegal in the United States…Not anytime soon, but you are twelve and it will be ten years or even longer untill you get out of college and are established enough to obtain and care for one.
Assuming that you have already done plenty of research, I won’t get into the care aspect of primates. Although it is really important, you can find it almost anywhere these days on the internet. And if you want, you can send me an e-mail and I would be happy to refer you to some good primate websites that will teach you how to be the perfect primate owner!
Well good luck, and yes, Primates really are the best in-home companions and would rather have a monkey anyday over a dog or a cat. Good Luck!
=]
January 3rd, 2010 at 4:53 am
Hello,
I appreciate you waiting until you are older and being mature about this, but I do need to tell you some things about them that you may not like, but no, I’m not trying to convince you not to get one, nor to get one. So I’m being neutral about the idea.
You have to realize, monkeys are troop animals. They have the same family for all of their life. But you can’t provide that. Sure, you will be a friend, but you need another monkey to groom, play, and just be a monkey friend for it. They are raised for 10 years with a regular family, then they go to some dreadful place, then they are placed with people, that don’t know anything about them and will unintentionally abuse them. That’s two different families, one dreadful one, and another that’s equally horrible! That’s not a stable or healthy life for a monkey.
If you or your family does decide to do it, there is really nothing wrong with it so long as you treat it properly. First of all, it’s not a slave. Do you seriously think it wants to just perform things all day long? It needs to have play time where it can get it’s energy out AND it’s important for monkeys to get enrichment. It’s very healthy for them. Enrichment is mental stimulation. You can mimic things that they would do in the wild. Sprinkle peanuts or rasins in the grass (or even on a shag carpet) and let the monkey forage for them. Stick peanut butter inside of a PVC pipe and let it dig it out with a spoon. There are lots of enrichment ideas. A monkey, just like you do, needs to have fun and actually DO things..
Also, you would need an outdoor habitat. I understand the monkey would have to be inside some of the time, but it’s nasty and cruel to soley keep them inside. They are wild animals. Let them be animals! There are many different ways to build an outdoor habitat. You could buy the supplies and build one yourself. You could order a corn crib from your local tracor store. You can buy a small car port and close the sides in with fencing. You can also buy tall chainlink fencing (with a roof) and attach it to a garden shed.
They also need to be on a proper diet, which does NOT include human food like cookies, chips, popcorn, chicken, hotdogs, etc. This will KILL them. They get diabetes 100 times quicker than a human. Sugary food, deep fried food, and junk food will kill them them. If it isn’t healthy for us, it REALLY isn’t healthy for them. They should ONLY eat monkey biscuits, fruits, and veggies.
You would need to do a lot of research. Not only about the program, but about the care of monkeys. ninety eight percent of exotics (such as monkeys and large felines) die within the first two years because their owners did not know how to care for them. We do not need anymore bad owners. But owners should be very educated beforehand. This is not a goldfish! This is an animal that literally has the mind of a two or three year old child, possibly older. They really do have emotions and feelings like love, sadness, excitement, etc. Even if you yell or fuss at them, it will hurt their feelings just like it would a child. You have to be extremely thoughtful about the way you care for them.
I don’t advise getting one, but you can do it if you have done a lot of research. It costs over ten thousand dollarss to most likely just get the monkey. But, to answer your question, Capuchin monkeys are easier to train and bite less, but all animals (including monkeys), bite.
References :
January 3rd, 2010 at 5:34 am
That is a very good question.
In the past few years my family has welcomed in to our family, many primates. As of now we have a Spider Monkey, 2 Capuchin Monkeys, and 2 Squirrel Monkeys. They are all very fun to have around the house but they are a HUGE responsibility. For example, we spend about $2000 a year on each monkey. This cost goes towards providing food & cage reparations for the monkey, toys & enrichment for them, and also there yearly vet check up. This is around $10,000 a year for all of our primates!!! Also, the monkeys themselves are VERY costly. Our Spider Monkey, Hansly, was $18,000. Our female Capuchin Monkey, Giselle, was $9000. The male Capuchin, Franky, was $7500. And we spent around $7000 on each squirrel monkey.
Although we can afford the costs, the average family cannot, and you must be able to afford for yourself first before you can even consider deciding on owning a monkey as a pet. Also, RESEARCH RESEARCH and do some more RESEARCH…
Now to answer your questions…
I honestly LOVE all my monkeys equal. They are all so much fun and entertaining and NEVER become boring for even the slightest minute of the day. They also all keep you occupied and on the go, there is always something extra you can do for your monkids. But, if I had to choose something for you, then I would go with a Squirrel Monkey as a first time Primate owner. Then I work my way up in experience for a Capuchin Monkey. Capuchins can be very demanding, and if you have a time consuming career, as you say you are going to college, are not recommended. Also, capuchins can become aggressive at times and are sometimes wild and maybe even uncontrollable. Not necesarilly females, but males sometimes. My female is the perfect little angel, she has never really done anything to upset us. We love our little Giselle… However our male Franky, has just turned 5, and he is a doll also. (Giselle is 4 btw) Although Franky is very playful and loving, sometimes he can become aggressive but nothing severe as attacking one of us! He has only scratched and nipped. I wouldnt call them biting because if he did bite, he could send one of us to the hospital, so he has only nipped. Franky also can get hyper when we play or wrestle around with him and he can get pretty fisty. But overall Capuchins, well you could say are my favourite. (I won’t get into Spider Monkeys that much because you didn’t mention those.)
Capuchins do bite harder, but they are a lot smarter.
Squirrel Monkeys, are also very loving as well. Squirrel Monkeys can be nippy when upset, but are mostly happy campers. As squirrel monkeys are smart, they are not anything compared to capuchins. They can obey commands but there attention span isnt as long as capuchins. (Like you wouldnt be able to hold your squirrels attention as long as a capuchins.) Also, squirrel monkeys are not as friendly around strangers, they are shy and more of only a one person or family pet. Capuchins will welcome a stranger more readily then a squirrel will but you must be careful because they arent like dogs, if provoked they may attack someone they dont know very well. And if they report your monkey, they could get it conviscated…
So that is just a warning….
Also, back to the biting harder issue. Although I said Capuchins bite harder, Squirrels are probably going to bite more often then a Capuchin will because of there small size and "shyness". Like our monkeys for instance, our capuchins haven’t bit us that much at all, or strangers. Our female has actually never been aggressive at all, our male has just nipped a few times here and there. But it has never been to the point to where people have been afraid of him.
So I would go with a Squirrel Monkey to get experience and then get a Capuchin monkey afterward. Unless you feel ready enough for a "female" Capuchin. Males can be intimidating at times, so Ive heard, although ours hasn’t done anything so severe.
Well I hope this answers your question, and I’m glad you made the right decision to waiting until after college to get one of these precious primates…
And also, vote NO to the Captive Primate Safety Act or else we will not be able to travel across state lines with our primates. =[
This act is now in progress and on the verge to passing, but we can only hope. =]
Also, I pray that you will get to own one, one day, because priamtes are on the verge to becoming Illegal in the United States…Not anytime soon, but you are twelve and it will be ten years or even longer untill you get out of college and are established enough to obtain and care for one.
Assuming that you have already done plenty of research, I won’t get into the care aspect of primates. Although it is really important, you can find it almost anywhere these days on the internet. And if you want, you can send me an e-mail and I would be happy to refer you to some good primate websites that will teach you how to be the perfect primate owner!
Well good luck, and yes, Primates really are the best in-home companions and would rather have a monkey anyday over a dog or a cat. Good Luck!
=]
References :
Private Primate Owner
(Yes, they were all purchased as babies if you were wondering)
(5-8 weeks of age)
January 3rd, 2010 at 5:44 am
Umm… I don’t appreciate Mackenzie stealing all of the information that I wrote to her! If you are insisting on using my information, you could at least cite it back to me. Plagiarism is illegal!
I’ll put it politely. I have 2 Capuchin monkeys and I have the scars to prove it. They bite, scratch, slap, pull hair, and scream. They hurt me all of the time! I’m OK with it, because I have an extreme tolerance level. Not everyone does though. Are you going to be able to handle it?
I would tell you some other information, but it seems Mackenzie has copied and pasted it all to you. IF you are insisting on getting a monkey, just please be educated. Way to many pet monkeys suffer and even die because their owners are not educated enough on how to care for them. If you have questions regarding their care, diet, housing, enrichment, behavoir, or husbandry feel free to email me.
Monkus83@yahoo.com
References :