Many people have actually thought about the idea of a pet monkey at one point or another. Some actually go as far as to truly consider it. Exotic pets have become one of the most wanted and discarded animals in today’s society. The individuals who decide that purchasing a monkey is going to make their home complete are in for one rude awakening. Monkeys are wild animals no matter how many people try to tell you they make great pets.
They do not train the way a domestic dog or cat does, and are susceptible to a whole host of different issues. Taking a monkey into your home requires much thought and is a huge commitment. One needs to be realistic to them self if a monkey is the type of pet for them and education is the key to determining the truth.
You can expect a whole range of experiences when you turn your home over to a monkey. These are wild primates and need to be respected as such. Monkeys are used to social interaction with their own kind and can suffer greatly from not having that type of companionship or bond. This can lead to a lonely and neurotic pet monkey with uncontrollable behavior.
A pet monkey will require almost constant stimulation to stay healthy and happy. If you cannot provide this, your monkey will make due with what he has and can become very mischievous. You really want to be sure that you are ready for a pet that has no problem destroying the house without any warning. No matter what you say or do, your monkey does not care about your personal possessions and will love nothing more than to destroy them all in the name of entertainment. You will not be able to potty train your monkey either. Do not expect him or her to be like the monkeys you see on television wearing diapers, this will not happen. Expect to be cleaning urine and feces multiple times a day off of any surface for the rest of the monkey’s life.
A baby monkey is absolutely adorable and will be a cuddly companion for a very short time. Once your cute baby turns into a sexually mature monkey, things can go very wrong very fast. Here is when your monkey will now develop his or her own personality. A sexually mature monkey, hand raised or not, will have no problem attacking you at any given moment as well as all members of your home including infants and children. This is normal for a primate and is part of their natural make up to display acts of aggression, public masturbation, and sexual advances including copulation. If you believe you will raise him or her to the point of sexual maturity and then just hand your monkey over to the zoo, think again. Zoos very rarely, if ever, take a pet monkey into their care. These so called beloved pet monkeys have not been socialized appropriately with their own kind and are very difficult if not impossible to introduce to a well-established group within the zoo. The pet monkey has no idea what the “rules” are for primate society and can wind up badly injured or dead from introduction into zoo society.
You will want to consider how long you will have to care for your pet monkey. Monkeys can live 30-40 years and are a life long endeavor. You can expect to spend well over $50,000 in monkey maintenance for your pet. You will also have to consider the extra expense on an indoor and outdoor enclosure. It is imperative that your monkey gets all the room and exercise he or she needs to remain healthy and happy. You need to be prepared to offer your monkey a very diverse diet. It should include some for of primate chow as well as a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. Your pet monkey will also need a vet. This may be a task that nears impossible. Many vets will not take on a monkey as a patient due to their lack of knowledge on the species. You will have to be willing to travel to keep your monkey healthy.
With all that must be considered when getting a monkey as a pet, legality and disease are the most important. Your monkey can give you the gift of Herpes B, which is fatal in humans. You can also expect measles, rabies, hepatitis and more. These are known as zoonotic diseases, which means they are transferred to humans from animals. If you still decide to take your chances, you will need to be sure it is even legal for you to have a monkey where you live. You can be fined heavily or even jailed if you illegally bring a monkey to some places.
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