OMG!!!! THATS SOO MEAN THAT YOU TRAP AN WILD ANIMAL AND PUT IT IN A SMALL CAGE!!!!! JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE CUTE DOES NOT MEAN YOU SHOULD GET ONE!!!!! PANDAS ARE CUTE, DOES THAT MEAN IM GOING TO BUY ONE!? NO!!!!!!!!!! AND THEY ARE ILLEGAL IN CERTAIN STATES.
Im sorry for all caps but is WRONG to keep a wild animal as a pet!!
Maybe you dont get what im trying to say. But even you know its wrong to keep a monkey as a pet! i mean they don't deserve to be trapped in an unfimilair place. PLEASE DONT get one!!!!
There is something irresistible about an infant monkey - they appear so sweet and helpless, and seem so much like a human infant in many ways. However, those sweet babies grow up into difficult adults, and as a general rule adult monkeys do not make good pets. Their intelligence makes them special, but ultimately makes them very challenging pets.
Note: this article was originally written about keeping monkeys as pets, but the issues are equally as important (possibly more) when it comes to apes (chimpanzees, orangutans, gibbons). Monkeys are a group of animals belonging to the order Primates (which of course, includes apes and humans) -- and the points made here can be applied to all non-human primates.
Commitment
Taking on a pet monkey is a long term commitment. A well cared for monkey can live anywhere from 20-40 years, and needs your full commitment throughout their lives. A pet monkey cannot do without your attention when life gets busy or circumstances change.
Monkeys may not take well to new people in your life (including spouses and children), and make it hard to get away for vacations. Finding a new home for a pet monkey is extremely difficult, and very hard on the monkey which has bonded to its first owner.
Monkeys are expensive to house and feed, and some require specialized diets that can be time consuming to prepare. A significant commitment of time is needed just for routine care and cleaning up after a pet monkey, but more importantly a monkey needs a large amount of social interaction and attention from the owner. A pet monkey deprived of your time and attention will only develop severe behavior problems and psychological issues.
Legal Issues
Primates including monkeys may be illegal to keep as pets in some areas. Many states prohibit keeping primates as pets. If legal, permits may be required, and sometimes permit holders are subject to inspection for proper facilities and care.
Medical Issues
A wide range of diseases can be passed from monkeys and other primates to humans. See "Zoonoses Acquired from Pet Primates" by David M. Renquist, D.V.M., M.A. and Robert A. Whitney, Jr., D.V.M., M.S. for a thorough discussion of this aspect. Finding a vet who is able and willing to treat a primate may also be difficult. Monkeys and apes are also susceptible to a variety of illnesses of humans, which can be devastating for the monkey.
Aggression
The sweet dependent baby monkey will eventually grow up, and become the wild animal it was meant to be. Unfortunately, raising a monkey around humans doesn't change the wild nature of monkey, and in fact depriving a pet monkey of normal social relationships with other monkeys can create behavior problems and neuroses.
Pet monkeys also have a tendency to bite. They have different personalities so one cannot generalize, but some monkeys will be very aggressive, and others will be more docile. Nevertheless, monkeys are unpredictable and may turn aggressively on anyone, including the person to whom they are the closest.
The Mess
Monkeys are messy. They can't really be effectively toilet trained (many younger monkeys can be diapered or at least partly toilet trained, but that is often lost at maturity) and sometimes engage in distasteful activities involving their feces and urine.
Aside from the toileting messes, pet monkeys can be extremely mischievous and destructive, especially if bored.
Housing
Monkeys need a large secure enclosure and should spend time outdoors too if possible. They must be provided with a wide variety of ever changing toys and exercise equipment to keep them challenged and stimulated, or they will suffer from boredom.
Pet Monkey A Reality Check
Written for Monkey Matters Magazine and the International Primate Association
Can monkey care be a positive experience? Yes, but only if you are committed, well-prepared, and well-informed ahead of time. To what degree is this possible? What if monkey care is harder than you though it would be? Are you flexible in your expectations? Will you remain committed in the face of all difficulties? The "Caretaker Rating Chart", on the following page, should help you answer these questions.
Is it possible for monkeys to receive excellent quality care and enjoy a fulfilling lives as pets? Yes, but realize first that monkeys are complex social/emotional animals that can best be termed as "high-care/high-need", "difficult" pets. Difficulty levels vary between species and individuals, larger monkeys generally being more problematic in some respects and smaller ones in others. In reality, it is unlikely that most people will be the highly motivated, committed caretakers required to provide for a monkey's lifetime needs.
The Caretaker Rating Chart lists 50 questions for the would-be monkey owner. --Why all the questions? The job of caretaking a monkey should not be taken lightly. It is very traumatic for the highly intelligent and sensitive monkey to receive poor care or to be rejected, given up and bounced to new, unfamiliar homes.
The chart will help you become aware of your own possible shortcomings as a caretaker. For example, monkeys spend most of their life-span in their adult years, so if you don't like adult behavior (prefer infants) another type of animal would be better for you. A chart cannot be all inclusive. Use the Caretaker Rating Chart simply to help you determine your possible aptitude and ability to set up coping strategies for dealing with complex monkey care and behavior.
BUT FIRST--Here is a long, hard look at some of the concerns monkey owners find themselves face to face with. Take a close look. If you are serious about monkeys, you'll be glad you did!
Be Prepared!
First of all, find out whether monkeys are legal in your state, county, city or town. Monkey ownership may be regulated against on any level of government. Federal licensing does not obviate the need for state licensing. State licensing, where required, does not satisfy requirements for county, city or town permitting. The right to legally own monkeys may be outlawed at any time on any level without wide spread public notification. Illegal monkeys are denied vet care in some states. Some states have the right to confiscate and keep illegal animals, and fines and sentences can be levied. At one time, the state of California wanted the right to confiscated and euthanize illegal monkeys. The animal rights/animal welfare movement has been empowered by the public and continues to work against the legal right for private citizens to keep monkeys. Fear by the public of shared monkey/human diseases is also a motive for outlawing monkeys. Monkey ownership has increasingly been regulated against on all levels of government in most states.
Where permits are obtainable, yearly fees may be required. Paid inspections or unannounced government agency inspections may be part of a permit requirement. To determine the status of monkeys in your area, check with your state fish and wildlife department, with your county animal control or humane society, with your town or city planning commission or other local government agencies. The burden is upon you. State agencies are not held responsible for inaccurate information. If you are able to get a permit--take steps to ensure your monkey permit will be grandfathered in the event that the law changes. If buying one monkey now, ask if you can qualify for a "pair" permit, so that you can legally acquire a second monkey as a social companion later even if the law has changed.
The Quality, Committed Caretaker--Are You Suited For the Job?
Taking care of a monkey is not a simple task. Monkeys have complex social/emotional needs that change with their different life-stages. Monkeys do best with patient, well-educated, mature caretakers who have creative problem solving skills--ones who are committed for the long haul and want to give monkeys a permanent and satisfying home. Caretakers best suited for the job tend to be people who have had positive results (1) parenting children, or (2) working with other intelligent social creatures such as dogs or parrots, or other exotic animals. Monkeys do best with "foreground", not "background" attention to their needs. Still, in terms of potential difficulty, no other animal can equal a monkey. A monkey's greater intelligence brings with it a greater capacity for unexpected or difficult behavior and also a greater capacity to suffer when relegated to a poor or inappropriate life-style.
Monkeys As Part of the Family?
Monkeys complicate family life. Often dealing with a growing monkey has the same effect as dealing with a difficult child. This is especially true of capuchin sized monkeys and larger. Monkeys may divide up the family buy having different relationships with each member--liking one member above all others--usually the most dominant adult or by scapegoating or picking on the least favorite person--usually the weakest or youngest family member. Maturing monkeys may become aggressive more easily in the presence of two or more people and may have to be handled by allowing only one person in the room at a time.
Can You Meet A Monkeys Complex Social/Emotional Needs?
Monkeys thrive only when their social needs are met. Companionship may come in the form of another compatib