Monkey Business: Is A Monkey The Right Pet For You?

As a young kid living on Florida's West Coast, I felt like a fish out of sea. My parents and I relocated from New York. Many things took some getting accustomed to, and I was not a fan of the heat or the bugs. I will be eternally grateful to whomever developed air conditioning! Then there were things that helped me accept any flaws. To mention a few, the informal lifestyle and clothes, beaches, and fishing. One of the things I liked most about Florida was that it was free of many of the laws and limitations that East Coasters were and still are subjected to. Even in the early 1970s, you couldn't stroll into a pet store in New York or Long Island and buy a monkey. You may, however, do so in Florida.

There was a period when you could make many options for yourself before the government decided to determine all of our decisions for us. This includes the sort of pet you wanted to buy or adopt. Unfortunately, some individuals ruined it for honest, genuine, and caring pet owners... People who chained their dogs to a tree all the time, maintained an alligator in their pool, housed a tiger in their flat, or utilized their home as an animal rescue center, maintaining hundreds of badly fed cats in a very unsuitable situation... Now, I'm not suggesting there shouldn't be rules prohibiting some sorts of wild or exotic animals from being kept as pets. What I mean is that if the government prohibits individuals from keeping animals because they are endangered or, in the judgment of some "expert," may be mentally harmed by living with humans... they are barking up the wrong tree.

I was fourteen years old when I strolled into a Florida pet store and spotted a squirrel monkey in a little cage. There was no neglect or abuse in this instance. This is a common ploy used by pet retailers to get you to purchase one of their more expensive or difficult-to-sell items. So says my father, and he was right. After another week, the monkey was still there when I returned. It didn't cost much at $25, and the business was eager to get rid of it. It was a period when there were few visitors in town, making it more difficult to sell. Most of the residents were elderly and did not want the inconvenience of having a Primate as a pet. Furthermore, the monkey was not very effective at self-promotion. It had just been weaned when it was taken from its mother, given injections, and sold to a pet shop for resale. As a consequence, the animal became skittish, skiddish, and terrified.

I went to the library and conducted some squirrel monkey research before eventually purchasing him two weeks after my initial visit to the pet store. My parents approved of my purchase since I had always been a conscientious pet owner, having previously had a dog, birds, and guinea pigs. Before we relocated, the dog died. Because it was just not feasible to bring them along, the other pets were adopted by neighbors who already knew and appreciated them. I named my monkey Sam and carried him home to a spacious cage in a Florida Room on the side of our house with jalousied windows. It fronted an empty lot that had become overgrown and resembled a forest. That room could be turned off from the A/C if required, but it was heated during the few periods of cold weather in our location.

Squirrel Monkeys are easy to feed, inexpensive to maintain, and simple to train if you teach them to perform activities they love. They do, however, demand a lot of company and mental stimulation. Sam, fortunately, liked me. He first attempted to bite me, so I poked him many times until he learnt not to be so aggressive. This was only possible because I had him while he was so little. When he misbehaved, I also placed him in his cage. The plan was to utilize conditioning and repeated punishment to train the animal. Not him, but I was the leader of this primate group. I was the one who provided food, drink, and shelter. He learnt quicker after figuring out all of this. I started off on a leash. It wasn't essential after a few months. He was free to wander under our supervision and even played outdoors while we grilled or swam in our pool. He utilized the nearby vacant lot as an exercise yard, climbing trees and chasing birds and squirrels. He also used it as a toilet, so I suppose you could say he was somewhat potty trained.

Dogs and monkeys are bitter rivals. You can't have both without stressing out one or both of your dogs. Monkeys, in truth, are envious. I highly advise against having additional pets if you want to get a monkey of this sort. Most monkeys that are not adequately taught or handled respectfully will become nasty or cranky as they mature. Monkeys who are constantly imprisoned will pee on you or hurl excrement at you. If given the chance, they may also assault you or damage objects that they believe are essential to you.

Monkeys are generally intelligent. They learn quickly and are excellent escape artists. That is why training is essential. Once Sam was trained, I always kept his cage door open. I did, however, shut the doors to that chamber. He learnt to shut and open his cage door as he pleased. He eventually learned how to open and lock all the doors leading to the back yard, allowing him to go outdoors to play or do his business. But he wouldn't go until one of us gave him permission. When we left without him, the doors of his room were padlocked.

Owning a squirrel monkey is both simple and difficult... rewarding and stressful... entertaining and irritating... but is it ethical? Is it harmful to the animal? Unless your city or state has already made the decision for you, you will have to make your own. The fact is that humans will continue to keep monkeys. It's prohibited in China, yet hundreds of Chinese people possess "Pocket Monkees," who are commonly bought as newborn Pygmy Mamosets, Capuchins, or Resus Monkeys. They are not well treated. They bind their arms so that they may practice walking on twos rather than all fours, which is unpleasant and unnatural for them. They shave their fur and put on clothing. You get the idea. These creatures are prestige symbols in China, where most authorities turn a blind eye and disregard the wealthy and powerful individuals who keep them. If they or responsible pet owners do not purchase the monkeys, they will be sold to research laboratories and sentenced to a life of being exposed to physically or emotionally devastating studies while living in a cramped cage devoid of affection or companionship.

Every year, tens of thousands of monkeys are delivered to research institutions throughout the globe, and many demands for more from the same torture facilities go unfulfilled. Given that, it's difficult to be worried about the morality of keeping a monkey as a pet vs the same animal becoming a lab rat. Most individuals I know who have had a monkey did not abuse it, shave it, beat it, or confine it in an unsuitable habitat. Once again, if you have the legal right to acquire one, you must determine whether or not to do so. If you believe a monkey is the ideal pet for you, do a lot of research beforehand and purchase from a trustworthy breeder. Prices will no longer be $25. Depending on the sort of monkey you pick, you will pay between $300 and $600. The Capuchins are preferred by most people due to their capacity to learn tricks and activities. If you want to go small, As neonates, Pygmy Marmosets are the size of a finger, and as adults, they reach the size of a hand. Squirrels and Spider Monkeys need more time and work than most people are willing to put into a pet.

Bill Knell is a well-known author, speaker, writer, and researcher. Despite the fact that his work spans a wide range of subjects, he is best recognized as a Paranormal Investigator with over forty years of expertise examining UFOs and other paranormal mysteries. Since the 1970s, Bill has penned hundreds of articles, written many books, and delivered over 2000 seminars on paranormal phenomena throughout the United States and Canada. He has been on famous TV series such as Hard Copy, A Current Affair, and 20/20, as well as CNN, Headline News, Fox News, CBC News, BBC News, PBS, and others. Bill presented a successful cable TV program in the New York City region sponsored by Time/Life that consistently outperformed network news broadcasts in terms of viewership and was nominated for an Emmy. Bill was a consultant to a variety of films and television shows, including Independence Day, Men in Black, War of the Worlds, The Fifth Element, Fire in the Sky, and The X Files.

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