Could i get a pet monkey!?

I've been a zoo docent for nearly 15 years and I'm returning to college to become a zoo educator, so I know about wild animals. I also have as a personal vet our local zoo vet, and I currently volunteer at the Great Ape Trust, so I hear a lot about dealing with primates from people who do. So please believe me when I say monkeys are a BIG no-no when it comes to pets.

First of all, even if your state allows them now, local ordinances may not. Or they can change. Or you may move. That makes it tough to have a pet like monkey. You don't want to have to give it up -- or give up the new place to live. And what about your landlord? Unless you buy a place of your own, you're going to be lucky to find a landlord who will allow a monkey.

Second, finding one from a good, healthy source isn't easy. Keeping the monkey healthy isn't either. How many vets have facilities for monkeys, even if they know about them? It won't be cheap, if your monkey gets sick. Which it will. They need a lot of careful care. I once met a monkey who was blind because its owners did not feed it properly; they thought all monkeys ate bananas and that was all they fed it!

Also, primates are very intelligent. That means you have to spend a lot of time with it and find it things to keep busy. A bored monkey can cause a LOT of trouble. (This goes for parrots, too, by the way.) They are not like you see in movies, etc.

Third, yes, they get nasty. They bite. They make huge messes. They were not made to live with humans. Here's an article on living with primates: http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/primates/a/primates...

So, even if you can afford a monkey and find yourself one you quite like from what seems like a decent source, don't do it. You've got a lot of life ahead of you -- maybe college, a spouse, changing jobs, most likely moving someplace -- stuff you cannot predict for the next 20 to 40 years of a monkey's life. Most likely, even an excellent, miraculously-well-behaved monkey would not make those changes with you.

Please reconsider! Exotic animals do not make good pets -- and laws are in the works to make it a lot harder to own them anyway. There are many other animals out there that make far better pets. Domestic animals are, of course, best because they are used to being with people: dogs, cats, guinea pigs, rabbits, rats... even goats or llamas. A properly-bred and -raised bird can be excellent as well (though do some serious reading on those, too!). Maybe a reptile -- bearded dragons are nice yet very cool -- or a more-unusual-but-not-too-exotic mammal, like a hedgehog?

Good luck!

MONKEYS DO NOT MAKE GOOD PETS!

Having a monkey is a lot like having a small child, they eat a lot and need diapers, and can really make a lot of mess. I would guess the monthly cost for a monkey is about $100 for food and other necessities, not including vet appointments or the start up cost of owning one. Monkeys can be good when they are young but as soon as they become adults they can be mean nasty animals that do not like change. That means you might have to find a new home or a sanctuary for your monkey once it becomes too much to handle. Monkeys do not do well if they are not talked to and played with every day, and for many many hours. Most monkeys don't really do well being alone all day while you are at work or at school, they become lonely and destructive. I have seen them on craigslist from time to time, I'm not sure where you could try and find a monkey for sale, but the Internet is probably the place to start if you are still interested.

Even most adults are incapable of taking care of a monkey.

Monkeys cost thousands of dollars, $4500 is not an uncommon price to be paid for a monkey, depending on what species you want. Yearly upkeep will be similar to what you paid for the monkey...they require a special diet, and a special cage (no you cant have them running loose), and veterinary care will cost thousands, if you can even FIND a vet to treat your monkey.

Monkeys are viciously aggressive as adults and very dirty. They are cute and cuddly as babies but once their hormones kick in they bite, scream, scratch, throw, and attack...they can use tools and know where to hurt you the most...they will go for your throat, your eyes, your jugular. A non-aggressive monkey is very rare. They also masturbate on you, rub their poo and pee on their hands and rub that on you too.

Monkeys are WILD. In order to make them even passable pets they are taken of their moms at DAYS OLD...when naturally they might stay to gether a year or even their whole lives. This is cruel and psychologically harming for both mother and child...dont encourage this cruel trade by buying a monkey!

Go and ask a zoo keepers about keeping monkeys as pets. They will tell you what monkeys are REALLY like. Noone who works with monkeys on a day to day basis wants them as pets because they know what they are really like...expensive, dangerous, smelly, and vicious.

monkeys are not good pets, they need constant attention and unless you can afford an attendant while you go to school, work, etc, forget about it. The monkey would be miserable and angry in a cage and you would not be happy with it's temper tantrums. IMHO wanting a pet because other family members have pets seems a little bit immature.

Monkeys are considered exotic pets, are expensive and require a lot of care, like a baby.

Consider a cat or dog.