Owning a pet monkey is fun, exciting, adventurous, and just straight up cool. However, there are some downsides to owning a pet monkey. Ollie is a 4 year old rescued squirrel monkey and although he’s sweet and fun to have around there are certainly some times that are frustrating. I’m going to share 3 of the hardest things about owning a pet monkey.
Cost
Vet Visits
The cost of not only purchasing a monkey is crazy high since they are considered exotic pets, but there is also other expenses that can add up tremendously. The first major cost is vet visits. When Ollie was younger the vet didn’t have to put Ollie to sleep during visits because he generally wasn’t extremely mobile. Now that Ollie is 4 years old, he bounces off the walls just in general. The vet now has to put Ollie to sleep during visits which cost a lot extra. You also must factor in the travel cost since monkeys can’t just go to a regular veterinarian. It is highly unlikely you will have a specialized vet close by.
Food
The price of food has risen tremendously recently so we’ve began to grow a lot more of our own food to help keep cost down. However if you live in an area that you can’t grow your own foods for your monkey it can be difficult. This year we made planting, seeding, harvesting, and growing in the garden much easier by using a FREE garden planner called Seed Time. It’s helped us save money and take out the guess work of planting the garden this year.
Mood Swings
Monkeys are extremely emotional creatures. They have mood swings based off of so many things. Ollie has mood swings when the weather is rainy and cold. We call them his rainy day blues. On those days we try to be more aware of what we are doing with Ollie and keep his bad mood in mind. For example, on those days I wouldn’t take him outside or out in public because he’s just going to be a crabby monkey.
The Mess
Of all the animals we own, Ollie is by far the messiest! His main enclosure needs cleaned twice a week at the bare minimum and his laundry needs done as well. He is very wasteful with food and throws it out the enclosure so we also have to sweep and mop daily. When Ollie is out of his main enclosure and in his playroom he is destructive. Most monkeys are destructive by nature and find things to pick at or peel. One of Ollie’s favorite things to pick at is wall paint. You wouldn’t think a little monkey could do much damage but if let to pick at stuff they can cause lots of damage quickly! We’ve had to re do the wall paints and some drywall in the monkey playroom just for that reason.
Closing
Not everything is doom and gloom with owning a monkey. They can be sweet and fun to have around as companions, but they aren’t the best pets for everyone. They take lots of dedication and hard work to train and socialize. Food, mood swings, and the mess are 3 of the hardest things about owning a pet monkey. If your considering getting a pet monkey you can check out the top primate species that are kept as pets.
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