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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To feel sorry for 'pet' monkeys?

73 replies

Sanctimummy · 21/08/2013 23:07

A FB friend acquaintance has posted pics of "Her new baby" that she is getting in a week or so from a work colleague. Including pictures of the cage she has set up at home. She has gone all out and must have bought every monkey toy out there and the cage isn't tiny or anything. But it's not huge either.

I was looking at the pics and just felt so sorry for the wee thing. It's a marmoset monkey, tiny, clasped onto it's mummy in the pictures. No idea that it's going to be taken from her very soon and never see another monkey again for the rest of it's life...

She has children and I guess it will get lots of attention. I still just don't think monkeys should be kept as pets. Really doesn't sit right with me at all. I read that they are very hard to look after properly and 99/100 times they end up aggressive in adulthood due to not being brought up naturally.

I see a very sad future for this wee thing.

AIBU?

OP posts:

CruCru · 22/08/2013 19:50

It's a weird choice of pet. I do think it is cruel (I also hate hearing about parrots in cages, they are social creatures too) but it is also really impractical. If they go on holiday, are they going to get someone in to feed it and clean out its cage? Because I would be quite frightened to do so - monkeys have complicated brains and we still don't fully understand them.

Justforlaughs · 22/08/2013 19:53

Sancimummy it was the bit about "taking it from it's mummy" I referred to rather than the cage/ thriving in captivity bit. I don't see why it is okay to take one away but not the other.

Original poster

Sanctimummy · 22/08/2013 19:57

YY crucru
I hate the thought of birds/budgies/parrots being kept as pets too.

It's all about how they are housed and that they are not alone with it. A large aviary outside for example with other birds is a lot more acceptable to me than 1 or 2 budgies in a tiny cage in the living room. It's about whether they can live as close to a normal life as possible. Which is just not the case with most 'pet' monkeys.

OP posts:

Original poster

Sanctimummy · 22/08/2013 20:00

Justfor

I see your point there.. for me it was seeing it clinging onto her, not knowing that it would be taken from her to live a life of solitude. The shittest future ever for a monkey. Puppies and kittens usually have a happy contented life ahead.

OP posts:

Justforlaughs · 22/08/2013 20:02

Didn't want to derail the thread Sanctimummy backs out now

Nooneelseisallowedafergus · 22/08/2013 20:06

One of the most distressing things I have watched on t.v was an American woman going to collect her new pet baby monkey. The mother monkey went mental when she realised that her baby was being taken from her bouncing around her cage, trying to get to her baby. Imagine if a higher species did this to us? Just took our babies because they thought they were cute........ It is hideous. Your friend is a knob.

Feminine · 22/08/2013 20:19

While I lived in the US I saw quite a few 'baby' monkeys!

A couple were taking one shopping in Wal-mart. It was dressed as a little baby.

The 'parents' were very unfriendly when my humans wanted to take a look!

Who would want a monkey for goodness sake?

Original poster

Sanctimummy · 22/08/2013 20:20

Now I want to cry..

OP posts:

StepAwayFromTheEcclesCakes · 22/08/2013 20:21

I saw meercats in an exotic pet shop window recently, how are these and monkeys etc allowed to be sold as pets?

Montybojangles · 22/08/2013 20:33

Sorry, haven't read right through, but why don't you just post a link to the monkey world page for her. She possibly is in denial at how cruel it is and needs it pointing out.

I know she's your friend, but sometimes to be a friend you have to speak your mind and say something that might upset. And maybe you also need to point out that the poor thing would be constantly with his mum for at least a year in the wild. Poor little thing.

I'm horrified anyone would want to do this :(

Original poster

Sanctimummy · 22/08/2013 22:21

That's the thing monty she is someone I knew as a child, I haven't seen her for years. If she was a friend I wouldn't hesitate to say something very direct.

As it happens, since I posted this she has had a few comments from one other friend expressing concern for animals like this being kept as pets. Basically she's fobbed them off, 'oh the woman selling to me will be there to help if I have any problems, I will love it so much, i've always wanted a monkey, i will train it not to bite, I have diapers for it when it's out of the cage...

It's hopeless, she is dead set. Convinced this seller is a great person not thinking that she's in it for profit. If she was a good person she'd insist on her taking at least two, and having a huge outdoor enclosure for it surely?

If I said anything it wouldn't make a shiny shit of difference as I am not a monkey expert. I have contacted monkey world and asked if they would be able to contact her and offer unbiased advice. That's the best I can do.

OP posts:

seventhchild · 22/08/2013 22:42

A schoolfriend of mine had one of these, and my goodness it stank.

Original poster

Sanctimummy · 22/08/2013 22:53

Yes seventh

Just a quick google from me enlightened me to the fact that marmoset urine absolutely stinks and that when they are in the cage they direct the urine stream out of their cage.

So it'll be peeing on her living room/dining room/kitchen floor. I can't work out from the pictures what room it's in tbh..

OP posts:

Montybojangles · 22/08/2013 22:58

I hope monkey world give to her full on.

Original poster

Sanctimummy · 22/08/2013 23:01

I sent this to Monkey world -

Hi,
I don't know whether you can help me or not but I guess it's worth a try. A lady I know from my childhood is friends with me on facebook. She has recently posted pictures of a cage decorated to the hilt with toys, and pictures of her 'new baby' (clinging to it's parent) which she is getting in approx 3 weeks. It is a marmoset monkey.
She has been (gently) challenged about this by some of her friends and seems to think that they are popular pets and that all will be great as the woman who is selling it to her will be there to help if she has any problems.
She says she has read up loads on them and the woman who is selling has loads of animals and is great etc. I am thinking that this woman is in it purely for profit as she has not insisted that the monkey needs a large outdoor enclosure and also is letting them go as solitary animals. She advised her that she doesn't need a licence to own the monkey, just special monkey food, a uv light and a cage. Oh and says it can eat human food too.
My friend has children and thinks she can train the monkey not to bite. I really don't think she is prepared for what is to come and I am against anyone owning a monkey as a pet in this way, however, I am not a monkey expert and she thinks this woman who is selling it to her is. I haven't been able to strike up conversation about it with her and those who have were fobbed off. Maybe she would take your opinion seriously?
Would it be at all possible for you to give her some unbiased advice? her profile has the pictures of cage and monkey open to the public so you are free to look at them. Maybe you could add her as a friend and send her some advice? I don't know whether this is a totally inappropriate thing to ask or not. I just see a very sad future for this monkey...

Along with her contact details.

OP posts:

littlemog · 22/08/2013 23:03

What a stupid, ignorant, cruel and selfish woman she must be. This thread has really upset me. There are always new lows that human beings will sink to when it comes to cruelty to animals.

Please tell her that she is wrong to do this.

Original poster

Sanctimummy · 22/08/2013 23:06

She has been told littlemog a few people have said they don't agree with that sort of thing and she has just basically said she's been well educated by the seller blablabla..

I'm hoping Monkeyworld will do some more 'telling' as well, if they have time that is...

OP posts:

northcountrygirl · 23/08/2013 07:04

Wow. I had absolutely no idea it was legal in his country to keep a monkey as a pet. In fact I'm absolutely stunned it's not been banned as it's obviously both cruel and dangerous.

The children's farm we go to quite frequently also has an area where it keeps exotic animals including marmosets. I think they only have a few of them, 3 or 4 at most, but the stench really is something else. It's about 10 times more pungent that cat urine. Surely your friend can't have failed to notice the smell at her breeders? Maybe you could point that out to her? I don't think it would be possible to live in a home with that stench. It really does take your breath away.

northcountrygirl · 23/08/2013 07:10

And I remember seeing a sign up about a year ago near their enclosure. Basically, they don't get properly cleaned out that often (can't remember how frequently) but every so often they must get their enclosure properly cleaned/sanitised. The monkeys then spray everything again, I suppose to make it more familiar to them again. The sign was explaining this and preparing everyone for he smell. It made your eyes water!

mrsjay · 23/08/2013 08:37

sanctimummy I hope they reply to your email I am sure they will they may even investigagte but if you know the area the monkey is being sold from then maybe you can contact the Local RSpca you did a good thing,

HighBrows · 23/08/2013 09:23

Santicmummy I think you've done all you can do with regards to this woman, she's getting a monkey no matter what anyone says and it will end in tears. It's so cruel and humans can be utter arseholes.

I'd love a couple raccoon's and a colony of meerkat's doesn't mean I'm going to get them.

SilverOldie · 23/08/2013 12:17

YANBU, it's vile that people keep monkeys as pets and should be against the law. Humans and primates share 98% DNA, perhaps I could take one of her children as a pet? No? Didn't think so.

Katla · 24/08/2013 12:28

She will soon go off it as they totally stink.

My brother has 6 marmosets in a giant cage outside in his garden with a 12 feet tall outside run. He used to work at a unit that did IVF research on about 300 monkeys before govt funding was stopped and all the monkeys got rehomed (some went to monkey world and zoos, other poor things went for neuroscience :().

He got a grant to build the house and knew how to care for them as has his home office licence etc. The dad one had to get a vasectomy.

However, they are not good pets. These ones will come and jump on your shoulder but you can't catch them to stroke or anything as they are rather wild and you have to wear thick leather gauntlets to handle them as they have a nasty bite.

I'd rather they weren't caged at all but they are better off now than being shut inside all the time.

They cost a fortune to keep as the electric to heat their house is £50 a month and they eat tonnes of fruit and need special money food, porridge and juice.

However, they also flash their genitals at you all the time, wipe pee on their home so it totally stinks to high heaven. Not something I'd pick as a pet but your friend sounds set on it and I'm sure will find out soon enough.

I think that some of the young would naturally be 'cast out' of their family group as teenage boys (like lions) to start their own family groups so they may not be able to stay with their current family anyway. My brother had to get rid of two of his original ones as they were duffing up the mum and dad (and they fight to kill so you can't leave them to sort it out). However it seems a shame that this one will be all alone but then it may bond better with its new human 'family' as perhaps if there were two then they'd stay more wild. It's like getting budgies to talk - you have to just get one when its young.

Sorry that is a long ramble, I'm typing on my phone...

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