# spider monkeys



## Chimp

was thinkin about gettin a spider monkey for christmas are they the easisest species of monkey to keep and the most readily availiable if not what is?

do they need company in tha form of another monkey?

how big a cage do they need and can u let them free roam the house or room?

Roughly how much do they cost and where can i get one?

thanx Rich

than


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## SiUK

all these questions means you are defiantely not going to ready any time soon, yes they need lots of room indoor and outdoor avaiarys they shouldnt be kept on there own, and they cost about £4000, they shouldnt be kept in a house they have very specific needs Glider girl keeps or used to keep primates she might be able to help you out, but I can guess what she will say


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## basky

im with siUK if you need to ask these questions you definantly shouldn't get one. they need company all the time and in my opinion should be in groups as they are very social. 
you can try going onto a primate forum and asking there.


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## brittone05

Totally echo the above 

Any monkey species should be seen as an intelligent and very social animal who requires the strictest of respect.

Housing should be a major issue and, in my opinon, they are not and should not ever be a "house" pet. They will need a good social structure int he form of other monkeys of thier species and plenty of environmentla stimulation to prevent them form becoming depressed and sick.

Please, please consider all of this before considering a monkey - they are a lot of other exptic mammal species that can offer a high level of keeper interaction and can be just as rewarding to work with


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## Nerys

posted this on the other thread, but will cross post it here too..

are spider monkeys the species of monkeys that are easisest to keep if not what are

technically, there is no answer to this.. NO primate is "easy to keep"

do they need company

100% yes, of their own kind

and what size cage do they need can u let them free roam in tha house?

ok, first off, spiders are a DWA listed species, and as such would NOT be ok to "free roam". As housing, firstly you would need outdoor space for them, we'd say something like 12ft high by 35ft long by 35ft wide would be a relatively good size

and where can i get one and roughly how much do they cost?

there is currently NO availability in the UK for spider monkeys, the last pair we sold, about 3 years ago, were about £8000 the pair. these days you would be looking at £10,000-£15,000 depending on the seller and the animals themselves.

to be brutally honest, i can already say, from your questions, that you would currently not pass the TSKA vetting as being a suitable buyer. We vet on client requirements, and turn down far more people than we actually sell to.

monkeys should NOT be kept as pets.. they are a highly complex demanding group of animals, and require both specialised knowledge and surroundings to do them justice. 

TSKA do not support the selling of ANY primate as a "pet"

i know, that comes over as harsh, but thats life i am afraid.

TSKA are happy to advise on the correct way to go about obtaining, housing and maintaining a primate, but we really are bloody tight on who we sell to, as are our clients, and rightly so.

In this day and age, you cannot underestimate the potential damage to the hobby that would be caused, if we sold monkeys to people who want them as "house pets". Not to mention the effect on the animals involved.

I'd rather see primate keeping banned than support "pet" primates tbh

Nerys


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## TSKA Rory Matier

Chimp said:


> *was thinkin about gettin a spider monkey for christmas *are they the easisest species of monkey to keep and the most readily availiable if not what is?
> 
> do they need company in tha form of another monkey?
> 
> how big a cage do they need and can u let them free roam the house or room?
> 
> Roughly how much do they cost and where can i get one?
> 
> thanx Rich
> 
> than


I think in all honesty, that the highlighted bit is enough, also to boot just reading your profile where you state you are a nutter, perhaps in humour is enough of a suitable profile to say, nay to you as a potential primate keeper.

Rory Matier
The Specialist Keepers' Association.


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## kitty

*monkey*

hi i agree you cant be ready if these questions need to be asked but i think its great you are asking. research is the key. and i am always happy to help with research just pm me.
i dont know much about spider monkeys because they are still illegal here. i think they would make an awesome furry friend though and wish you luck if you decide to purchase one. 
i have a marmoset monkey and he is a huge responsibility. lives in a large cage (as he grows as will his cage) so i think a spider monkey will e at least six times the responsibility six times the size of the cage type thing. 

good luck anyhow :mf_dribble:


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## brittone05

As has been said, spider monkeys are DWA licensed animals and definitely not for the faint of heart. 

Again, another species who should not be kept singly so your statement above should read "a PAIR of" really to have thier best interests in mind


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## TSKA Rory Matier

kitty said:


> hi i agree you cant be ready if these questions need to be asked but i think its great you are asking. research is the key. and i am always happy to help with research just pm me.
> i dont know much about spider monkeys because they are still illegal here. i think they would make an awesome furry friend though and wish you luck if you decide to purchase one.
> i have a marmoset monkey and he is a huge responsibility. lives in a large cage (as he grows as will his cage) so i think a spider monkey will e at least six times the responsibility six times the size of the cage type thing.
> 
> good luck anyhow :mf_dribble:


Kitty, do you actually know anything about primates?

Spider Monkeys are not illegal here in the UK, they are under the DWA licence.

An 'awesome furry friend' well that is understatement of the year.

R


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## miffikins

I strongly agree with pretty much everythin Nerys said. My knowledge on keeping primates is very limited, but I do know spider monkeys exhibit a clear male dominated hierarchy in the wild and as such you would need more than 2 to allow them to express natural behaviour.
They are very active and agile and as such would need a hell of a lot of room! 
To me primates arn't 'pets' in any form. You can interact with them to a certain extent but to primate keeping should be left to professional keepers who will keep them as what they are, spider monkeys, and not as house pets.

As I said, I don't know much but thats just my 2 pence

: victory:


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## Kylie

kitty said:


> hi i agree you cant be ready if these questions need to be asked but i think its great you are asking. research is the key. and i am always happy to help with research just pm me. To be perfectly honest chimp pm nerys or rory they will know alot more then kitty on this sort of subject
> i dont know much about spider monkeys because they are still illegal here.
> as already said by rory not illegal DWA people with a licence can keep them
> i think they would make an awesome furry friend though and wish you luck if you decide to purchase one.
> you will need more then one primates are social animals and need to be kept in groups or at least pairs to allow them to be happy and healthy and develop skills and traites that primates need
> i have a marmoset monkey and he is a huge responsibility. lives in a large cage (as he grows as will his cage) so i think a spider monkey will e at least six times the responsibility six times the size of the cage type thing.
> cage type thing? they need an enclosure indoor heated and out door it will need to be large and full of things to keep them ammused and very secure so they can not escape
> 
> good luck anyhow :mf_dribble:


I do not profess to knowing alot about primate care but i do know they basics (i can see another pm coming from kitty now ah well!)


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## Genseric

*Grave Dig, but worth it..*

I have just spoken to a friend about maybe getting a couple of primates (species not important), but because of the fact I only have a general knowledge, I will be waiting at least a year before we even think about having one.. not for foscal reasons, or availablity.. but simply because these animals need so much more than your normal snake etc

After the year I may decide I don't want one at all.. who knows, but what I do know is this - as an educated herpetologist, I wouldn't be comfortable taking one on without this time to learn. Unfortunately one of the reasons I asked for help was that I noticed a 'trend' over here.. a few people are saying they would like one or the other. I want to be in the position to take the animals off them and house them until they are rehomed.. again, this is something my mate can help me with.

To finish - Monkey's are not wee babies, or pets... they are wild animals, and should be respected the way you respect an adder. If you really want *one*, you should reconsider.. if you really want to keep them, you should seek out keepers and ask for help in learning.. as not only will you gain knowledge, but also primary contacts.


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## GRB

I cant believe people still post threads like this and expect civil answers. 

"awesome furry friend" leaves a bad taste in my mouth. *sigh*.


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## Nerys

tbh, this is the same sort of person, as the guy on freeads.co.uk advertising a tamarin for sale.. FOR 4 THOUSAND QUID...

(and muppets like emerald think WE are expensive!!!!)

this one is kept in a parrot cage in the front room, wears a harness, pictured sitting on kids heads and eating lollipops and cheesy puffs... at a guess he had it before they came off the dwa, and i bet he did not HAVE a dwa even when they were on it.. 

tbh, its enough to make me want to be an anti.. 

N


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