# Squirrel monkey + Funny story



## henney2280 (Jan 12, 2012)

ok so i went to blackpool zoo on friday and lets just say i LOVE monkeys, ive always wanted to own monkeys but at the age of 22 and still living at home i couldnt afford to buy a pair yet but hopefully sometime in the future i would love to own a pair of squirrel monkeys or common marmosets... so me my girlfriend and a friend and his girlfriend and his son (my godson) went to the zoo on friday while walking around went went into a rainforest enclosure were the squirrel monkeys are free roaming :flrt: when we entered a zoo keeper said to me if the monkeys come down dont touch them a they can bite :sad: as you can guess as a massive monkey lover this is not what i wanted to hear so i decided to put my hands in my pockets so i didnt get tempted, as soon as we started walking a little monkey jumped down on the rail next to me so i stopped and then it moved next to me ( i thought it was gunna climb on me) but insted it put its face next to my pocket and decided to nip me on the hand (it was more like a scratch than a serious bite) :lol2: so after than my girlfriend was like ah bet u dont want monkeys now, i repleyed with are you serious that was amazing! so yeah what are squirrel monkeys and marmosets like as pets do they always bite you or are they quite well behaved for monkeys? also how much do a pair or squirrel monkeys or marmosets cost? what kind of size enclosure do they need? are they tameable? and are they good pets? i dont mean like a cat or dog i mean like are thhey good to watch and interact with? bear in mind this is just out of curiousity i will NOT be getting a monkey any time soon but hopefully at some point in my life i will be lucky enough to own monkeys


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## Merlin11 (Aug 7, 2011)

lol. Love your enthusiasm :2thumb: 

To summarise for people who skipped that quite long post.......he got bit by a monkey. 

I don't know anything about monkeys, sorry. Not even sure I agree with keeping them as pets......I think they look much better in the wild.


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## Ink (Jun 9, 2012)

I know some people keep marmosets as pets, but dont you need a dwa licence for squirrel monkeys?? Zoo-Man on here used to have 2 common marmosets, but he was able to provide them with facilities the majority of people couldnt...


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## Zoo-Man (Apr 12, 2008)

Ink said:


> I know some people keep marmosets as pets, but dont you need a dwa licence for squirrel monkeys?? Zoo-Man on here used to have 2 common marmosets, but he was able to provide them with facilities the majority of people couldnt...


You don't need a DWA for Squirrel Monkeys now Eliot


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## Jafna (Jun 7, 2012)

henney2280 said:


> than my girlfriend was like ah bet u dont want monkeys now, i repleyed with are you serious that was amazing! so yeah what are squirrel monkeys and marmosets like as pets do they always bite you or are they quite well behaved for monkeys? also how much do a pair or squirrel monkeys or marmosets cost? what kind of size enclosure do they need? are they tameable? and are they good pets? i dont mean like a cat or dog i mean like are thhey good to watch and interact with? bear in mind this is just out of curiousity i will NOT be getting a monkey any time soon but hopefully at some point in my life i will be lucky enough to own monkeys


Hi, I used to work with both marmosets and squirrel monkeys at a zoo, and it would be really hard to provide them with a really good setup in your house... I know people who do have them as pets but it may not be the best thing. 
With squirrel monkeys, Unless hand reared, they are difficult to tame and they have a nasty little bite on them, they make huge amounts of mess, are really destructive and can catch diseases (such as the common cold) which affect them badly due to their small size. Also, in the wild they live in large groups; a pair isnt really enough. They need loads of room too.

Marmosets are a bit easier; in the wild they live in monogamous pairs and therefore 2 would be enough to be happy. Again, they need loads of room, are really messy, destructive etc but on a smaller scale. There are two pairs for sale in a pet shop near me (Manchester) for £3000 a pair but I wouldnt touch that pet shop with a barge pole. Or any pole, for that matter, but its an idea of what price they go for.

Personally I dont really like them as pets but each to their own, if you are determined to have some no one will stop you!

Hope this helps


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