# Sugar glider vs. Marmoset monkey...



## mat_worrell (Sep 20, 2009)

Hi all
as you can see from my previous post I have been toting with the idea of owning a pair of marmoset monkeys. However ..... I have spoke to a guy that is a fountain of knowledge and experience and he has suggested a pair of sugar gliders rather than the marmosets. My ownly concen is the amount of mess sugars make. I understand and appriciate that marmosets will make mess too but to be honest I have my heart set on marmosets and would prefer to put the time and effort into looking after the marmosets if the sugar gliders are going to be as much work and create the same sort of mess. 

I was sold on the idea of a pair of sugar gliders untill today. I visited a couple who own them and the Walls, floor, ceiling and everything for about a foot around the cage was covered in s**t and food and all sorts. 

Is this just a case of the couple just not cleaning them correctly and on a regular basis or is this what they are like to keep? As I said i have my heart set on the marmosets and understand the work and time involved in the care of them so please no lectures on your personal opinions on the captive keeping of marmosets. Plus I have spent the last few years researching marmosets. 

Thanks


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## Zoo-Man (Apr 12, 2008)

Hi Matt, if you have your heart set on Marmosets, & you have researched them well (you have PM'd me a few times), then go for them! I must say, i don't find them particularly difficult to keep.


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## Rum_Kitty (Jun 14, 2009)

mat_worrell said:


> Hi all
> as you can see from my previous post I have been toting with the idea of owning a pair of marmoset monkeys. However ..... I have spoke to a guy that is a fountain of knowledge and experience and he has suggested a pair of sugar gliders rather than the marmosets. My ownly concen is the amount of mess sugars make. I understand and appriciate that marmosets will make mess too but to be honest I have my heart set on marmosets and would prefer to put the time and effort into looking after the marmosets if the sugar gliders are going to be as much work and create the same sort of mess.
> 
> I was sold on the idea of a pair of sugar gliders untill today. I visited a couple who own them and the Walls, floor, ceiling and everything for about a foot around the cage was covered in s**t and food and all sorts.
> ...


If you really want marms get marms....but TBH it sounds like that couple are just a bit lax on the cleaning! I wipe down the walls behind my sug cage a few times a week, takes 2 minutes to do! I can't really see marms being any less messy tbh!


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## xXFooFooLaFluffXx (Aug 4, 2007)

sugar gliders and marms dont even compare with eachother, totally different animals to keep so not sure why someone recommended sugars over marms

sugar gliders can be messy yes but i love keepin suggies, and baby suggies are amazin!


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## pookey (Nov 29, 2009)

*marmosets*

I have kept many animals over the years including marmosets .They have a strong musky odour. I also have to tell you that my ones, even the females pee out of their cages and its often!:lol2: Obviouisly with all animals cleaning and maintaining a good standard of hygiene is important.They are not difficult to keep but daily cleaning is a must as with most animals. you seem to have done your research, good luck!


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## mmcdermid (Feb 26, 2009)

to be honest, i think the mess caused by either a marm or sugars is going to be fairly similar. as said before the musky sweet fruity pissy spell from marmosets is pretty much unstoppable. believe me, we clean ours daily but the smell is still present. and its very true, both males and females like to piss out of their cage, so cleaning around their enclosure is as important as inside! the only other issue being space as marmosets obviously need alot more space than sugars. my marmosets are very friendly although they still maintain a very monkeyish bond to each other. as such i very much enjoy keeping them. im not the fountain of knowledge on marmosets and i dont believe that anyone keeper can be either. as marmosets through up something new everyday so its a continuous learning curve. but if you have any other enquiries, then please pm me. matt


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## Zoo-Man (Apr 12, 2008)

One important point when cleaning marmoset enclosures - I never disinfect all the branches/items in my marmoset aviary. You should always leave some items untouched until the next cleaning, as marmosets use their urine to mark territory, & by removing all the scent from their aviary furniture, they will be rather anxious.


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## mmcdermid (Feb 26, 2009)

oh yeah, thats a good point i forgot to make. cheers zoo-man. also another big difference, i dont know if it matters to you, but the price.


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## lizard queen (Jul 8, 2007)

all those things are true. i wouldn't give my marms up for anything, i don't mind cleaning up after them because i love having them so much. it all boils down to one thing - you want marms, not sugar gliders. so if your about to commit to caring for something why settle for anything other than you number 1 choice?


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## mat_worrell (Sep 20, 2009)

Thanks for the tips guys. Think I am going to stick to the marmosets. Carry on researching and asking questions. And hopefully the next set of twins zoo-man has will be coming home with me.


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## Zoo-Man (Apr 12, 2008)

I'm still waiting for Tia, my female, to give birth. Should be in the next few weeks.


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## mat_worrell (Sep 20, 2009)

ok its so exciting!! i cant wait, i have always dreamed of owing such amazing animals and now finally i can!!


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## Pearson Design (Jan 21, 2010)

heya,

you dont know how excited i am!

how much do you charge for the marms?
i used to have a pair of commons from when i was primate keeper at my local zoo.

ive been trying to find some ever since!

the breeder we got them from sold hers on due to health problems so we couldnt get any more from private breeders 

im so so super interested in these so any info or rough prices you can give me would be great!

thanks in advance,

Edd


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## Zoo-Man (Apr 12, 2008)

I generally sell sets of twins for £1500, or individuals for £800 each.


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## [email protected] (Mar 3, 2010)

Marmosets definately!! They have more character and sugarglider are so messy and have a disgusting smell to them esp if their diet isnt good!! Marmosets do have that pissy sweet smell but its not that bad aslong as you keep up to the cleaning they are well worth it anyway !!


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## MRS.LooneyTune (Apr 14, 2009)

mat_worrell said:


> I visited a couple who own them and the Walls, floor, ceiling and everything for about a foot around the cage was covered in s**t and food and all sorts.


 well ive had sugar gliders, but no experience with marms. when we had gliders there poo never got as far as the inside of there caging! Maybe because we were good with the keeping them clean? or they have REALLY messy gliders lol. make sure u put lots of pickys of your babbas when u get them :mf_dribble:


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## Rum_Kitty (Jun 14, 2009)

[email protected] said:


> Marmosets definately!! They have more character and sugarglider are so messy and have a disgusting smell to them esp if their diet isnt good!! Marmosets do have that pissy sweet smell but its not that bad aslong as you keep up to the cleaning they are well worth it anyway !!


If you have smelt "disgusting" smelling sugar gliders they either weren't being cleaned enough or were on a shockingly bad diet. Mine never get whiffy because I keep them clean.


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## MRS.LooneyTune (Apr 14, 2009)

Rum_Kitty said:


> If you have smelt "disgusting" smelling sugar gliders they either weren't being cleaned enough or were on a shockingly bad diet. Mine never get whiffy because I keep them clean.


never got wiffy? not a tiny tad? sugar gliders especially the males wee constainly for territory, as soon as you clean them out they start weeing straight away to say "mine,mine,mine" ? thats what ours did, and what people we new/now's does. And we kept ours in VERY good condition! so come, on gliders stink ! and they wee everywere anyway our male was more confident and would run all over us and play... but boy u could tell after woulds cuz the pee stank! :lol2:


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## Rum_Kitty (Jun 14, 2009)

OK yes, a tiny tad but mine have never, ever smelt "disgusting". I clean my gliders cage on rotation so the male never has to go around scenting everything, and I have him out all the time and I can honestly say neither him nor his cage smell disgusting. His pee doesn't even smell like ammonia, IMO. And neither do I after he has been running all over me. In my opinion marmies smell a hell of a lot worse.

Also...I can honestly say my suggies have as much character as any pet I've ever met!


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## MRS.LooneyTune (Apr 14, 2009)

Rum_Kitty said:


> OK yes, a tiny tad but mine have never, ever smelt "disgusting". I clean my gliders cage on rotation so the male never has to go around scenting everything, and I have him out all the time and I can honestly say neither him nor his cage smell disgusting. His pee doesn't even smell like ammonia, IMO. And neither do I after he has been running all over me. In my opinion marmies smell a hell of a lot worse.


 lol *******. no disgusting is defently a wrong smell if gliders a well looked aftered :lol2:


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## Jonathan4 (Nov 19, 2010)

No comparison between marmosets and sugar gliders.
I keep my sugar, in groups and i never have a problem with a mass of mess, in fact i recon on a whole, they are very easy to keep clean compared to other mammals. The males can be bit of a handful, not the most friendly of animals i have kept, seem to get grate pleasure in messing on a individual who goes near them and like to let others know what is his, but the females are 'in my opinion, one of the least messiest mammals i keep.
Don't think they make the best of pets, being nocturnal and don't do much during the day and there diet is more complicated than allot of people first perceive.

I think one of the animals i have really enjoyed to keep where rats, which is funny because i first got some to defeat a fear of them and it worked, but they smell and make allot of mess, but very intelligent, interactive, fun and very underestimated where i live.

Marmosets, (my opinion and from my experience) brilliant animals to keep, lots of fun, very rewording, time consuming and full of attitude! 
If you have the time, researched it, really thought it through and are determined to stick with what you start, i don't see why not. But i definitely advise someone who is serious to not keep primates by them self.

Exotics of any sort can be very expensive to keep, especially primates' that should never be over looked.


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## PETERAROBERTSON (Jul 2, 2008)

Jonathan4 said:


> No comparison between marmosets and sugar gliders.
> I keep my sugar, in groups and i never have a problem with a mass of mess, in fact i recon on a whole, they are very easy to keep clean compared to other mammals. The males can be bit of a handful, not the most friendly of animals i have kept, seem to get grate pleasure in messing on a individual who goes near them and like to let others know what is his, but the females are 'in my opinion, one of the least messiest mammals i keep.
> Don't think they make the best of pets, being nocturnal and don't do much during the day and there diet is more complicated than allot of people first perceive.
> 
> ...



This post is two yrs old.


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## Jonathan4 (Nov 19, 2010)

PETERAROBERTSON said:


> This post is two yrs old.


Tis indeed, but it comes up in google, hence the reason i replied to it. I read old threads online to gather information, i'm shore others do to.


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