Monkeys are NOT good pets.  Being kept as a pet is bad for them!

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Monkeys are wild animals, with behaviors that have been shaped by years and years to help them survive in their habitats. 

 

This is very different from an animals that is domesticated, like a dog or cat.  Domestication is a process that takes a very long time and involves careful breeding that favors specific characteristics.

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You Asked: How are pets different from wild animals?

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Because monkeys are wild they have wild behaviors that are not good for a captive life.  They are very cute and powerless as babies, but when then become young adults, their wild behaviors take over and they can become very dangerous,

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Monkeys need other monkeys.  As babies, they need to be carried, groomed, and given opportunities to interact with other monkeys and social groups typical of their species.  It hurts them emotionally not to have other monkeys and they are unable to recover from the pain of being separated from their families. 

 

Monkeys are very smart animals that need other monkeys to raise and care for them.  They need opportunities to learn the skills they need to survive.  If they do not live in  their natural habitats with other monkeys, they cannot learn these skills.​

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If you want a pet, please get a cat or dog they are wonderful pets and do very well as pets.  Please, leave monkeys in the wild.

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Chimps as pets: The Reality

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10 Reasons Monkeys Should Never Be Pets

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The Perils of Keeping Monkeys as Pets

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Keeping monkeys as pets is extraordinarily cruel – a ban is long overdue

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