by Kirk Olivier

Created on: July 12, 2008

Marmoset monkeys are the most adorable little creatures. They each have their own unique personality. They one of the most sought after pets in the world, prices ranging to as much as $5000.00US each. Although they do adapt to humans very well, they also have their like and dislikes. We have two marmosets, one male and one female, aged 6 months and the other 14 months respectfully. We purchased the female from another family when she was 8 months old, she had been confined to a parrot cage for that period, and as we can gather, she was teased by the little children. This has resulted in her hating children with a passion. So much so, that at the first opportunity she got, she attacked our 5 year old granddaughter by biting her nose (apparently this is the first place they attack) and scratching her face. She goes absolutely ballistic when she sees children.

Many people purchase these delicate little monkeys as tiny babies to be hand reared as pets. When the monkeys reach adulthood they naturally need a mate, being hand reared and a single monkey on its own, they become aggressive during mating season. This results in many being abandoned in their cages and neglected from there onwards. This is not fair on the little creatures, they are loving and fun to have, however, if you ever consider owning them as pets remember that you need to have a pair. There is another important fact that many breeders do not tell people when selling them a marmoset. We as humans carry a natural herpes virus, this is fatal to any marmoset.

Never kiss your monkey, no matter how cute he / she is, never feed them any food that you have bitten, licked or sucked on. This herpes virus attacks all the monkey's internal organs and works its way to the brain, in 3 days they die the most painful, horrific death one could ever imagine. According to a sanctuary in Johannesburg South Africa, they rescue at least 30 marmosets a month that have been left in cages or that have turned aggressive during mating season and bitten someone. The first person they turn on and bite is the owner that they are closest too, this being more out of jealousy or protection. At least 20 of these beautiful little creatures die of the herpes virus within a few days of rescue.

Having researched all this information, we have decided that we would never breed our pair, as we could never guarantee that the babies would not suffer this terrible death. We urge all breeders to be more informative when selling babies, rather sell a person 2 or none. These are wild animals and great care should be taken when deciding if you want a loving pet for the next 17 18 years, or if you are going to discard them during their first vicious attack when in mating season. If you do ever purchase some, always ensure their wellbeing, they become like loving children and to lose one would be like losing a child.

Learn more about this author, Kirk Olivier.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.