Squirrel monkeys can live up to 20 years. Although not yet endangered, the Common Squirrel Monkey is among many rainforest animals threatened by deforestation. The species has also been captured extensively for the pet trade and for medical research.
Most are abandoned. They make loosy pets.
But you can not tell that from the You-Tube videos. Or, can You?
They are for sale:
Mine was supposed to have come from a breeder in Florida:
Part of my interest was a trip to Florida in the 60's, you could see them because there have been wild non-native monkeys in florida ever since the filming of the old Tarzan movies after which the animals were just let loose and forgotten about.
FD: I confess that my mother once asked me what I wanted, and I told her I wanted a monkey as a pet.
I was young and had been a big Tarzan fan ... so, recently, Jay Leno had a Squirrel Monkey on his show and it all came back to me ... I remember going to the RED BALL freight station to pick up the crate with Mom. Dad made a cage for the monkey, which went into the guest bedroom, where both of my great grand mothers had died. ("They check in but they don't check out...") But he did not die in that room. He escaped when Mother was trying to take him to school for me - show and tell, don't you know. The Monkey was seen about the small town I grew up: photo in the local paper... "Escaped Monkey Eludes Capture." He disappeared: I guess that someone shot him and ate him or had him stuffed... that sort of thing happened a lot back then. ("I prefer Bald Eagle to peregrine falcon, Judge. I would not have shot it..")
When the Squirrel Monkey was presented to Jay Leno, the handler mentioned that the yellow coloration of the fur was because of the frequently urination of the species. Yep. My Monkey was a water fall in that cage. When you live in a rain forest, no one complains. He was cute, but he did not deserve the treatment I put him through. It made a lasting impression on me.
Don't give your kids exotic pets. Especially primates.
FD: I attempted to post a video link here... no luck. Just some so-called commentary online:
"Jarod Miller the animal expert comes out and brings a baby orangutan out with him. He is SO cute. He hugs Jay and kisses his cheek and then Jay feeds him a banana. Then he brings out a squirrel monkey (also cute) until he pees in Jay’s hand, lolol. He says that it is one of the only monkeys in the world that has a permanent erection. Then he brings out a mountain lion with a little stuffed animal and the cat is just going after this toy. Jarod Miller has him on a leash and Jay has the toy and he keeps jumping and rolling and attacking it, it is awesome to watch how agile he is (Jay Leno I mean, lol). "
Maybe you will have better luck, but I could not find the video online: http://www.nbc.com/The_Tonight_Show_with_Jay_Leno/video/episodes/
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