By Mary Lynn Campbell

recognizing signs of illness with monkeys
Silly Willy With His Girlfriend

If asked, many experienced monkey caregivers will tell you that they’ve been shocked several times to find out that their monkeys were very ill by the time they first notice any symptoms. Because of this I thought it would be a good topic for this posting of “Safety-First;”

When I received my first monkey, I was so blessed to have wonderful information passed on to me by many fellow monkey caregiver. But when one of my monkeys became ill, I was in shock. Of course, I asked myself the question, “How did this happen so fast? I had been told that it would be this way but I was absolutely not prepared for the speed at which it seemed to come upon her.

Monkeys do not wish for anyone to know when they are not feeling well. They mask their symptoms of illness. The monkeys that are here in the United States are mostly born into captivity but this does not change their natural way of reacting to illness. They will choose to show signs of illness very late, which can be very nerve racking to their owners.

When I was thinking about this posting, I began thinking over the illnesses that my monkeys have had. To my surprise, I am really shocked to say that none of mine have ever had a high fevers. Many times these high temperatures will be due to infections.   I feel that the famous “Safety-First” list may be the best way to
help with this issue.

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