Monkey Cereal Balls

I guess the proper term for monkey balls would be monkey cereal balls but that’s not what we call them in our house.  They’re a pretty healthy snack but can also be fed as part of their main diet.  Creativity is key when creating monkey balls.  As long as you have the two main ingredient (baby formula and baby cereal) in your mix, you’re golden!  I used to feed monkey balls to my marmosets and now my capuchin and they truly enjoy it.   I actually got the original recipe (similar to mine but not as creative)  from one of the largest zoos in Belgium.  They used to feed these monkey balls to all their primates.

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As I mentioned in the diet section of this site, it is important you take the necessary time to prepare the diet of your monkey(s) and also to provide a varied diet.  While that is all easier said then done, many primate owners often have a hard time coming up with changes in the diet of their monkeys.  On top of that, the goal of this blog is to point out that many primate owners often deviate from the suggested ideal diet just like us human primates.  While reading this blog, please keep in mind that the goal of this page is only to inform you what others feed their monkeys, not to help you choose the right diet.  Special thanks to Irwin for the above picture.

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By now Benji, our capuchin, is about 1 year and 8 months old.  A week and a half ago, I found out that a new exotic animal stored opened up relatively close to where we live.  I was told they had monkeys there so needless to say I had no choice but to visit this store right away over my lunch break. While not for sale (no longer legal in Illinois), they had 4 java’s, 2 common marmosets, and a lemur. They also had a lot of lizards, a turtle that was “running” around loose and 2 kinkajous.  I talked to the owners for a while and found out that they encourage people to bring in their pets. I told them I had never taken Benji, our capuchin, to any store and was looking forward to come back with him and my wife.

The week couldn’t go fast enough and on Sunday we finally went with Benji to “Paws, Claws & Exotics too”, the name of this exotic animal store. This was actually the first time that Benji would have the opportunity to interact with similar species so I couldn’t wait to see how he would react.   As a matter of fact, I had never taken Benji to any store, so this was truly a new experience for both of us.

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Magnetic Child Lock

Many primate owners allow their monkey to run around in the house for short periods of time since it provides great exercise.  Before doing so, it is important to monkey proof your house as much as possible.

Due to the speed monkeys are able to move, it only takes a few seconds for your monkey to get into trouble so it is important you keep an eye on them at all times.  While it might be very difficult to monkey proof your entire house, you can monkey proof certain rooms.   The only room that is rather hard to monkey proof is the kitchen.   It isn’t the first time a monkey gets burned from the stove top or by leaping into a pot of boiling water.  While the kitchen should truly be of limits, you most certainly should not be cooking while your monkey is in the room.  Many species are able to turn the stove handles so if your monkey is allowed to be in the kitchen, it is recommended you take the handles off and store them in a drawer.

Be carefull with appliance cords.  Your monkey might pull on them and if they get in contact with the current, it will most likely result in death.  It is also recommended to use child proof safety covers where you need to twist the plugin before you can make contact.   If your monkey remains unattended in a room with plugins, it is highly recommended to cover them completely.

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If you have a pet primate or you’re considering buying a pet primate, the Complete Guide To Care & Behavior is truly a must in your collection. This book is published by Monkey Matters and contains over 1000 pages of valuable information on primate care. One other book I would also recommend is the Primate Care Handbook which was published by the Simian Society of America. Unfortunately that book is no longer in print but you can still find it on Amazon.com or Ebay.com from time to time.

Price:$149.99 (+ $15 shipping – USA Only) – Buy Now
(Orders are processed and shipped by Monkey Matters)

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One of the most favorite things Benji, our capuchin, loves to do is open up locks.  My wife has been telling me for a while now that I should create a board with locks on as an enrichment device.  It is after all another great way to keep your monkey busy when you’re not around.  I was then also rather excited when I noticed that somebody posted a picture of the above latches board.  This board contains different kind of latches that open up little doors to keep your primate entertained.

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Etsy.com is a site where people can sell handmade items.    This handmade monkey mailbox seems rather popular amongst primate owners.   It’s made from a heavy duty plastic mailbox.  If you plan on buying this as a present for somebody, make sure to remember it takes 2-4 weeks for to creator to build this mailbox after you place the order.

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While doing research for my article on primate enrichment, I found out that some monkey owners hang horse hay bags up in the enclosure of their monkeys so today I went to our local farm store (Farmking) to pick one up.  I was pleasantly suprised to find out that they only cost about $11. They’re made with poly pvc coated nylon which makes these bags very sturdy and easy to wash.

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