A NEW dad in Derry is definitely not looking peanuts for a monkey he is selling on a social media page.
Aaron Bowen, whose son was born just nine days ago, posted images of his Marmoset on the Derry Sell It Facebook page yesterday.
He is asking £1,000 for little Abu, who he says is aged between four and five months.
Aaron describes the male monkey as a very adventurous pet who loves being out of his cage, climbing and running around the house.
He said: “He takes food from my hand and lets me stroke him and he jumps on my shoulder. But this is because we have built trust with him.
“So if you do take him remember it takes time to be able to hold him, and get his trust. Over time he will come to you. Patience is key in this situation.
“It’s not like having a dog or cat but he does love our family dog and comes with extra large cage, toys and food as a starter pack worth about £200.”
Aaron says he has to sell the monkey “due to health conditions” and yesterday dropped the asking price from £1,200 to £1,000 for a quick sale.
He said: “He needs to go today or tonight as his cage and everything else is boxed and ready to go.”
Aaron’s post on Facebook was met with mixed reactions including a number of messages from people who said keeping a monkey as a pet was unfair on the animal.
Last night, a USPCA spokesman said: “The fad for exotic pets such as Marmosets and their availability at the touch of a button is a mega concern for the USPCA.
“Creatures bought on a whim to impress mates or enhance the décor are, through utter ignorance, condemned to a short and sickly life.
“This charity is lobbying for controls on the internet sale of pets in an attempt to curtail a trade that has mushroomed thanks to an unregulated marketplace.
“Responsible pet owners will research the needs of any companion animal before committing to a purchase that can either give pleasure or inflict pain.”
Marmoset daily diet should include:
Chopped fruits: like mango, papaya, apple, banana, grapes, strawberries,
- Fresh vegetables like carrots, tomato, cucumber, fennel, cauliflower, mushroom,
- Cooked vegetables like peas, cauliflower,
- Baby cereal,
- The white of hard boiled eggs,
- Yoghurt,
- Cooked chicken, turkey and fish,
- Rice,
- Vitamin supplements.
Twice weekly :
- Insects: like mealworms, grasshoppers, crickets,
- 3 drops of multivitamin solution in half a grape.
In the wild they spend 30% of their time gnawing holes in trees to get the gum.
For a captive Marmoset you should drill some holes into wood and fill them with Arabic Gum from a primate specialist with banana or fruit juice.
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