Have you been looking for a perfect, unique pet you can carry around anytime with your fingers? Well, the pygmy marmoset, commonly known as finger monkey or pocket monkey fits your longing! They are the smallest monkey in the world with their body lengths ranging from 14cm to 16 cm plus a 15 to 20 cm long tail and weighing 100 grams only. These species are usually found in the rainforests of the Amazon, in some South American countries like Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
But of course, before you will own such species, you must know the basic knowledge first about finger monkeys—its average cost, extra expenses, their diet, and habit, where to purchase them and the like because having a pet is not an easy job. One should be prepared when purchasing such pets and it should start on its average costs and must be willing to do things for the pet. Knowing it would help you to be a good pet owner.
Average Costs of Finger Monkey
- A finger monkey’s average cost is $ 1,500 to $ 4,000with no extra expenses yet.
- According to com, sometimes the price of finger monkeys can go up to $5,000. You need to buy its own cage and provide its monthly basic needs. Not just the basic needs, but also the thing that will help entertain the finger monkey.
- The comsays cages for finger monkeys generally cost $150 to $400 depending on the size, construction, and complexity of the cage. You need to buy it with a cage first to secure its living.
Extra Expenses
After securing a cage for your finger monkey, you now have to deal with the everyday expenses for it. It is not easy to take care of a pet every day but to that, one must start with:
- Getting a Special Permit. If you want to keep a finger monkey as your pet, you must have one (the regulations vary from each state), usually costs $5 to $10. To guarantee a license, make sure there is a primate veterinarian available nearby, not just some typical general veterinarian because these types of monkey need appropriate care from an appropriate doctor; Next is,
- Knowing Their Diet. An adult finger monkey requires a specialized diet—usually fruits and vegetables, but can also eat cooked meats (chicken or turkey) with rice. Some insects which cost $17 to $25 per 250 are also a part of finger monkey’s diet; Then,
- Buying Harness/ Rope. Since finger monkeys are borrowed pets, you must train them to be able to cope immediately with the new environment. This can be purchased for $10; Finally,
- Acquiring Additional items—hammocks ($20-$40), branches of wood ($10-$20 per piece), diaper and covers ($5-$20), clothing ($5-$20), toys ($5-$10) which would be purchased for a total of $45-$110.
Purchasing Finger Monkeys
Finger monkeys is an exotic animal which is why you need to find the best place where you can purchase it with the least cost. If you have a friend who owns a pet store, maybe you can ask him if he has that kind of primate then get a discount from it.
Or if none, then find a pet store near you. There are two known pet houses which produce finger monkey at a very reasonable price. These are: Pic a Pal Pet Store in Granite Falls, North Carolina and Poggi’s Animal House in Davie, Florida, offered at $2, 600 to $3, 000. Poggi’s Animal House also provide information for the new pet owners about the right way of taking care and feeding of primates. So, if it’s your first time to pet a primate, you can ask them about it if you’re planning to purchase one.
Important Things That You Should Know
- Must have a background about petting a primate. You must train yourself how to deal with it because you’ll be living with it for a long time. You don’t want it to die shorter than its average lifespan, right?
- You should prepare yourself (financially and emotionally) when planning to purchase such exotic primate—finger monkey. You already know how much would it costs monthly, an estimated amount of $ 200 – $300. So, think before you buy.
- Yes, finger monkeys are costly but they are worth it. They will accompany you wherever you go because they are so cute you can bring them anywhere you want. They will surely be a good company.
- They have different kinds of coping mechanisms. You have to know what is it. In that way, you can help them cope easily and you will not be disappointed when things did not go the way you expected it to be.
- With finger monkeys, you’ll experience a different kind of companion and that would be totally exciting!
- You will discover more amazing things when you’re around with the finger monkeys. They will surprise you in different ways.
Ways to Save Money
Well, if you really want to have finger monkey as your pet but doesn’t have enough money to buy it yet, here are some ways to do it:
- Saving money every day will always be the best solution. But it isn’t that easy, right? Try having part-time jobs! In that way, you could save up money easily which will then help you in having a finger monkey sooner than you’d expected.
- Finger monkey doesn’t really have discounts because of their exoticness but for the extra expenses such as hammocks, branches of wood, diaper and covers, clothing, toys, you could have a discount for it. You just have to look out for websites or any nearby pet stores.
- Or you can just buy your own materials then Do It Yourself (DIY) the things a finger monkey need.
- You can also try having a garage sale for it will also help you save some money. This will be a really good help especially if you have many items that are still in good condition that will attract the consumers.
These are the things you need to know when planning to have a pet. It is costly, yes, but when you know how to save while having them, there would be no problem. It will be easier on your part when you know how to improvise things. It is good to buy your pet their needs and wants but it would be better if you do it your way because then they would feel how much you cared for them.
To capsulate it all, finger monkeys cost more than what you can imagine because they are rare primates. And if one would want to purchase it, one must know basic knowledge about petting a primate; must be good around pets; must have a stable financial status because of the maintenance needed by the finger monkey each day; must get a special permit to avoid any trouble in the future; must ensure that there is a primate specialized veterinarian available nearby so that when the finger monkey needs to be taken care of, you can easily access to it without causing many problems; and of course must want to experience a different kind of fun who, at the same time want to take good care of it.