In the past, many species of primates were kept which are no longer commonly kept. Price, availability and regulations have limited the species available. Keeping primates has led to much knowledge about their proper care being learned and how to keep them healthy and happy.
Capuchins are seen in movies and on television. They were also the "organ grinder monkey" in the past. Capuchins are very intelligent, long-lived monkeys with a few sub-species of capuchins offered for sale in the US.
Macaques are used in research more often than any other species of monkey. While highly intelligent, they are known to be larger and often less cooperative than capuchins.
Spider monkeys are a larger primate with a prehensile tail. They have very long arms and a gangly gait. They are threatened by habitat destruction in South America.
Squirrel monkeys are quite small monkeys but still require a lot of space and enrichment. Many owners keep these with others of the same species for companionship.
Marmosets and Tamarins are very small monkeys requiring less space but still have needs to be met for enclosures, health and diet. While little, they can still bite - as any animal can.
Each species has different dietary needs, health and space requirements.
select one here...