There is something irresistible about an infant monkey. They seem to be so sweet and helpless, and act so much like a human infant in many ways. However, those sweet babies grow up into difficult adults, and as a general rule adult monkeys do not make good pets. Their intelligence makes them special, but ultimately makes them a very challenging pet. Taking on a pet monkey is a long term commitment. A well cared for monkey can live anywhere from twenty to forty years, and needs your full commitment throughout their lives. A pet monkey cannot do without your attention when life gets busy or circumstances change. It is important to know that monkeys may not do well to new people in your life. Having monkeys as pets also makes it hard to get away for vacations. Finding a new home for a pet monkey is extremely difficult, and very hard on the monkey which has bonded to its first owner.

Monkeys are expensive to house and feed, and some require specialized diets that can be time consuming to prepare. A significant commitment of time is needed just for routine care and cleaning up after a pet monkey, but more importantly a monkey needs a large amount of social interaction and attention from the owner. A pet monkey deprived of your time and attention will only develop severe behavior problems and psychological issues. Monkeys may be illegal to keep as pets in some areas. Check locally as well as state or province wide. If legal, permits may be required, and sometimes permit holders are subject to inspection for proper facilities and care.

The sweet dependent baby monkey will eventually grow up, and become the wild animal it was meant to be. Unfortunately, raising a monkey around humans doesn't change the wild nature of monkey, and in fact depriving a pet monkey of normal social relationships with other monkeys can create behavior problems and neuroses. Pet monkeys also have a tendency to bite. They have different personalities so one cannot generalize, but some monkeys will be very aggressive, and others will be more docile. Nevertheless, monkeys are unpredictable and may turn aggressively on anyone, including the person to whom they are the closest.

Monkeys are messy. They can't really be effectively toilet trained and sometimes engage in distasteful activities involving their feces and urine. Aside from the toileting messes, pet monkeys can be extremely mischievous and destructive, especially if bored. Monkeys need a large secure enclosure and should spend time outdoors too if possible. They must be provided with a wide variety of ever changing toys and exercise equipment to keep them challenged and stimulated, or they will suffer from boredom.