Monkeys are fun, playful pets that can entertain you with their intelligence and curiosity. But why do pet monkeys need to wear diapers? And why can’t they be potty trained like a dog or cat?
These are all questions you need to know before you get your monkey, so let’s start with the most important one;
So, why do pet monkeys need to wear diapers?
Pet Monkeys must wear diapers because they can’t be potty trained like a dog nor can they use a litterbox like a cat. Young monkeys can be potty trained but not completely, and they will stop doing it as they grow older, so you’ll need to make them wear diapers so they don’t go to the toilet anywhere in the house.
So, yes, you will need to make sure they wear diapers as they grow older, which is a cost and a hassle that is unique to monkeys. Nevertheless, you can still do some potty training when they’re young which will help, and we are going to discuss how to do that in the article, so keep reading.
Contents
Why do pet monkeys need to wear diapers?
Monkeys are primates, not domesticated animals like dogs or cats. This means they have not been living near humans long enough to learn waste management. They also live high up on trees, so they don’t naturally have to learn to hide their poop like dogs or cats would do in the wild by burying it under the dirt to hide the scent from predators.
This means that their feces are not a big problem to them, and they don’t naturally have the instinct to control where they go and how to hide it.
This also makes them very difficult to potty train and why they need to wear diapers when you get one.
But, why can’t you just litterbox train a monkey like a cat? Pet monkeys are not built the same way as cats or dogs; They don’t have much in common with any domesticated animal we know of. Monkeys are primates, which means they are very intelligent animals that can act like humans in some ways, but handling their waste is not one of these aspects.
The best-case scenario with a monkey is to diaper them for a while until they get a grasp on the basics of potty training – assuming you can even teach them that.
How to use Diapers for Pet Monkeys
As with everything, there are probably a ton of videos online on how you can do that. The method of using diapers on pet monkeys is actually surprisingly simple but it works best for really young monkeys. Adult monkeys are not going to be as easy in accepting diapers.
The following are the basic stages of monkey diapering:
- Put the diaper on your pet monkey
- Faster it – you can do that by keeping one finger just below their stomach.
- Lift their leg back to allow yourself to fasten the diaper’s left side
- Now do that with the right side as well.
Now you just need to keep an eye on them to make sure they leave it on and don’t rip it apart and throw it at the nearest chance they get, which is something your monkey will almost definitely do the first few times you use the diaper.
Here is a simple video showing you how to change the diapers on your pet monkey:
Best Diapers for Pet Monkeys
Monkey diapers are surprisingly hard to find, and when you do, they can be quite expensive. What I found some of my friends do is just get normal diapers and cut a hole for the tail. I recommend you do the same, this way is actually less work than trying to find specialized monkey diapers.
I recommend the Huggies diapers as they are soft and very easy to use, and when you do cut the hole in them for the tail, they won’t get ripped apart on their own. They are also easy to apply, which is more than I could say for the other diapers I’ve tested.
You can check the Huggies Diapers out on Amazon here.
How to potty train your pet monkey?
- Take your monkey to their cage or enclosure whenever they pee on you. This isn’t a time out; it’s an opportunity for you to instruct them where to go.
- Take them out again after a while.
- Each time they urinate on you, close them in the cage.
- Feed your monkey in or around their “house,” giving them a sense of where to go.
- When your monkey urinates on you while you’re holding him or her or playing, stop playing.
- Allow your monkey to leap off you and do their business outside.
- Remove the diapers once your monkey starts to prefer the cage.
- When your monkey has figured out where to go, leave the cage door open.
- Place your monkey’s water supply in an area that entices them to approach it but not touch it.
- If a smaller cage isn’t enough, consider switching to a larger cage.
Monkeys of several species are unable to be trained in a typical scenario, so you should be aware of this. If you’re attempting to teach a pygmy marmoset how to do anything, don’t expect them to listen.
You can learn what are the best monkey breeds as pets here that cause the least trouble, cost you less, and can be more easily trained.
Conclusion:
Monkeys can not be potty trained like dogs, and if you are going to have them live with you in the same house, you will need to have them wear diapers almost all of the time.
The fact that monkeys can’t be potty trained fully is yet another reason why they don’t make very good pets.
Some monkeys owners recommend that the best thing to do is just purchase a small pet cage for them and let them live there. This way you won’t have poop all over the house, they’ll be happy living in their own space with everything they need, and it will actually save you time rather than having to clean up after your monkey every day.
However, monkeys should not live in cages, and if you are not willing to give them the space they need to live comfortably, maybe you should not consider them at the first place.
But if you are willing to do what it takes to give your monkey a comfortable living situation, they can provide you with so much love and laughter that it will all be worth it at the end.
Related Questions
Why do Monkeys throw poop?
Monkeys throw poop because they can see that it’s a way of getting attention, and why not? If you’re going to have them around as pets, they might as well use the tools at their disposal.
How do monkeys throw poop?
Monkeys will typically bend over with their arms sticking out in front of them so that when they release their load, it will arc through the air and land on their target.
How do you clean up monkey poop?
For something like this, why not invest in a diaper for your pet to wear so that they don’t make any more of a mess than necessary even if they decide that throwing feces is an appropriate way to get your attention. You can learn more about why monkeys throw poop here.
What do you use to clean up monkey poo?
If your little one throws their poop, then purchase a diaper that will be easy for them to wear and not have any issues with it being too tight or uncomfortable. You can find out why monkeys love throwing feces on people by checking out this article.
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