Spider Monkeys - In Captivity
york books zoos diet
When in captivity, their high-fruit diet makes spider monkeys fairly easy to feed. In fact, they are convenient for many zoos to keep because they eat basically the same diet as capuchin monkeys. However, they require some special care if they are to thrive in captivity. They must be kept in groups to allow them to interact socially. If possible, one male should be kept in a group with several females, although it can be hard to differentiate between the sexes. Furthermore, the temperature in their environment should not drop below 75°F (23.8°C) because they do not adapt well to climate changes. Also, these monkeys need a lot of room to climb.
Spider monkeys do not often give birth in captivity. Normally, their pregnancies last 139 days, and only one baby is born. The life expectancy for spider monkeys in zoos is about 4–6 years; however, in a New York zoo, one black spider monkey lived for 20 years.
Resources
Books
Hill, W.C. Osman. Evolutionary Biology of the Primates. New York: Academic Press, 1972.
Jolly, Alison. The Evolution of Primate Behavior. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1972.
The New Larousse Encyclopedia of Animal Life. New York: Bonanza Books, 1987.
Preston-Mafham, Rod and Ken. Primates of the World. London: Blandford Publishing, 1992.
Kathryn Snavely
User Comments
almost 3 years ago
Barb Boeh
We too have a spider monkey. She is 23 years old. She is still as sweet and compliant as she always was. We think she has a good 10 years left. She also sleeps with us every night. She is very precious to us, of course, but we too would never advise anyone to get a monkey. You devote your entire lives to them, because they have only you. You have vacations, and family outings, and commitments, but, again, they have only you. If you can't take them with you on vacation, you can't go. Cruises are out, flying is out. And the laws to restrict exotics are getting very strict. Also good primate vets are hard to find.
over 4 years ago
I have had my spider monkey for 16 years and she is doing great . I exspect to have her at lest another 16 years . She lives with me here in Mexico and sleeps with me very night . I wouldn't tell any one else to have one for a pet but what do you do when you love one ?? Dave Warner