3 NEW BABIES HAVE ARRIVED29/03/2010

 

CARING FOR YOUR MARMOSET MONKEY

 

 

INTRODUCTION

 

The information given is from personal experience and not from a scientific journal. I'm not going to bore you with all the scientific facts as no one really bothers about that anyway. I would like to help marmoset owners with the basic info needed to successfully keep marmoset monkeys. There is so little practical information out there and so many people have questions that scientific journals don't address. The general care and diet of captive marmosets is seldom addressed and so the poor marmoset suffers because its owner doesn't know how to care for it properly. I get so many people calling me and asking what their marmoset is supposed to eat and why has their darling pet decided to start biting them. I hope to shed some light on these basic questions in the interest of the poor marmoset that suffers because its owner has not got sufficient knowledge.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

DIET

 

The foods listed below are for captive bred marmosets and not the diet a marmoset would have in its natural state. The babies will start to eat soft foods from around 2-3 weeks of age. I will talk about handrearing and when to introduce solids at a later stage. The rule with marmosets is the sooner a variety of foods is introduced the better. They can be very stubborn and if they were not introduced to a certain food when very young will refuse to eat it. Their diet needs to be high in protein.Below is a list of foods you can feed your marmoset. It's by no means a complete list of foods they can be fed most healthy foods. Foods to avoid would be advocado pears, sweets, refined sugars and spicy foods. You are not being kind by feeding your marmoset chocolates and sweets they should be avoided completely. However, you can offer them a marshmallow from time to time as a treat. Some feed raisins but I would not recommend feeding them raisins they are extremely high in sugar.

 

Fruits

 

Watermelon

Apples

Pears

Oranges

Naartjies

Melon

Pawpaw

Pineapple

Grapes

Bananas

Peaches

Plums

Strawberries

Kiwi fruit

 

The more variety of fruits you introduce to your marmoset from an early age the better. This list is not complete you can feed them any of the fruits you purchase for your own family. I chop up the fruit into bite size pieces and for the marmoset who doesn't like  eating fruit you can pour some fruit flavoured purity over the pieces to encourage it to eat the fruit.

 

Vegetables

 

Gem squash

Carrots

Potatoes (cooked)

Peas

Green beans

Cauliflower

Pumpkin

Patty pans

Marrows

Broccoli

 

 

This is also not a complete list and once again introduce as many different types of vegetables as possible while your marmoset is learning to eat solids.

 

General foods

 

Mince

Chicken

Fish

2 minute noodles

Pastas

Rice

Creamstyle sweetcorn

Cereals e.g. Nestum, Cerelac or Pronutro

Oats you can sweeten with a tiny amount of honey

Mash

Scrambled eggs/boiled eggs

Cheese

Cherrios

Popcorn

Nuts (not salted)

Shelled Sunflower seeds (in small amounts)

Cat pellets e.g. Iams or Eukanuba

Mealworms

 

 

 

 

 

Menu ideas to follow from birth to adult

 

0-2 weeks  

 

Lactogen milk (make according to manufacturers directions)

 

2-3 weeks

 

Lactogen milk

Rice porridge mixed with Lactogen milk

 

3-4 weeks

 

Lactogen milk

Rice porridge

Purity

Cerelac or Nestum porridge

Meal worms

Scrambled eggs

Rice

Mince

Soft fruits

Mash potato

Gem squash

 

 

4-6 weeks

 

Lactogen milk

Apples

Cheese

Dry cornflakes

Cherrios

Chicken

Carrots

Peas

Beans

Cauliflower

Broccoli

 

6-8 weeks

 

Lactogen milk (reduced to once a day)

All other foods can be introduced at this stage and the lactogen can slowly be phased out.

 

8 weeks - adult

 

Lactogen can be stopped and all foods should be introduced by this stage.

 

Below are a few examples of a daily menu that can be followed

 

Breafast

 

Cerelac/Nestum porridge

 

Lunch

 

Fruit purity

Banana

Mealworm

 

Supper

 

Mince and mash

Apple

 

Breakfast

 

Oats and a small amount of honey

 

Lunch

 

Yoghurt

Paw paw

Mealworm

 

Supper

 

Chicken

Rice

Gem squash

Strawberries

 

Breakfast

 

Wheetbix and milk (no sugar)

 

Lunch

 

Jelly and custard

Banana

Meelworm

 

Supper

 

2 minute noodles

Grated cheese

Watermelon

 

These are just a few ideas but by no means the only foods that can be fed. Your marmoset can basically eat the same foods that you do but remember no sugar and spicy foods.

 

Remember as soon as possible introduce a variety of foods to your marmoset to ensure it has a healthy and varied diet.

 

Provide fresh water at all times. For a treat from time to time you can give them 100% fruit juice but preferably dilute with equal amounts of water. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplements

 

If you feed your marmoset a well balanced diet with lots of variety then supplements are not needed. Remember marmosets need to be exposed to direct sunlight as they need the Vit D3 that sunlight provides. Marmosets raised indoors should be exposed to the suns rays daily I prefer not to give supplements and would rather promote a more natural way of life for them. If they are not exposed to direct sunlight they can get rickets. Too many supplements can be harmful, Vit A for example if given often tends to store in the liver and this can be dangerous to the marmosets health. If they have sufficient mealworms and other insects such as moths and grasshoppers in their diet that will ensure their calcium levels remain adequate. 

 

 

Tips

 

Marmoset monkeys like to forage so to make life interesting for them you can make them work for their food. Instead of just putting their food in bowls you can make life more interesting by hiding their food. You can take a piece of bamboo or use a branch from a safe tree (list of safe trees appears below) and drill holes into them. You can then place mealworms or small pieces of fruit etc. and push them into the holes so your marmoset can dig them out. 

 

Plant some vegetables in the bottom of their cage so they can search for their own food. Peas and beans work well. 

 

You can put branches of safe fruit trees in their cage so they can strip the leaves and bark off. You can replace the branches from time to time. They love mullberry branches and if it's mullberry season put a branch in their cage with some mullberries on so they can pick them off.

 

You don't have to buy expensive toys etc. for them to play with you can hang pine cones from the roof of the cage or make a ladder from untreated pine or from small branches. You can also plait a rope and hang that from the roof for them to jump onto.

 

 

 

Safe plants and trees

 

This list is by no means complete but will help give an idea of what can be given safely. 

 

Pine trees

Mulberry trees

Hibiscus

Strawberry plants

Parsley

Roses

Peas

Beans

Carrots

 

 

 

Poisonous plants and trees

 

Oak tree

Oleander 

Lantana

Daffodils

Poinsettia

Rhubarb leaves

Yesterday, today, tomorrow

Aloe

Amaryllis

Arum Lily

Avocado

Hydrangea

Elephant ears

Gladiolas

Hen and chickens

Ivy

Macadamia nut

Mother-in-law's tongue

Onion

Nutmeg

Privet

Tomato plant

Wisteria

Yucca

Apricot tree

Apple tree

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSING

 

Marmosets need sunlight as I explained earlier so if they are housed outside take this into consideration when placing their cage in the correct spot. They need to be exposed to sunlight and will also need an area of shade. Nesting boxes can be used with a blanket nailed to the floor of the box and a loose blanket. A tent can also be used for a nice soft and cosy place to sleep. These can be hung from the top of the cage with a platform nearby for easy access.

 

In the winter an infra red light can be placed in the cage for extra warmth. In really cold weather I cover the cage at night with shade cloth. Food bowls should be placed on a platform and not on the ground they do not like eating down on the floor it's their natural instinct to eat high up in trees and not on the floor. Water bottles can be attached to the outside of the cage as bowls will be messed in.

 

 

 

  FOR SALE

 

15 February 2010

 

2 babies for sale both are white eared marmosets. Please send a mail or phone 0710276853/0748862833 if you are interested.
 

 

 

  

 

 

  SOLD

 

New babies due 3rd week in March 2010