Among primates, a special group is the smallest monkeys - toys. They are so tiny, their size is from ten to fifteen centimeters with a tail, which is twice as long as the body. Big eyes, framed by thick hair, have a meaningful view.
The toy lives in the forests of the Amazon, in the upper reaches of the river. The miniature monkey was first discovered in 1823 year in western Brazil, there, where it borders Peru, Colombia and Ecuador.
The life of toy monkeys in nature
Thick wool, which covered the body of the toy, on the muzzle turns into a hair. Ears are not visible in thick fur, and the eyes seem more expressive in the frame of light circles. Small graceful paws end in sharp claws. Only on the big toes instead of claws flat nails. Wool has shades from black-brown to yellowish, with black and white dots.
Accommodation
Toys lead a daily life, and at night climb into the hollows of trees. All the time monkeys spend on the lower tier of tropical trees, moving on the branches. Occasionally jump on other trees, jumping up to two meters. Monkeys live in small groups, consisting of two to four adults and their children. One male is the leader of the group. Children of all ages live with their parents for several years. Pregnancy in females lasts approximately 140 days. Then two or three babies are born, which become independent in five months.
Adult males and young females help in the care of babies. One day after the birth of the baby "move" to adult members of the group, returning to the mother for feeding. This division of responsibilities allows the mother to relax and strengthen herself.
Each family of toy monkeys occupies a certain area, without intersecting with others. The size of the plot can take up to one hundred acres. To protect it, monkeys mark their territory. When other animals are encroached upon, they are driven away, making threatening sounds.
Nutrition in natural conditions
The basis of the diet of dwarf monkeys is the sap and gum of trees, growing in their territory. They make holes in the bark of trees with their sharp teeth and lick the sap. Tree gum is a source of calcium, so necessary for toys.
They also eat fruit, but they are not enough for the whole year, as the living space in each family is small. Also, toys are happy to eat various insects:
- grasshoppers;
- butterflies;
- snails;
- frogs.
To catch grasshoppers, monkeys descend briefly to the ground, risking their lives.
They have enough water to drink, which collects on the leaves of trees and accumulates in the flowers.
Toys spend most of the day eating, clinging to the trunk of a tree with sharp claws and licking the protruding juice.
Monkey communication
In their free time they play, moving rapidly from branch to branch. Monkeys express their affection, combing each other with their claws.
When communicating with each other, they make sounds, like whistling and twittering. Among their sounds is one cry, inaccessible to the human ear and expresses hostility. Twitter is used in the peaceful communication of monkeys with each other, denoting obedience. If a family member notices an alarm, it whistles with its mouth open. Singing with your mouth closed sounds when communicating with each other.
Enemies of the game
Dwarf monkeys in the wild often become prey for tree snakes and birds of prey. To protect themselves, the players developed two opposite behaviors: manifestation of aggression or storage. Depending on the size of the aggressor, the animals or the advancing group, giving an ominous whistle and making threatening gestures. In other cases, they hide among the leaves, freezing motionless.
But the main threat to the number of games is man and his activities. Deforestation is forcing monkeys to look for new habitats. They are already seen among the trees on the border of agricultural fields.
in addition, man catches toys for sale, since the demand for these cute ones, funny animals have grown significantly.
Keeping monkeys in captivity
When kept in zoos, toys do not tolerate other relatives in their territory, suffer from noise and anxiety. But under favorable conditions can live in captivity until 18 years. Whereas in natural conditions they do not live longer than ten years.
In captivity, their diet consists of the following foods:
- fruits (apples, grape, bananas);
- vegetables (cabbage, peas);
- protein products (meat, fish, eggs, rice);
- flour worm larvae;
- gum syrup.
How to keep a toy in the apartment?
Funny cute monkeys make you want to have such animals in your apartment. If conditions allow, then it is necessary to equip a spacious terrarium for them. The minimum size for a pair of toys is one and a half meters in height and one meter in length. But the more space you can allocate for their content, the better they will feel in you. Especially when the offspring appear. Ladders must be equipped with ladders, put the trunks of strong branches for climbing. You can put artificial plants and equip places, where animals can hide and sleep at night. In general, create a small rainforest for them.
And then you can watch them jump, games and funny grimaces, getting incomparable pleasure. It is not recommended to release toys around the house due to the risk of injury or damage, as they will study everything, that surrounds them. Any possibility of escaping through windows or open doors should be ruled out, otherwise it will be impossible to catch them on the street, and they will perish.
They also cannot be taken out of the house, as noisy streets are a source of great stress, which also negatively affects the health of monkeys. If you need to consult a veterinarian, then invite the doctor home.
To accustom animals to themselves, feed them by hand, communicate with them during feeding. But give them time to get used to their new place of residence, and then they will bring you many fun moments and the pleasure of watching them.
Nutrition and content tips
Here are some more tips for caring for toys. General cleaning in the terrarium is enough to arrange once a month.
Feeding at home should include the following basic products:
- daily juicy sweet fruits (pears, bananas, apples, watermelon, persimmons and others), cut into pieces;
- baby porridge with fructose;
- washed dried fruits (once a week): raisins, to dry;
- crickets, grasshoppers, small pieces of chicken;
- clean drinking water.
On the advice of a veterinarian, give vitamins, but strictly in the prescribed dosage.
It is strictly forbidden to give human food, sugar and sugar products, chocolate. Dwarf monkeys die quickly from inappropriate food and cannot be saved.
If all conditions are met, you will have fun pets at home, which do not require large and complex care, but give a lot of pleasant moments from communicating with them.