How to Legally Own a Pet Tamarin

Tamarins are among the smallest of all monkeys, with adults often weighing just 1 lb or less. Native to South America, tamarins can make excellent pets when they have been handled by humans since infancy. While no federal restrictions exist on the ownership of pet tamarins, you may have to contact your state or local wildlife authority before you can legally own one of these primates.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Exotic pet license
• APHIS license from the USDA
• Suitable enclosure

1. Check with your state's wildlife commission or local animal-control authority to determine whether you can legally own a pet tamarin. You may need to purchase an exotic-pet permit or undergo an inspection of the habitat in which you want to keep the animal.

2. Obtain a license from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the USDA if you wish to sell, breed or exhibit a pet tamarin legally. An APHIS inspector will check the veterinary records of the pet tamarin to determine whether it is healthy enough to come in contact with others. At the same time, you should ask to see a USDA license from any breeder of pet tamarins before you try to own one legally.

3. Build a suitable environment for the tamarin. Cages should be at least 3 by 3 by 5 feet high and should be filled with branches and twigs, so that your pet tamarin can climb and chew. A warm nesting box should also be placed in the cage for sleeping.

4. Find a veterinarian who specializes in treating non-human primates (NHPs). You can receive a referral from a more conventional vet for a specialist in your area. You will need to keep up-to-date records on all vaccinations and annual checkups in order to renew exotic-pet licenses or APHIS inspections.

5. Keep your pet tamarin as healthy as possible by feeding it a proper diet of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, eggs, crickets and mealworms. You may want to supplement your tamarin's diet with chewable calcium and vitamin C as well. Tamarins get bored if you feed them the same thing every day, so vary their diets as much as possible.

Tips & Warnings

• Choose tamarins as much more suitable pets than their cousins, the marmosets. Tamarins are not only calmer and more predictable as they mature, but their life expectancy, at approximately 17 years, is five years longer than that of marmosets.