Bush Babies, Slow Lorises, and Other Small Primates are NOT Pets
No primate should be kept as a pet, but for the purposes of this post, I’ll be talking about small ones. It’s easy to see why a person would want one:
(The Slow Loris is on the left and the Bush Baby is on the right). They are adorable but owning one is selfish- unless you run a rescue organization for abandoned exotic animals or something. Bush Babies and Slow Lorises are usually poached from the wild, which has further decimated the population of these already endangered species. On top of that, the conditions these creatures are kept in after their capture and during transport is so abominable that a large percentage of them die before they even can be sold to the would-be “pet” owners. Bush Babies live in large family groups in the wild and because they are primates, they're intelligent and will mourn the families they were snatched from. They need other Bush Babies and contact with humans is an insufficient substitute. Sometimes isolation and commotion can make them neurotic and because they have sharp teeth, bites can be painful. The Slow Loris is the only known venomous primate. Bryan Nelson states in an article published on Mother Nature Network, “ This furry creature also carries a toxin that is released from the brachial gland on the sides of its elbows. The loris can take the toxin into its mouth and mix it with saliva. The animal may also lick or rub its hair with this mixture to deter predators from attack. The toxin can cause death by anaphylactic shock in some people.” Poachers are known to pull out their teeth to "remedy" the bite risk. So if you ever see one of those numerous videos/pictures of a Bush Baby, Slow Loris, or other small primate eating a rice ball, their teeth may have been pulled.
They don't make good pets period, but especially not if you have kids or other pets. They are nocturnal and thus they are awake when their owners sleep, making them poor companions. Those large eyes make them sensitive to bright lights and they possess acute hearing so they’re sensitive to loud noises as well. So screaming kids, barking dogs, arguing couples, loud music- all of it will distress these small primates. Small primates are difficult and expensive to care for as well. You can't stuff them in a domestic Guinea Pig cage. They'd need a very large enclosure with plenty of trees to climb and places to hide during the day. Since many primate species are social, they need a family of other primates. So you’d actually need an enclosure large enough for multiple animals.
These creatures also have complex nutrition requirements. They need a variety of exotic fruits, vegetables, and insects. They would require specialist veterinary care which would be pricey and difficult to find in some areas. Small primates can carry a number of Zoonotic diseases (meaning disease that can be spread from animal to human). The Bush Baby, for example, can carry yellow fever, Klebsiella, salmonella, campylobacter, and various gastrointestinal parasites. Since many of these animals are poached, they may not have been quarantined or tested for these diseases.
Bottom line, get yourself a dog or a cat and leave wild animals in the wild. Just because its cute doesn’t mean it belongs in your house. If you care about these creatures individually or the species as a whole, you won’t buy one.
