In the last 5 years, it has become very popular to keep a Javanese monkey or a crab-eater in the house as a pet. The reasons why this animal is particularly popular are quite logical. Crabeater macaques are relatively inexpensive, intelligent, easily trained, very calm animals. Today they can often be found performing in a circus, kept in zoos and even living with inveterate lovers of exoticism in homes. Javanese macaques are very friendly, they show warm feelings for kittens, rabbits and other small species of animals. In captivity, the life cycle of Javanese monkeys reaches a maximum of 36 years.
What kind of animal is such a Javanese monkey?
Javanese macaque is a small animal of the monkey family. The body length of an adult is from 40 to 65 cm. Small and mass of macaques. The crabeater (photo is given in the article) weighs from 4 to eight and a half kilograms, while the weight of the female - from two and a half to 3.8 kg.
The animal has expressive brown button eyes, a long half-meter tail and short limbs. The body of an adult animal is covered with gray with a greenish tint of hair, its head is decorated with a charming dark crest. On the muzzle, which is practically not covered with hair, a sexually mature individual must have a light mustache, beard and whiskers. The adult male is also armed with large fangs and is capable of attacking and wounding.
Habitat for Macaque Crabeater
The animal prefers to live in trees and settle along water bodies, for example, near the mouth of the river or the shore of the sea arm. Although the Javanese macaque spends most of its life, otherwise the long-tailed monkey spends moving along trees and vines, it is good at diving. Animals seek out crabs and other living creatures that live in the sea. That is why many people know them as cynomolgus monkeys. But it does not always catch living crabs in the water. Often, the Javanese macaque monkey kills them, accurately throwing stones from the shore. This is a very smart animal.
The habitat of cynomolgus monkeys is very wide. They acclimatized especially well in the equatorial forests of Malacca, Indochina, on the islands of Indonesia and in the vast expanses of East India (Burma, Siam, islands of the Malay archipelago). Also, this type of monkey is widely distributed in the vastness of South Asia and on the Sunda Islands.
Amazing facts from the life of cynomolgus monkeys
The largest representative of the species is M. Nevestrina - Lapunder macaque. The animals of this subspecies prefer the forests of Sumatra and Malacca for living. They are strong, quick-witted and are often used as additional, pre-trained and trained labor force when harvesting by local residents. A curious fact is that they bypass the unripe coconuts without paying attention to them. Local residents not only appreciate, but also love tamed animals, because they are easily amenable to training, very diligent and diligent. These are unpretentious, calm, loyal, loving creatures, capable of not only being friends with other small animals, but also caring, for example, even for horses.
Another astonishing phenomenon is that cynomolgus monkeys are a rare species of terrestrial mammals that cross the Wallace Line. These animals with equal success live both in the primary lowland forests, and in the secondary, and in the disturbed. They are well acclimatized in the east of Bangladesh, in Burma, Thailand, Indochina, the islands of the Philippine and Malay archipelagos.
Reproduction of Long-Tailed Macaques in Natural Conditions
The reproduction of cynomolgus monkeys in the wild occurs continuously throughout the year. The maximum birth rate is observed in spring and early summer. But such a situation is observed only in the natural habitat for the animals. Depending on the climate change, the peak of fertility also changes. Pregnancy of a female Javanese monkey lasts 6 months, after which one cub is born.
Features of care during the breeding process of cynomolgus monkeys in captivity
Now in more detail about the breeding of Javanese monkeys in captivity, which they carry, it is surprisingly easy. Provided that a couple of adult individuals live in the house, the probability of their cubs appearing is incredibly high, even rather inevitable. In the period before and after childbirth, certain rules for caring for a woman in labor should be followed. The situation in the parents' cage should be calm and conducive to rest, all extraneous individuals of the species should be isolated so as not to tease the future mother and father. During childbirth, you need to be especially attentive to the female. In the cell where it is contained, there must be a vessel with clean boiled water. Believe me, watching the behavior of macaque parents, as well as the development and growth of their cubs is more than exciting.
Features of life in a group
During free life, the usual number of individuals in the group of Javanese macaques, connected by family ties, is approximately 30. Most of their time they spend on trees in search of food. They rarely descend to earth. Usually a group consists of females and males (approximately 50 to 50). The group is led by the leader, from whom almost everything, with rare exceptions, are born. Reaching puberty, males leave their families, subsequently forming new groups. Macaque girls traditionally inherit the position of their mothers, that is, matriarchy reigns exclusively in families.
Captive Macaque Crab Eater
Today, in the homes of exotic lovers, one can often find such a beast as the Javanese macaque. Owner reviews indicate that long-tailed macaques are unpretentious, they easily acclimatize with human help to the equatorial climate. For example, the southern regions of Russia are excellent for keeping animals in garden enclosures equipped with insulated sheds. With a caring attitude, the monkey quickly gets used to the owner, is easily trained, becomes manual and often shows tenderness and affection. Javanese macaque is strongly attached to the owner, it is a very constant and faithful pet.
As for hygiene and care, in order to teach a macaque, for example, to wear diapers, you will have to spend a lot of time. But the result is worth it! Demonstration of new pet skills will bring many pleasant minutes not only to its owner, but also to his friends.
Long-tailed macaques, in contrast to their fellow monkeys, should be kept in cages with thicker gratings and additionally reinforced decor elements inside the cage. Javanese macaque at home - the animal is very sociable, representatives of the species adore communication and games. Therefore, if you leave your pet alone for a long time without exciting activities, the Javanese macaque (photos are presented in the article) will be bored, sad and will quickly fade away. To prevent this from happening, you can decompose small non-hazardous toys, wooden chocks, branches, sprouted grains of barley, corn, wheat or oats, grass into shreds of hay, covering the floor of the cage.
Also important is the fact that if, when communicating with a pet, it is more likely to pick it up and let it touch the owner’s hair, then it will be more trusting and contactable. And, therefore, it will be easier to train, it will be easier to absorb knowledge, training in this case will be to his joy. And as you know, gingerbread is always much more useful than a whip.
In the wild, crabeater monkeys lead a flock of life, so you should not leave the animal alone. When the monkey is not in the cage, it is recommended to wear a diaper on it, not forgetting to first anoint the ass under the diaper with cream. In addition, you should protect the monkey from drafts. These animals are very afraid of them. It is better to teach a pet to clothes since childhood, then when he reaches adulthood, he will perceive it as a given and a necessity.
It is very important to remember that living in the wild, wild animals obey a certain hierarchy, the Javanese macaques do the same. Domestic animals do not lose this behavior by living with humans. They strictly observe the hierarchy, therefore it is strongly recommended not to try to “raise” the pet’s intellect to human, it is much more useful to communicate with it, “descending” to its level.
The optimal diet of cynomolgus macaque
The crab-eating macaque has well-developed cheek pouches, which the animal, like a hamster, stuffs with food. These animals are not predators, they usually eat grass, leaves, flowers, nuts, young shoots and insects, like crabs, other crustaceans and snails. The usual place where animals are stocked with food when they live in the wild - rice plantations.
When the animal is kept in the cage, its main diet consists of the following products: vegetables, fruits, salad, bread and a variety of cereal cereals. At least twice a week, animals must be fed with cottage cheese and boiled meat. This will make the pet's diet complete, as it will introduce proteins into it.
Flour worms are a special treat for Javanese monkeys ; they also like milk in any form (cereals and soups cooked in milk).
Rosehip syrup, yeast, fish oil and other traditional vitamin-containing products of plant and animal origin will be useful in moderation for the animal. Twice to thrice a year, vitamin courses should be given to the pet. For this, children's vitamin complexes are ideal. Twice during the year, you must also "treat" the Javanese monkey, living in captivity, with probiotics. This should be done in courses (autumn and spring) for a month.
Feeding of cynomolgus monkeys and supplying them with vitamins should be carried out exactly in accordance with the advice of a veterinarian and livestock specialist. The diet is directly curled not only from the time of year, but also from the physiological state of the animal (pregnancy, illness, lactation, breeding season and more).
Provided that the animals are kept in a cage, the portion per living soul is increased by 50% per animal. This is due to the fact that in group coexistence, individuals approach feed only in accordance with the hierarchy in the group. If a mother with cubs is kept in the enclosure, then the feed is also given in a certain amount: the mother has a full portion, each of the cubs - 50% of the standard ration. Upon reaching six months of age, each young individual should be given a full serving of food.
Reasons for listing Javanese monkeys in the Red Book
Every year the population of the countries of the Asian region is growing rapidly, which is directly the cause of the reduction in the open spaces of the natural habitat of many species of animal and plant life.
Given the peculiarities of the breeding of cynomolgus macaques (each female gives birth to only one cub during her whole life), it is natural that, with a reduction in the halo of their habitat, the total number of population decreases. In addition, in some countries, Javanese monkeys are considered to be animal pests, which leads to their targeted destruction. And some habitats of these funny animals are known for the fact that local residents eat them, and, accordingly, conduct their constant active capture.
Based on the above facts, it is clear that the Javanese macaque is in urgent need of protection, therefore this species of mammals was listed in the Red Book.