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Most people can agree that some animals make better pets than others.

After all, there’s a big difference between owning a dog and owning a capuchin monkey. While one has spent thousands of years living alongside humans, the other remains a wild animal with very complex needs.

That’s what this young woman found herself thinking after agreeing to babysit her cousin’s pet monkey for a few hours.

What she saw during that short visit left her with serious concerns about the animal’s quality of life.

Now she’s wondering whether she should step in, even if it means causing a major family conflict.

Read on to see what happened.

WIBTAH if I had my cousin’s pet monkey taken away?

I (F19) was asked by my cousin (F68) to babysit her pet monkey for a few hours today. And after that experience, I am seriously considering calling a sanctuary to force her to give up the monkey.

Said monkey, named Izzy, is ten years old. She is a capuchin, which are notoriously bad pets due to their intelligence, speed, and strength.

Especially now that Izzy is ten and reaching that stage of life where she gets aggressive and territorial. She has already bitten me once, leaving a permanent scar.

Unfortunately, it’s not even legal to bring Izzy into the state.

Other things Izzy has done that are concerning include: Stealing gum from people’s mouths, stealing AirPods right out of people’s ears, dialing numbers or accidentally confirming orders while playing with my cousin’s phone, and acting aggressively toward strangers, which is an issue because my cousin takes her EVERYWHERE.

My cousin lives out of state and brings Izzy along for visits like these.

My state has capuchins labeled as Dangerous Animals, and therefore my cousin cannot LEGALLY bring Izzy into the state. But she is convinced that as long as she shows the vaccination papers and the EAS certificate, it’s okay.

On this day, Izzy was noticeably agitated.

She brushes off anyone who tells her that EAS animals are not legally protected and monkeys are not legal support animals (at least here). She brings Izzy to hotels, restaurants, and would’ve brought her to church if I hadn’t offered to babysit.

Anyway, Izzy was dropped off at my home in a crate that was size-appropriate for a cat, not a monkey. She had one toy, blanket, diaper, snacks, and a baby bottle of water.

The whole two hours, she refused to eat or drink and just rocked herself in the cage. She wouldn’t even groom me when I tried engaging with her. This is the final straw for me. I just can’t see how this life is fulfilling for Izzy.

WIBTA?

Yikes! This sounds like a really tough situation.

According to this comment, she needs to file a complaint.

Since capuchins are social, this person thinks it’s cruel.

As this reader points out, the monkey was self-soothing, which is not good.

Here’s a primate expert.

This may upset her aunt, but the monkey is the one who has to live with the situation every day.

From the sound of it, Izzy isn’t thriving. She’s getting hauled across state lines, brought into places where she doesn’t belong, and spending time confined to a cage that doesn’t seem appropriate for her needs.

Sometimes doing the right thing makes people angry. Hopefully her aunt gets over it, and hopefully Izzy ends up somewhere that can better meet her needs.

Maybe next time her aunt will choose a pet that’s actually suited to life in a human home.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a young woman who struggles with her new reality after learning her adoption story was a lie.