SPIDER MONKEY R & R
(Rehabilitation and Release) - THE MONKEY DIARIES

Climbing on the Deck Plants

Mon, 20 May 2013 22:19:57 GMT

Venecia on a potted "tiger paw" plant on the deck.

I used to cringe when our spider monkey, Lolita, climbed on the deck plants because they didn't hold her weight. But even though Venecia is gaining consistently, and has gone from 694 grams to 736 grams in the 11 days we've had her, she's tiny compared to Lolita at the same age. The deck plants make a great playground!
Venecia likes to hitch rides on us during the day, and we make it a point to walk around outside with her in the morning...howlers needs sunlight to digest their food. But she's been sleeping through the night since she arrived, and so far has been a very easy keeper.

Do Monkeys Experience Sibling Rivalry?

Tue, 14 May 2013 02:54:06 GMT

Baby primate communication without speech.

More specifically, does Lolita feel anything akin to sibling rivalry? Not according to her behavior with the week-old howler we had briefly in January, or the baby howler we have now. Lolita is extremely loving with the babies, hugging and appearing to kiss them. She was equally gentle with our eighteen month old grandson when he visited, and readily accepted him as a new addition to the family. (An only child at the time, Connor handed Lolita his pacifier when she opened her mouth and begged for it.)
Baby primates - of several different species - seem to innately like and welcome each other. [Parental supervision advised.]

Lolita begs from Connor in Nov 2012

Lolita kisses Hershey in Jan 2013

Lolita hugs Venecia in May 2013

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Sun, 12 May 2013 15:54:25 GMT

But Mom, I don't NEED a bath...

Every Rehab Center Has a Cemetery

Fri, 10 May 2013 02:12:35 GMT

     Every rehabilitation center has a cemetery. Some deaths are inevitable. Others deaths are the result of human error...a rehabilitator or veterinarian may not have sufficient experience with one of the many species they encounter. All deaths are grieved.
     We lost a beautiful, fully fledged owl that came to us with severe metabolic bone disease after being kept on an inappropriate diet by whomever found her. She couldn't stand. Her death was merciful, and if I had it to do over again I would have had her euthanized humanely upon admission. As it was we both gave it our best, and both suffered unnecessarily.
     I also lost a newborn howler monkey who came to us so young her umbilical cord was still attached. She died a week later after several difficult days. It's possible that there was nothing I could have done differently, but I believe a more experienced rehabilitator might have saved her.

Venecia with Martha.

      Enter Venecia, an orphaned howler monkey named after the town in Costa Rica she's from. She has a scar over one eye and scabs across an upper arm, and I was told she was found on the road. (People aren't always honest, though. Adults are sometimes hunted for bush meat, or killed to capture babies for the illegal pet trade, and I don't know if the mother was found at the scene. Not that it matters now.)
     I brought Venecia home yesterday and considered waiting a week or two to post...in case she died. But her life has value, however long it lasts. Here's hoping it's a healthy, wild life, and I can share her release and motherhood stories.
     (Note: It's difficult to determine the sex of young howler monkeys with certainty. Should Venecia develop "huevos," we'll call her Venecio.)

A Parrot "Taste Test"

Sat, 04 May 2013 17:00:41 GMT

YIKES. Is it just a bad bag? Or do two wild parrots know something about processed food that I've never really believed?
They ate all of the fresh fruit and frozen vegetables, and NONE of the (expensive) processed mix.
Definitely food for thought...

Two dishes fed simultaneously.

Same dishes twenty-four hours later.

Even more extreme the next day when I fed an hour late.

I'm going to contact the company to see if the corn is GMO.

Visit Our Center

Thu, 02 May 2013 20:14:03 GMT

Please check out the recently updated website page, http://www.spidermonkeyrehab.com/visit-our-center.html

This "virtual" tour of our wildlife rehabilitation center is for readers who won't have a chance visit us in Costa Rica, and a place to say Thank You to people who have made donations!

How High is High Enough?

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:38:27 GMT

At the very top of the 14 foot aviary.

     Q: How high is "high enough" for a parrot?
     A: The sky.
    Our aviary is 6+ feet long by 3+ feet wide by 14+ feet high. (The builders in Costa Rica use meters rather than feet). But the length and width don't seem to matter much to the parrots. And everything below the top foot might as well be used for another purpose.
     Q: How close is close enough for an orange-chinned parrot?
     A: Our two parrots spend most of their time inter-twined, with full body contact.  It must be heaven for the older bird, who spent the first two years of its life alone in a cage.
     Q: How much food can a parrot that weighs just a few ounces eat?
     A: I put two breakfast dishes out this morning; one on the feeder inside the door, and one on the shelf with the box. Six hours later they were totally picked over, and none of the food was on the ground. The apple, papaya, mango, canteloupe, watermelon, banana, curly pasta and small seeds were gone. The broccoli and carrot? Not so popular.  So I tried corn and peas when I prepared their supper bowls tonight.

Velcro parrots. Happy together.

Breakfast for two little parrots.

Six hours later. Where's dinner?

A Spider Monkey in a Sports Bra

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 00:42:51 GMT

     If this post brings my professionalism as a rehabilitator into question, so be it. I'm firmly opposed to dressing wild animals in clothes. But last night when I laid out what I was going to wear today, I inadvertently left the pile too close to Lolita's crib. (At a year-and-a-half of age Lolita is in a large cage outside during the day, but still spends the night in our bedroom and wakes us up for a bottle around 2:00 AM.)
     I slept in this morning, and Paul snapped these photos of Lolita trying to put on my black sports bra. (I had no idea she watches so closely when I get dressed.)    Lolita's "blanket" is to her left on the bottom of the cage, and my shirt...perhaps less of a challenge...is to her right.
     The pictures are presented here in the order they were taken, as Lolita's apparent frustration increased.

Birds of a Feather?

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 23:47:32 GMT

Together on the food tray.

Together on the metal shelf.

     Birds of a feather? No, but close. Thanks to Parrot Rescue Center of Costa Rica, Uno now has an orange-chinned parakeet for company!  (Uno is an orange-fronted parakeet.) The two have been sticking together since they were introduced today, and the new arrival got very vocal when Uno was removed from the aviary for a trip to the vet.
     The not-so-good news? Uno had to have a hematoma drained this afternoon, and the vet said the wing should be amputated. We're taking Uno to Zoo Ave on Monday, anticipating surgery.
     Hoping for the best possible outcome for our little feathered companion. Wildlife rehabilitation isn't always easy on either the rescued or the rescuer.

Orange-chinned parrots in the wild.

Orange-fronted parrots in the wild.

A Day of Firsts

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 21:07:11 GMT

If Uno hatched this season, today was her first shower. Like Guanacaste and the northern Pacific coast of Costa Rica, San Ramon is classified as dry forest rather than rain forest. The difference? Dry forest experiences both a wet and a dry season, the latter being consecutive months without rain every year. And San Ramon has had less than 2 inches of rain since October 25th...now a week shy of six months. (Yes, we're counting.)

BEFORE

DURING

AFTER

      Today was also Uno's first day in the new aviary.
     PLAN A. Knowing that she would have a learning curve, I covered the tile floor with two packing blankets to absorb a fall. Within a half hour of putting her on the crotch of the tree I heard a single squawk and found Uno (safely) on the ground. She quickly figured out how to climb up the wire on the wall of the door...but then got stuck under the metal crossbar.
     PLAN B.  I hung a rope "vine" so Uno could climb past the metal bar.  A short time later I found her perched on the food tray enjoying lunch. (I'm also leaving a tray with food and water on the ground for the first day or two, but like spider monkeys, birds love height...the higher the better.)
     PLAN C. Now I just need to call around and find Uno some company!
     To be continued...

Perched on the tree trunk.

Stuck under the metal crossbar.

Enjoying her first lunch in the aviary.

Uno quickly figured out how to use a rope "vine."

SPIDER MONKEY R & R (Rehabilitation and Release) - THE MONKEY DIARIES