Adults and Baby Marmosets

Lots of words here people, if you don't have time to read them, you don't have time for a marmoset!!

I'm currently working on this website so if you notice the same thing written more than once that's why. 

Let's  talk Marmosets, shall we!!! Marmosets are adorable there is no doubt  about it. They're also very complex little monkeys that need specialized  care or they will not survive. I'm here to tell you the facts that most  breeders skip or lie about in order to sell you a baby marmoset. 

It  makes me sick to my stomach to see marmosets and Tamarin's being called  "starter monkeys" or great first monkeys. This really needs to STOP. If  they are properly cared for they can be a long term companion. All too  often they are used as stepping stones to bigger monkeys, they deserve  so much more. You don't just get a trial run on a monkey, then when they  aren't what you expected because you failed to research, you just  dispose of them and try another one. They are very intelligent and form a  strong bond with their human. So if you really want a bigger monkey,  don't bother even getting a small one.
For starters CHECK  THE PRIMATE LAWS FOR YOUR STATE,COUNTY,AND CITY. THERE ARE A TON OF  PRIMATE BANS IN PLACE, JUST BECAUSE YOUR STATE DOESN'T HAVE A BAN  DOESN'T MEAN YOUR COUNTY OR CITY IS OK. The best way of ensuring you  will not have to surrender your monkey, is to contact your local Fish and Wildlife  Commission or Department of Agriculture.
STATES WHICH BAN PRIVATE POSSESSION OF NONHUMAN PRIMATES:
 Alaska,  Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa,  Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri,  Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York,  Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wyoming
Even  if your state is not listed as banned, that doesn't mean they are  legal. Laws change all the time check your state, county, and city to  make sure monkeys are legal where you live.
There are  plenty of shady breeders out there that will sell to banned states just  to make a buck. 

I AM NOT ONE OF THOSE BREEDERS, I actually care about  ALL of my monkeys and my babies will ONLY go to LEGAL homes. Trust me  when I tell you I will do my due diligence confirming you do not live in  a banned location.
What I want more than anything is to help  educate people so they can make an informed decision about whether or  not they are ready to devote most of your time to a little monkey. It is literally a life changing decision that should not be  taken lightly. Once you get a baby they depend on you for everything.  They cannot be left in a cage alone for extended periods of time they  require a lot of attention and care. If you work full-time, like to take vacations, have children, or want children.... a monkey is not for you. They are also not a pet for a teenager, they require too much care, they can't just be locked in a cage when the  novelty wears off. 

Tiny babies can die from many things, the most common reasons are.... 

BLOAT - which can happen when they swallow air and gas accumulates from not clearing the air from the syringe, feeding with an eye dropper or pet nurser. If they don't have a humidifier and they sneeze several times in a row they gulp air trying to catch their breath, this can also happen to adults.

CONSTIPATION - which can be caused by high iron formula or foods like iron fortified baby or toddler foods. Not giving them probiotics or giving them too much of a probiotic. Constipation can cause a blockage and they won't survive.

TEMPERATURE FLUCTUATIONS - Keeping them too warm or not warm enough. Babies can not maintain their body temperature till they're 8 weeks old. I shouldn't have to say this but you can't just sit a tiny baby on a counter to feed them. Yes, I saw someone doing this, blew my mind. So there is yet another incompetent person that decided to breed and the buyers are following their lead, unreal. A cold baby can not digest their food properly. Pick him/her up and hold them, wrap them in a blanket. This is when they are forming a bond for pete's sake. Not only was the helpless baby just sitting on a counter cold, they were feeding her with an eye dropper, which is another red flag. The fluid in eye droppers move when you squeeze the bulb. You have zero control how fast it comes out or the air bubbles inside. You can easily aspirate the baby or give her bloat. 

ASPIRATION - This happens when you push too much formula too fast and they inhale it, if you get water up their nose or in their mouth while bathing (If you must bath them, do it from their chest down and use a wash cloth for their head and face) They can also inhale water in a bowl, they should be given a water bottle. If they inhale fluids it settles in their lungs causing them to basically drown or get pneumonia.

DIARRHEA - is caused by viruses, parasites, bacteria, tap water and STRESS, they get dehydrated very fast and die.

HUMAN VIRUSES - when people care more about getting attention than their immunocompromised baby's health and safety and take them out in public, around all their friends, family and kids to show him/her off. Even if people don't have symptoms during the incubation period they're still contagious.

Cold hard FACTS......

If you put your wants above your monkeys needs then this page will seem harsh. I don't apologize for that. My goal is to extend the lives of these innocent little monkeys and I really don't care who this pisses off. I'm not here to make friends or coddle adults.  Breeding and selling has never been our main source of income. In fact I keep most of my babies because I refuse to set them up for failure. Most of the people that want a monkey just see something cute and want one. They don't do any research, they have kids, live in illegal states, think they are a few hundred dollars or just want a monkey to get attention. The monkeys suffer tremendously because of it. We have seen the horrors of what happens when they end up in the wrong hands and that's why we are mainly a sanctuary.   

Marmosets CAN live to be in their late teens, but very rarely make it to 10. In fact a very large percentage of them don't even make it to their 3rd birthday. What's even worse, it has become so common for marms to die as baby's or very young that people don't even blink an eye. Someone will make a RIP post with no explanation and nobody bothers asking what happened. Just a ton of people saying they lost their first one young too like it's acceptable among the ignorant. It's not acceptable at all, as a matter of fact it's disgraceful. Then there are people that are so desperate to not be included in the massive group of people that have lost a young marm that they lie and inflate the age of their marm. Here's an example, just to put this out there first.... My ability to retain information is unmatched. So you're not going to change your story with me. Circling back to the example of inflating ages of marms. I was messaging with someone, they said they had recently taken in a 7 year old rehome and all the health issues they had. I don't talk to this person on a regular basis so I checked back in a year later and now she was claiming the marm was 13. Not only did I have the last message saying she was 7, I have my memory. And just to be clear if you get an older marm, you don't get the credit for him/her living to that age. Let's see how many years you can keep them alive before you pat yourself on the back. I mean actual years not the skipped, inflated or dog years, actual 365 days is ONE year, years. I see it all the time. A monkey celebrates his/her 2nd, 3rd birthday and then dies less than a year later and the person says they were 6,7,8. No, no, they weren't. STOP LYING.   Learn how to take care of them and have one live a long life and then you'll deserve the validation you desperately want. When a monkey can live to be in their teens they shouldn't be dying as an infant or young adult, 5,6,7 is YOUNG. My first marm Echo was a month away from her 13th birthday when we lost her and that's a fact. I have no reason to lie, I don't need my ego stroked by anyone. All the thriving monkeys in my care is all the validation I need.

Your monkey should not be sick all the time if they are, it's your fault. You're either taking them out in public causing them tremendous stress and exposing them to god knows what, you allow kids/sick people around him/her, you don't feed them an adequate diet, you give them too much iron or junk food, they don't have enough space to exercise, they don't have the proper light or it's not close enough to get any benefits from it, they're forced to wear clothes so the light or sun doesn't penetrate, they're locked in a little cage alone. There are a plethora of things you could be doing wrong but I know there isn't a germ fairy out there making monkeys sick.  Mine have NEVER been sick with anything from a contagious human or a human created issue. I've had several surrendered to me with human created issues, some major, some minor. Every once in a while I will have a constipated baby, which resolves quickly. We go to the vet for pregnancy related issues or to get them spayed or neutered. Oh and one of them had an ear infection when she was 9 years old, that's it.  FB marmoset groups that are full of nothing but prayer requests, reckless attention seeking, dangerous advice and death announcements probably aren't the best places to get advice or learn about their care. The time to learn about them and what it takes to keep them healthy, happy and ALIVE is BEFORE you buy one. 

Most of the things that are killing these little monkeys are preventable. They have very weak immune systems and can catch EVERYTHING humans carry, add stress and it weakens it even more. Ever notice all the reputable zoos keep them behind glass? That's to keep their environment germ free and it also works as a noise barrier so they aren't on edge all day with people squealing. I know they are cute and you want to take them everywhere. YOU CAN'T if you want them to live. You say, well they don't touch them.... Have you ever heard of air-borne viruses?? They are also deadly to a tiny monkey. You may think they enjoy going out, but that is not the case. They don't like being left alone, that doesn't mean they want to go out.  You're confusing them being on high alert, totally stressed with an elevated heart rate as them being excited or happy. When they stretch out they are not enjoying the ride, they're in self preservation mode trying to calm their heart rate down. So for all you reckless attention seekers, YOU ARE THE REASON THEY WANT TO BAN PRIMATE OWNERSHIP. Taking them  out in public, in stores, restaurants and to cesspool doctors offices, hospitals or nursing homes claiming they are your emotional support animal, BULLSH!T. You got a monkey to get attention, people with real issues don't want attention. Have you ever thought your poor anxiety ridden monkey may need some emotional support? Probably not. Little monkeys are super territorial, when they are removed from their territory it causes fear and anxiety. When they're afraid they bite, then they get confiscated and killed. Do you care or will you just get another one and repeat? They don't enjoy playdates or gatherings, that's all for the humans. It stresses the monkeys out. They want to be at home where they feel safe and no, they don't want to hang out with all your friends and their germs. Just because you like them doesn't mean they do. And for the love of God keep them away from children. Children are walking germs. Some of these people have had 3,4,5 or more marmosets that never even reached their 1st or 2nd Birthday and instead of having a necropsy to find out what they did wrong, they just go get another one and continue to make the same ignorant, selfish choices. There really needs to be a registry for people that abuse, neglect or cause the death of several monkeys. 

Metabolic bone disease also kills so many. They NEED sun to live. They also have deficiencies in calcium and D3 so they need supplements BUT they should not have a bunch of phosphorus that is in most of the d3/calcium powder for reptiles. I use bone defense for humans, it has worked great for many years. Instead of spending a bunch of money on clothes that even the best lights ( 160 watt mercury vapor) can't penetrate, build them an outdoor enclosure and leave the clothes off. I see so many pale faces, it's incredibly frustrating. You would think that people would ask themselves, why do some marms have black faces and mine is pale? I know I would but it seems a lot of really dense people have decided to breed or buy a complex monkey they know nothing about and don't take the time to learn about the important things. ALL marmosets should have very dark faces even geoffreys. With tamarins it's a little harder to tell when they have the beginning stages of metabolic bone disease because they have black faces naturally. It has the same devastating results in both. Starts with a pale face, then they get weakness in their limbs. Usually starts in their back legs but I have seen it in their arms, hands and feet as well. It can also affect their jaw, any bones in their body and it wreaks havoc and will kill them. Sadly, a lot of the vets that treat marmosets/tamarins don't even know about MBD even though it is one of the most common diseases they get. They are often times misdiagnosed with cancer and vets suggest amputation if it's only in one limb or euthanasia if it has spread. This disease is totally treatable, their bones will always be more brittle but it can be stabilized.  More importantly, it's preventable. 

IRON is another killer in small monkeys they have hemochromatosis and their organs can not process a lot of iron. It's builds up in all the major organs and causes them to fail. So you have to really watch their iron intake. (the majority of baby and toddler foods are iron fortified so avoid them) You can also look up a hemochromatosis diet to get ideas, not all things that contain iron are bad. Some things have built in binding agents so the iron doesn't have to be processed. It's a balancing act because they NEED protein and a lot of foods that are a good source of protein also contain iron so just read everything you can find on the subject that is what I did and I have never lost a marm to kidney/liver failure which is the cause of death in A LOT of them from iron overload. Never give them tap water, whether it's from a well which has iron or city water they are both full of contaminants. Give them purified drinking water. 

Herpes another big killer. It doesn't matter if they're infected from a human or a squirrel monkey, it's fatal to marmosets, tamarins and owl monkeys. Cold sores, genital herpes, epstein barr, chicken pox and shingles are all deadly. Even the vaccine for shingles is deadly for the first week after you get it so don't handle your small monkey at all while you have a break out or after receiving the vaccine. Common sense would tell people to never allow their monkeys to interact with a squirrel monkey but people still do it. If the small monkey doesn't die within days of the interaction they think all is well, WRONG. Squirrels can go periods of time without shedding the virus and can even produce a false negative herpes test if they aren't shedding at the time. Complacency and cross contamination has killed A LOT of small monkeys. 

IGNORANCE IS THE NUMBER ONE KILLER.

Someone constantly posts about several of their young marms being sick or dying. They're clearly incompetent and everything that can be done wrong, is being done wrong. Her posts on dealing with their health issues she created are not just wrong, they're dangerous. It's unbelievable how many other clueless marm owners asks her for advice because they also have sick marms. Seriously, when does common sense kick in? When do you say to yourself, my God I'm surrounded by people with dying or dead marms. Maybe I should remove myself from this group/persons page and actually research how to care for him/her so they don't die. The internet can be very helpful but social media is toxic. 1 out of 100 posts may have accurate information that's helpful the rest of them can actually harm your small monkey. If you don't know the difference and follow all the suggestions you will cause nothing but problems for your marm. For instance, many people use way too many supplements or different supplements a tiny monkeys organs can not handle being overloaded, the only supplements they actually need is D3/ calcium because they have  deficiencies and a good probiotic because they are prone to intestinal issues, that's it. Anything else can cause irreparable damage. And never, ever give them CBD or any other drugs. Monkeys are high strung if you don't like that, don't get a damn monkey. Ignorance tends to spread like wild fire, while beneficial facts trickle slowly. SCROLL through their page before you ask someone for advice don't just assume they know what they are talking about. If they have a lot of posts with their marms sick or marms dying, obviously they don't know how to take care of their marms. You will end up with a dead marm too, if you do what they do. This applies if you are rehoming/reselling your marm/tam as well. Check the person out thoroughly before you hand them your monkey. If you care about him/her at all SPAY/NEUTER them. You do not want them turned into a breeder. People that breed them are ruthless, if they don't produce babies in a certain period of time they are ripped from their partner and put with another marm. They're nothing more than money makers. It's sickening. I have MANY pairs that are just friends and I would never separate them, they love each other and are happy. The pairs I have that do breed if they take care of their babies they raise them until adulthood or when they start bickering. The only babies I take are the ones that aren't being cared for. Back to rehoming, when a monkey needs a home all of the worst people try to get their hands on them so just be very careful. There are people that can not afford to properly care for a monkey, so they'll be doomed from the start. There are people that will promise to love him/her for life and sell them. There are people that claim to be a rescue that don't have a pot to piss in or the knowledge to keep him/her alive. A rescue is supposed to improve their life, not make it worse. Ask to see their enclosures make sure they have indoor/outdoor not a little cage in a shed or room (if the enclosures aren't big enough for a monkey to RUN and jump they're too damn small),ask about their diet. Make sure they have other marms and marm experience. Find out who their vet is, ask a ton of questions. You're already causing your monkey a ton of stress by turning them over to a stranger, the least you can do is make sure they're going to place they will be happy and cared for.         

The neglect, abuse, exploitation and ILLEGAL SMUGGLING of monkeys is so out of control the U.S wants to ban primate ownership.

Smuggling isn't just taking babies to a different country. The mothers are KILLED, sometimes entire troops are slaughtered if they try to protect the baby that crashes to the ground on their mom when she's shot. Tons of babies die from stress or injuries before they even make it here or soon after because they are stuffed in backpacks and not fed for hours or days. They're now critically endangered. The majority of spiders you see on social media were smuggled into this country. Even most of the breeding pairs were smuggled here as babies. They need to start prosecuting every single person involved from the smugglers to the brokers/breeders waiting in the U.S. ALL of them and not useless probation, fines and classes. Empathy, compassion and how not to be a complete waste of oxygen can't be taught. They need to sit in prison for many. many years. Most of the buyers are not innocent either, they know exactly where they came from. Monkeys are not cheap so if you're getting a SPIDER for a few thousand dollars you know what's going on. People that would normally struggle to buy 1 spider have 3,4,5 or more. It's disgusting. They need to start DNA testing them and if their fraudulent paperwork and DNA doesn't match up to a breeding pair in the U.S they should be confiscated.  The U.S is already going to need a massive sanctuary for spiders because they're going to need a place to go when they mature and literally start kicking their clueless owners asses. They don't stay sweet little house pets forever. They need huge enclosures like a minimum of 20x20x20 and heavy duty. Not some flimsy dog kennel panels, they could easily shake till they collapse and escape. The enclosure they need will cost more than the monkey. Some of these people don't even have a yard or they live in a regular neighborhood with a tiny backyard. Hell, some of them live in trailer parks or motorhomes. Where do they plan on building their enclosure when they start dismantling their house and they can't be contained in the cheap cage? Okay, sorry about the detour. I just had to say something about the horrific plight of smuggled baby spiders and their troops, it happens with other species too but the amount of spiders that have been and are still being smuggled is just incomprehensible.  

Time to wake up and face the facts. If you love and care about your monkeys the way you want people to believe you do. Now is the time to start doing what's right for them. If they are kept at home away from germs and chaos given a bunch of attention, not forced to do things that are unnatural for a MONKEY like wearing clothes, belly bands, leashes, they aren't toys that just sit there and look cute. Look at any dressed up monkey, not a single one looks comfortable or happy. When they are subjected to stress on a regular basis it cuts their life short, keeping them on a short leash also causes stress and can also cause injuries or even death if they leap or get caught on something, they need space to run without things impeding their ability to run and jump, a great diet, proper lighting/sun, SPAY OR NEUTER,, hormone fueled aggression is the number one reason they are resold or locked in a cage alone to suffer. But it's not just sexual frustration, they can also get all the reproductive cancers, frustration in general can cause depression, loneliness, self mutilation, anorexia/starvation, confusion, anxiety the list goes on and on. Their mental and emotional well being is just as important and their physical health, if you take care of them properly and keep them out of harms way they will live a hellva lot longer.

 If they do get sick instead of getting on FB and asking people for home remedies, TAKE HIM/HER TO THE VET. You don't have time to mess around they crash very fast and they're masters at hiding illnesses or injuries because in the wild the weak are targeted. So by the time you realize something is wrong they're already very sick. You should have a vet before you even get the monkey but most of you wait till they're dying to ask people to find you one or you don't have the money for a vet so they die of neglect.  If you only have money at income tax time and you're broke the rest of the year, DON'T GET A MONKEY. It takes more than love and prayers to raise one, you also need money. 

       It's really difficult to convince people that the majority of the breeders/brokers LIE, they'll tell you what you want to hear to make a sale. So you think they're great. If they were so great, they would tell you everything you need to know so the marm/tam lives longer than a few weeks, months, years. They DO NOT care if the monkey dies young, they'll be right there to offer fake sympathy and sell you another one. Hell, most of the breeders don't even know how to properly care for them. they tell people the wrong light or don't even tell them they need a light at all, they keep them in tiny cages with a nestbox and that's it. They feed them the cheapest, easiest diet they possibly can, usually a gross concoction of mostly canned marmoset diet mixed with other canned garbage. Some of them even tell people in FL to get a license instead of a permit so they can take them out in public. That's outrageous, it's a death sentence. 

They allow helpless babies with non-existent immune systems to be held and passed around by random people hoping to make a sale. Now lets say the batch of random germ spreaders doesn't buy the baby. But later that day or the next day an unsuspecting person does buy the baby, having no idea the baby was exposed to and infected with a deadly virus, it takes a couple days and the baby dies. Do you think they will give you your money back? HELL NO....They don't care about you or the baby, it's all about making money and they got paid. They'll probably block you and without a doubt blame you, good luck proving them wrong. There's no way to prove where a virus originated.

They sell to people that live in states with primate bans knowing they will get confiscated/euthanized and vets won't treat the monkey when they're sick because it's ILLEGAL to own one. The buyers aren't any less horrid, they're just as brazen. I get calls non-stop from people in illegal states. They'll pay extra, obviously they don't care about the laws, my license or the life of the monkey. Imagine being so devious, desperate and self-entitled  that you seek out breeders/brokers that are also willing to break the law to get you a monkey. 

If you have the money they'll sell you one, no questions asked and no guidance given, just a bunch of false info because they don't know actual facts about marms. They just repeat what they've heard, even if it's wrong or dangerous. They copy and paste  from websites like mine, change a couple words and claim my experience as their own. It's truly nauseating. The marmoset market is FLOODED with incompetent, greedy backyard breeders. I have always said people that want to breed should have to go to a building without their phone or computer and take a test on every species they want to breed. If that was the case there would be about 3 breeders instead of hundreds. 

Speaking of money grubbing breeders, I suggest you look them up on the USDA website before you give anyone a deposit. A lot of them never had USDA license to breed and sell primates or their license has been revoked/cancelled. Getting a monkey from an unlicensed person is not a legal sale and the monkey can be confiscated. Make sure their license is active on the website. Even if they show you their paper license and it hasn't expired, it still could have been revoked or cancelled before the expiration date. Also look up their inspection reports, some of them are horrendous and they should have been shut down years ago. Make sure they have marmosets/tamarins on their animal inventory list because if they don't, they are not licensed to breed or sell them and their monkeys aren't being inspected and monitored by a vet or the USDA. There's a reason people don't divulge they're breeding and selling monkeys and it's most likely because they don't want anyone seeing the deplorable conditions the monkeys are forced to live and die in.

      I'm the opposite of all of them.  Little monkeys are my life and if I hurt some feelings by stating facts, GOOD. If the monkeys could talk they would hurt most of y'alls feelings too. Way too many have died very young because of ignorance and greed. Marmosets are by far the most abused, neglected and misunderstood primate in the pet trade. The blatant disregard for their health, happiness and safety is appalling. People are more concerned with who makes the cutest clothes and getting on tik tok then what the marm needs to actually live. 

I have a lot marms that are allowed to be monkeys with indoor/outdoor enclosures, fed a premium diet, not being forced to do a damn thing, living their best life. Many are over 10 or in their teens still going strong. My monkeys are kept far away from morons and their germs, kids aren't even allowed on my property. So if you want your marms to live a long life maybe allow them to be the way they were intended and give them what THEY need, instead of trying to change them into something YOU want. 

This is very important, Pay attention........

 Once they reach sexual maturity they change  drastically. Typically they only like the 1 or 2 people that raised them as a  baby. One of the biggest lies breeders tell people is that, "If the  Marmoset is raised with children they make great family pets".
This  statement could not be any further from the truth. ADULT MARMOSETS DO  NOT LIKE CHILDREN. They may tolerate them for a period of time but at some point they will get bit. They're very jealous, territorial and unpredictable. They don't  want to compete for attention. Just because they are little doesn't mean they are nice, they can be very vicious and can do serious damage to the face and ears before you even have time to react.
They have powerful little jaws - very sharp  teeth and claws. In the wild they gnaw on tree bark to get at the sap  and gum, so our skin is….. well…… you get the picture I hope. Their claws should never be cut, they can splinter and cause blood loss or infection. In the wild they maintain their claws by climbing trees so provide them with thick safe branches and their claws will stay blunt. 

I have told people more times than I can count “do not buy a monkey if you have  kids”.
They say BUT…………..their monkey will be different, their 5 year old is mature

they post pictures of their Marmoset and kids, saying they are best buddies
This makes me cringe because I'm well aware of how it will end. It is not a matter of IF the Marmoset will attack it’s WHEN. The next post is them selling the poor Marmoset usually with a lie about health issues but the truth is the Marmoset grew up and started acting like a monkey. I have many marmosets that were surrendered after they bit a kid and the ones that are here are the lucky few. So many are killed after they bite and it's not just them being euthanized. They are beaten to death or whipped against walls. Humans are vile, they have zero self-control. When someone pisses them off they react with violence, even if that someone is a 1 lb monkey. PATHETIC 

 No, you will not "TRAIN" your Marmoset not to  bite, this is just nonsense. They bite because they aren't getting what they need or they're sick, scared, injured, being tormented or hurt, sexually frustrated. There is ALWAYS a reason and since they can't talk, they bite.  

What not to do…..

Retaliate  by pinching, biting, squeezing, thumping on the nose or whatever form  of  "discipline" people use. When a human reacts to a bite with a  violent act it only confuses the monkey and makes them lose all trust.
“Not  all bites are meant to be vicious”. Marmosets are very playful by  nature and remember the part about very sharp teeth? Yea, a simple play  bite can hurt and draw blood….ask my husband. He’s the one that  typically plays (or as he says wrestles with them) and often comes away  with a few tiny punctures on fingers – back of the arms – hands – or  where ever he gets it …
People say, mother and father Marmosets  bite their young, WELL  we are not 1 lb. so we couldn't possibly  replicate the discipline the parents administer to their babies. It is  not possible to rewire their brains or remove their natural instincts.
Ever  notice the people that have Marmosets that bite all the time?? That's  because they are reacting to the negative behavior. Typically aggressive  Marmosets have lost their trust, still have all their reproductive  parts or they were in an abusive situation at one time. If a human is  constantly hurting them, they will bite worse and grow to hate their  tormentor.
More often than not the human that tormented the poor  innocent monkey dumps them or locks them in a cage which causes  depression, self-mutilation, hunger strikes, and most of them just give  up on life.

They didn't do ANYTHING wrong biting is normal for them
If they could talk, I bet a whole lot of people would be shocked at just how unhappy they are, they don't need to be controlled, they need someone with a whole lot of time and patience.

What can we do…..

We  can ignore the negative behavior and or attempt to figure out what is  bothering them.  Marmosets can become bored, change their environment –  add new toys to play with – change the branches in their enclosures -  get him/her a playmate, they're much happier in pairs – PLAY WITH THEM  MORE…… spice things up a little!!!!

SPAYING and NEUTERING is a MUST for all pet monkeys

A  sexually frustrated monkey is an aggressive and sad monkey. Spaying and  neutering does not stop the biting completely, monkeys bite……they’re  monkeys. It’s their way of telling us something is wrong.
Females that are not spayed can become extremely  aggressive during their estrus cycle. They will attack women and girls  on their periods - women taking hormone replacements or fertility drugs,  not even domestic animals are safe from a female that is cycling. Sexually frustrated males can also smell women and girls on the periods and will most likely target them.
Spaying  and neutering will calm the hormone fueled rages and full blown attacks. It is cruel to keep a monkey that is consumed with thoughts of  breeding and no way to alleviate the need. Spaying and neutering also  has many health benefits, it eliminates the risk for all reproductive  cancers.
It is very important to get them fixed before they reach sexual maturity!!!

·      Females at 10 months
·        Males at about 6 months or as soon as their testicles drop

If  more breeders preached the importance of spaying and neutering a lot  less young adult Marmosets would be resold when they reach sexual  maturity and become aggressive.

A  lot of breeders also like to sell two at a time, so they say they are  unrelated and will breed. The chances of that happening are slim to  none, they will consider themselves siblings and will not breed. Then  when they reach sexual maturity the male will get aggressive toward the  female because he's sexually frustrated. Or if  he does breed her  and she's too young, she will die. So either way it doesn't end well.

I'm  all for having TWO, they are much happier in pairs, but if you want them  to stay your pet they need to be spayed and neutered. 

Breeding  is not for amateurs. You should have a lot of experience with them. I  mean YEARS, not months. Don't just go buy a pair, not knowing ANYTHING  about them, but think you can breed. That is irresponsible to say the  least. Innocent little lives are on the line, while wannabe breeders are  just winging it.
There  are a lot of people that seem to think marmosets are like dogs, that  they just bring the male over for the day to breed their female. WELL it  doesn't work that way, first they have to bond which sometimes takes a  long time, sometimes it never happens. They are like people not all of  them get along. Then if they do breed, the MALE is the one that takes  care of the babies, the females only feeds them. So they have to stay  together.
A  LARGE PERCENTAGE ARE RE-HOMED OVER AND OVER WHEN THEY BECOME AGGRESSIVE  BECAUSE THEIR PARENTS FAILED TO SPAY OR NEUTER THEM, OR THE NOVELTY  WEARS OFF. IT'S SO RARE FOR A SMALL MONKEY TO LIVE A LONG LIFE IN ONE  HOME.................. I'M TRYING TO CHANGE THAT.

Don’t get all freaked out…….  They make amazing little companions for a person or couple that are  home all the time and are done raising their kids.

Monkey proof your house……..

Put away breakables - Get rid of house plants most of them are toxic - Keep bathroom and laundry room doors closed etc….

Couple of things to remember……

They are not destructive like the bigger monkeys but they will scent mark. 

They do not need leashes or belly collars,  These can cause injury or death when they jump or get caught on things
Diapers are okay as long as they have plenty of time to air out
Clothes are not good for the little guys they're not dolls
They only weigh 1 lb. and shouldn't have to drag around itchy, hot clothes. If you have to restrain or fight with them to do something you're causing them stress.
NEVER  EVER put anything around your Marmosets neck, they have enough things  that can kill them, they shouldn't have to wear a noose

·   When taking them to the vet it is always best to use a carrier
·         it's not safe to have them loose in the car even on a leash
I  have heard of them getting stuck behind dashboards, getting squashed in  car  doors, and even escaping from the car. Put them in a carrier with a blanket over it so they feel safe. Try to avoid the waiting room, people are nosy and don't respect personal space. We wait in the car and they call us when an exam room is ready so we can walk right through. We put ours in small mesh cages so they can be sedated right in their cage. It's a lot less stressful for them.

NEVER have their teeth pulled……none of  them….. not even their K9's this can result in a broken jaw or cause  their other teeth to shift horribly. If you can't handle a bite, don't  buy a monkey, it's that simple. It is very unfortunate that the  discussion of pulling teeth in such a tiny monkey is taking place   but………
When "got to be alpha over a 1lb monkey"  request it, unethical vets will do it
It's barbaric and should be illegal
if an abscess doesn't kill them, malnutrition will

Creating a habitat.........

 When  creating a happy habitat let’s start with the most important thing, being lighting, mercury vapor lights are crucial for a healthy Marmoset  or Tamarin (they cannot absorb D3 or Calcium without it).

 160  watts is best, they should be on from sunrise to sunset. Hang the light 5 - 8 inches above or to the side of a shelf or hammock so the marm can lay and bask in the light. If their faces aren't very dark the light is either too far away or it's not the right light. All monkeys should have access to an outdoor enclosure, they love it outside and NEED the natural sunlight (sunlight from a window is filtered this does not count). DO NOT allow your small monkey to run loose outside, even on a leash you are exposing them to all the deadly bacteria,parasites and viruses wildlife carry and pesticides.  A hawk or other birds of prey can grab him/her before you even have time to react.
Monkeys  that are used to being indoors with A/C are more prone to heat stroke and need tunnels or some access to  get back indoors when they need to cool down.  They also benefit from a humidifier, their natural habitat is an extremely humid  environment. Our homes using A/C and heat removes all the humidity from  the air, which causes their skin to become dry and itchy and their  lungs and nose to get dry so they sneeze a lot. In order to keep them  comfortable keep a humidifier running. 
As for caging the  bigger, the better, STOP USING SMALL BIRD OR FERRET CAGES they need room to jump, swing, run and climb or they can get weak muscles, also known as cage paralysis. Use size appropriate softboxes, hammocks, boxes and perches they are not sugar gliders or little birds so they shouldn't have to squeeze into a sugar glider pouch, hammock, box or try to grasp a tiny parakeet perch. They need space and give them thick branches so they can gnaw on them, comfortably sit on them and they will also keep their claws blunt.  If they are trying to hold on to a tiny perch their nails don't even touch the wood. Do not use small  ropes, string, or anything with a loop that they could get caught in. (watch for loose threads on hammocks,softboxes or blankets) they can strangle themselves. We use natural manila rope 2 inch diameter, typical PVC end caps can be  glued on the ends with an eye bolt in the end of the cap to be used for  connecting to the cage.
Also avoid toys with small pieces or  beads they could choke on them once they destroy them. It is best to use  6mm plastic chain to hang toys, and softboxes!! They love swings,mirrors and places to hide. They also love natural  branches, use thick ones 1 1/2 inches or larger.( I will add safe trees to use) allow them to scent mark their branches and do not wash them. They are scent oriented and removing their scent confuses them and causes unnecessary stress. People tend to over clean, they need to have a space where their scent stays to feel secure.
It's  not a good idea to let your small monkey sleep with you, they get in  odd spots looking for heat and could be seriously injured or killed.  They need their own safe space to sleep.

Many  monkeys have been killed by dogs and cats, so to be safe. I would not  let them interact with domestic animals, fleas cause anemia in small monkeys very fast and they will die, also cat scratches are hidden under their fur and are deadly as well. Other animals will only put up with a marmoset biting them for so long before they bite back and a tiny marmoset or tamarin doesn't  stand a chance.