Red Monkey

Red Monkey (scientific name: Erythrocebus patas) is an animal of the subfamily Cercopithecinae and the only species of the genus Erythrocebus, with four subspecies. It measures 85 cm in length and has a tail length of 75 cm. The upper body is covered in red-orange fur, like a fluffy coat; the chest, abdomen, and legs are white. There is dense white whiskers around the cheeks and chin.

The Red Monkey is a terrestrial species, highly adapted to life on the ground. It runs at a speed higher than other monkeys, and is lively and agile by nature. Its vision, hearing, and smell are all very acute. It is the most complex species in terms of communication among all primates. It feeds on plant parts such as flowers, fruits, branches, leaves, and tree bark, and occasionally eats bird eggs and small invertebrates. It mainly inhabits tropical grasslands and semi-desert regions. It can reach speeds up to 50 kilometers per hour, making it the fastest primate. It is distributed in several countries in West Africa.

The red monkey lives in arid areas near the Sahara Desert and in sparsely wooded grasslands. It mainly inhabits tropical savannas and forests, being a typical species of tropical savannas and dry and dense forests and thickets. They can tolerate dry conditions, some of which are found near the southern edge of the Sahara Desert. However, there are exceptions, and some live in moist forests. Deforestation has led to the discovery of these monkeys living in the forest. They appear in the region of the flooded Senegal River delta.

Suggested love enthusiasts to keep, first of all, to obtain a breeding qualification certificate from the relevant breeding qualification center before raising. Pay attention to the bacteria carried by the monkeys and disinfect and clean them in a timely manner. Ensure that the monkey has enough healthy and clean food and drink, and try to avoid conflicts between the monkey and other pets at home.

1. Gastroenteritis

Gastroenteritis is a severe acute inflammation of the gastric and intestinal mucosa and its deep tissue.

Symptoms: In the early stage of the disease, the diseased monkeys show indigestion and decreased appetite; diarrhea is watery or pasty, and severe cases turn into purulent bloody stools, which are yellowish-red and mixed with pus, bloodstreaks and mucus. At this time, the monkeys are listless, refuse to eat, have reduced body temperature, and die from exhaustion. Their heads droop, their appetites are lost, their body temperature drops, and they die from collapse.

Treatment: See the treatment of bacterial dysentery.

2. Bacterial Dysentery

Bacterial dysentery has a rapid onset and spreads exceptionally quickly. It is a common disease among monkeys in monkey farms, especially in newly introduced monkeys. They become hungry and thirsty during transportation and eat excessively when they arrive at the farm, causing indigestion and diarrhea. If not treated promptly, it quickly develops into dysentery. The main symptoms are listlessness, decreased appetite, or even complete loss of appetite. Severe cases can lead to dehydration, sunken eye sockets, emaciation, decreased body temperature, cold hands and feet, drooping heads, and curled-up bodies. If symptoms persist for 1-2 days, death will occur.

Treatment: The treatment methods for enteritis and dysentery are generally similar, but different medications should be used in clinical practice according to the changes in the condition. When diseased monkeys are found, they should be immediately isolated and treated. The monkey rooms should be thoroughly disinfected, and all monkeys in the group should be medicated. They are usually given the broad-spectrum antibiotic tetracycline, with an average of 2 tablets (0.5 grams) per monkey, once a day, for 2-3 days. Comprehensive treatment should be given to diseased monkeys, including oral administration of sulfamethoxazole (S.G), twice a day, 0.5 grams each time, and 1 gram for the first time. Injections of gentamicin, berberine or heart-piercing lotus injection liquid should be given to adult monkeys, with a reduced dose for young monkeys. If there is no improvement after 2 consecutive days, oral administration of floxuridine is recommended, 1-2 times a day, 200 milligrams each time. Alternatively, dissolve floxuridine in 20 milliliters of warm water and insert the catheter nasally into the stomach to slowly inject the liquid. In addition, intramuscular injections of chloramphenicol and baibiling should be given, with 500,000 units for adult monkeys and a reduced dose for young monkeys, once a day for 3-4 consecutive days. Meanwhile, meticulous care should be provided, and more fruits or easily digestible food should be fed. Some glucose can be added to the drinking water. This treatment method has a high cure rate, exceeding 95%.

3. Pneumonia

Due to weather changes, physically weak adult or young monkeys are prone to colds. If not treated promptly, it quickly develops into pneumonia and leads to death. Therefore, when diseased monkeys are found, they should be immediately given cold medicine, and severe cases should be injected. Commonly used medications include chaihu injection and bingdu ling injection, with the same dosage as for humans. For newly introduced monkeys or sudden weather changes, it is best to give them herbal medicines such as sesameseed, hulu tea, big green, ancient vine, pineapple leaves, or tree leaves, boiled in water for the monkeys to freely consume. This can prevent colds, save medical costs, and achieve good preventive effects.

Pneumonia is one of the most common acute infectious diseases among macaques in monkey farms. There are many types of pathogens, mainly caused by pneumococcus infection through the respiratory tract. If diseased monkeys are discovered in a timely manner and isolated for treatment, the disease is relatively easy to cure.

Symptoms: The symptoms are similar to those of pneumonia in humans. The disease has a rapid onset and mainly manifests as coughing, elevated body temperature, and in severe cases, prone lying with abdominal breathing, decreased appetite or complete loss of appetite, obvious moist rales heard during auscultation, irregular heartbeat, and dull percussion sound.

Treatment: Oral administration of tetracycline or erythromycin, 2 tablets, twice a day for adult monkeys; intramuscular injection of penicillin (twice a day, 400,000 units each time) combined with streptomycin (twice a day, 500,000 units each time, reduced by 100,000-200,000 units for non-adult monkeys). For severe coughing, antitussive drugs (compound licorice syrup) can be used with some sugar water, administered by oral administration or free feeding. The above treatment methods have a cure rate of over 95%.

Diet

They eat flowers, fruits, branches, leaves, and tree bark. Occasionally, they also eat bird eggs and small invertebrates. During the ripening season of crops, they sometimes go to the fields to eat corn and peanuts.

Care

Due to their large size, they need extra care when being taken care of. The size of females is only half of that of males. Generally speaking, females are more suitable as pets. As they grow up and their strength increases, they are no longer suitable for being kept in bird cages, and a sturdy large cage should be prepared. They need to be allowed to play outside the cage several times a day. If they do not have enough exercise, they are prone to violent tendencies. The feed can be a mixture of fruits, seeds that birds eat, and dog food, and other artificial feeds.

When resting, the red monkey sometimes grooms its fur. This behavior is generally observed as lower-ranking individuals grooming the fur of higher-ranking individuals, and individuals of the same rank taking turns grooming each other to enhance social bonding and show friendship. Sometimes, they also groom themselves. However, these grooming behaviors are not frequent, which distinguishes them from other primates.