Cage design and configuration for an arboreal species of primate

The squirrel monkey (genus Saimiri) is an arboreal primate from equatorial South America. This species forms large social groups that consist of multiple females and males of varying ages, from infant to adult. As the use of squirrel monkeys in research continues to grow, an understanding of optimal cage design and environment is essential. The University of South Alabama Primate Research Laboratory houses a breeding colony of 350 squirrel monkeys. Each group cage, measuring 4.5 X 2.5 X 1.5 meters, can contain up to 20 animals. A breeding group consists of one adult male, eight to ten adult females, and varying numbers of infant and juvenile animals. In order to determine the most suitable cage environment for the squirrel monkey, a series of studies were carried out to compare various perch materials and cage configurations. Squirrel monkeys preferred a poly-vinyl-chloride pipe perch (rigid) over rope perches (non-rigid). When provided with multiple levels of perches, all levels were used. Males tended to distribute their activities randomly at different levels. In a two tiered perch arrangement, females concentrated 67% of their social activity on the top tier. In a triple tier configuration, females concentrated 66% of their travel on the top tier. These results indicate that by creating a cage environment with multiple tiers of horizontal perches the effective cage space can be doubled or tripled. This provides an effective means of reducing population density without enlarging the dimensions of the cage or reducing social group size.