Hand Raising and
Reintroduction of Common Marmosets:
A Layman's Experience
by Kim A. Rendall
My husband and I acquired a large group of Common Marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) in 1996. Since I knew nothing about these small primates, I gathered basic information from books and articles, which helped on the day-to-day care once they arrived. I needed more "in depth" information, especially when the unavoidable problems would arise, so I called several universities that raised Marmosets. Some of the information I'd gotten was discouraging, but over the years I've learned a few things from trial and error and observation. Before I go further, let me say that there are those of us who can let nature take its course and not intervene. Then there are those of us, of which I am one, who are unable to stand by when an animal is in need of help. In the wild there are no humans to intervene, but while in the care of humans, whether it be breeding facilities, zoos, universities, etc., intervention is a choice.
I had been told that 1) hand raising newborn Marmosets was difficult and the survival rate very low; 2) it was hard to re-introduce the surviving hand raised young into a group; and 3) if the hand-raised young didn't go through a birthing process, they normally did not take care of their own babies. I have learned since that 1) hand-raising and a high survival rate are not difficult, but are time consuming and exhausting; 2) re-introduction is not hard as long as the meetings are supervised in order to watch for any aggressive behavior; and 3) that some hand-raised Marmosets will take care of their young without having gone through a birthing process.
We are more interested in producing Marmoset-raised breeders than in raising them for the pet trade because our business revolves around zoos, universities and educational programs. Also, in doing rescues of primates from pet environments over the years, we have found that many pets ended up in bad situations, albeit through ignorance and lack of information on the human side.
Birthing and Pulling to Hand-raise
I have noticed that birthing normally occurs very late at night or very early morning. The window of time seems to be between 2300 - 0400 hours. I have been fortunate to witness several birthings. It's an amazing process, as any birth is. The male seems to hover around the female, and older offspring (if there are any and if this is their first birth) seem very curious as to what is happening. The female gives birth and goes through the process of cleaning the babies. She cleans up the afterbirth, usually with the help of the male and older offspring. Some females keep the babies with them the first day and some allow the male to take them shortly after birth. The babies are on the male the majority of the day and given to the female for nursing, but seem to stay on the female at night. If there are older offspring, they help with the babysitting usually after the first day or two.
I pull babies to hand-raise only if there are more than two born, or if there appears to be a problem with parental care. I have heard of females caring for triplets and all three surviving, but I have not had this happen. Someone gets fewer feedings and eventually becomes too weak to hold on and ends up at the bottom of the cage. The babies normally don't make it when it gets to that point and they've become chilled, though I have had a few survive. In the case of triplets or quads, I pull the extra babies by late afternoon. I have waited until the next morning in some cases, but in my opinion it's best to pull them by afternoon of the first day. In the case of abuse or neglect, I pull them at once.
I use miniature marshmallows as special treats when I have to medicate, catch in a smaller cage, or pull babies. To pull a baby, I have the cage door partially opened with one hand just inside. The other hand has the marshmallows at the side of the cage close to the door. Whoever doesn't have a baby on his back gets a whole marshmallow. For one with a baby on his back, I hold the marshmallow so he can only get small bites. While they are engrossed in their treats, I carefully get my fingers around the baby's body and close to their shoulders. Of course, this has to be done fast because as soon as the adult feels my fingers, it moves off. I have had problems with very protective parents, but patience and keeping everyone's mouth full of marshmallows usually pays off. I have had a few that I've had to net in order to get the baby, but I only do this if nothing else works.
Once the baby has been pulled, I put it on a small stuffed animal (fuzzy) and put it under my shirt with the baby between the fuzzy and my body. The baby gets its first feeding and is put back under my shirt for a while. This helps put my scent on the baby and fuzzy. I noticed early on that babies that are put on a fuzzy, fed and then put under the heat lamp without fi
rst being under my shirt had a tendency to cry at length. About the fuzzy - it gets soiled. I put a clean fuzzy in the cage next to the soiled fuzzy. The second day I transfer the baby to the clean one during feedings. On the third day I remove the soiled fuzzy for washing. Babies get agitated if the soiled fuzzy is immediately removed and they are left with a fuzzy that does not have a familiar scent.Many people use incubators. I am more comfortable using a heat lamp with a 250-watt bulb. A 2ft. H x 2ft. W x 3ft. D (.61m x .61m x .91m) cage is positioned below the heat lamp with the floor of the cage 3ft. below the lamp. On top of that cage is an 8in. H x 8in. W x 9in. D (20.3cm x 20.3cm x 22.9cm) cage that the babies are in from the time they are pulled until they are 3 to 4 weeks old. After that, they are transferred to the larger cage. The smaller cage is not positioned directly under the lamp, but off to one side so that half the cage is 86-88F (30-32C) and the other half is 80F (26.7C). In the larger cage the temperature at the center is 84F (28.9C), while at the corners it's 74F (23.3C). The cages are stainless steel wire and I put down some sort of soft material covering the bottom wire of the cages.
Feeding
A zoo veterinarian I know gave me the formula recipe for infant Marmosets. People have used other human infant formulas, but I've had such good luck with this formula that I've stuck with it. The only change I've made is from liquid Premie Enfamil to powdered Enfamil low iron.
Infant Marmoset Formula:
2 scoops (enclosed) powder to 3 oz. water.
add 3/4 tsp. polycose powder
.75 cc vegetable oil
1/4 tsp. plain yogurt
The average amount consumed at each feeding is as follows:
| Age | Amount |
| birth to 1 week | .4cc - 1 1/2cc |
| week 2 | 1cc - 2 1/2cc |
| week 3 | 2cc - 3 1/2cc |
| week 4 | 3cc - 4 1/2cc |
| weeks 5 to 8 | 4cc - 6cc |
| weeks 9 to 12 | 4cc - 7cc |
| weeks 12 and up | 6cc - 10cc |
Feeding Schedule
| Age | Day Feeding | Night Feeding |
| birth to 2 weeks | every 2 hours | every 2 to 3 hours |
| 2 to 4 weeks | every 2 hours | every 4 hours |
| 4 to 6 weeks | every 3 to 4 hours | every 4 to 5 hours |
| 6 to 8 weeks | every 4 hours | every 5 hours |
| 8 to 10 weeks | every 5 hours | every 5 hours |
| 10 to 12 weeks | every 6 hours | every 6 hours |
| after 12 weeks | 1st feeding
at 0700 hrs 2nd feeding (fruit) at 1200 hrs 3rd feeding at 1700 hrs |
4th feeding at 2300 hrs |
Feeding Notes
I do not force the baby to take more formula than it wants. When it has had enough it will slow down or quit eating.
At 4 weeks I give the baby a hard plastic formula scoop for teething and play.
At 6 to 8 weeks I hang a small water bottle on the cage and give pieces of dry monkey chow for teething.
At 8 to 10 weeks I offer bits of mashed banana, apple or boiled sweet potato from my finger and begin getting the baby used to drinking formula from a shallow bowl. Once the baby is actually eating the bits of fruit and not just tasting it and spitting it out, I increase the solid food slowly and then omit the 1200hrs. formula feeding.
The feeding schedule varies depending on the baby. Some take to drinking formula from a bowl and eating solids much more quickly than others. They're weaned from formula between 3 and 4 months of age.
There is sometimes a problem with constipation/bloat around two weeks of age. I give the baby .05cc mineral oil at two feedings. If there is still a problem, I continue with the mineral oil and begin massaging the stomach and back. If the baby still doesn't have a bowel movement, I give an enema using a 1cc syringe with warm soapy water. I hold the syringe against the anus (not entering) and slowly administer .1 to .2cc warm soapy water. This normally takes care of the problem.
Re-introduction
When the baby is totally weaned, it's cage is moved to the building where we house the Marmosets. (I do not change out the fuzzy from the time the baby is moved until it's settled in with it's new family). I give the baby a few weeks to get used to being in the building with the other Marmosets, during which time I decide upon a breeding pair for the re-introduction. I do not use family groups because the offspring from the group tend to be a little rough with the baby.
After the "settling in" period, I position the baby's cage close to but not touching the pair's cage. I judge how the pair react to the baby for one week. If all is going well, I move the cage closer so they can touch and smell through the wire. I leave them side by side for one week. I then put the fuzzy with the baby on it in the pair's cage for 15 minutes, doing this for several days and watching each time to ensure there are no signs of aggression. I then increase the time of supervised visits to 30 minutes for several days. If there is no negative behavior during the short supervised visits, I leave the baby with the pair while I clean cages, etc., staying alert for any signs of a problem. (If there is repeated negative behavior I start over with another pair) I then leave the baby with the pair all day for several days, returning it to it's own cage late afternoon. When I start to leave the baby with the pair at night, I put the fuzzy in the nestbox so the baby will sleep with the pair, checking to make sure all is going well, off and on till around 2300hrs. and again in the morning starting around 0530-0600hrs. After one week I remove the fuzzy.
Re-introduction Log
| Meg DOB
7/16/97
One of triplets. One baby died shortly after birth. Second baby found dead next AM. Pulled Meg. Introduced to Emmy and Lou: Emmy two years old. Very protective as the older sister. Carried her younger siblings more than the father did. Puffed up and challenged us if we stood too close to the cage. Lou three years old. Fathered one baby (with a different female) which died shortly after birth. 11/18/97 Meg's first visit to cage with E&L. Meg climbed all around cage, not sure of adults. Adults very interested in her, followed her around, sniffed and watched her. Meg would sniff them then try to move away. Returned to own cage after 15 minutes. 11/19/97 Same as day before. Emmy puffed up at pair in next cage when Meg was on that side of their cage. Lou stayed close to Meg. When she'd reach out to smell him it seemed as if he was trying to get her to climb on him. Removed Meg. 11/20/97 Same 11/21/97 Meg and fuzzy stayed with E&L all day. Same behaviors as before. Removed Meg that evening. 11/22/97 All day again and left her there overnight. Put fuzzy at back of nestbox. Meg slept on fuzzy. E&L slept at front of nestbox. 11/23/97 All seem to be getting along very well. Emmy somewhat protective when I touch Meg. Lou very taken with her. Fuzzy has been pushed to front of nestbox. E&L slept in back behind fuzzy. Meg slept at the side of the fuzzy, but snuggled up to and possibly partly on the adults. 11/24/97 Meg very playful with E&L, jumping on them as if to attack, biting their tails. Emmy held her down, biting face and arms - no marks on Meg. Fuzzy on the floor of cage in the evening, but Meg in nestbox with E&L. Leave fuzzy in for a few more days then remove it. 11/26/97 Removed fuzzy. 5/16/98 E&L had twins. Meg hasn't seemed too interested in the babies. 5/23/98 Meg had the twins with her this PM. First time I've seen them on her. Good babysitter - protective. 7/3/98 Emmy beat up on Meg - bite wounds on face and neck. Pulled Meg out. 7/7/98 Paired Meg with experienced two year old male 12/10/98 Meg pregnant and due soon. Male very attentive and doesn't leave her side. 12/19/98 Twins - both cleaned up. Male had one, Meg had the other. Two hours later the male had both babies - Meg seemed anxious, followed him around trying to check the babies, possibly to get them back. Three hours later, both on male. He and Meg very protective of twins when I get near cage. 5/23/99 Triplets. Male very protective of babies and aggressive toward me. Took care of all three babies for three weeks. One baby weakened and was in the nestbox. Used glove to keep parents off of me while I pulled the baby. It died two days later. 8/30/99 Removed first set of twins - put in separate cage close to adults. 10/14/99 Twins - same as before. Wonderful parents 5/18/00 Triplets - pulled one. Also pulled adult male to give Meg a break from pregnancy as she tends to have babies every 5 months. Blossom DOB 6/25/97One of triplets 11/24/97 Introduced to breeding pair. On each occasion adult female a little rough with her. 11/26/97 Blossom seemed anxious when in cage with this pair. 11/27/97 Introduced to a different pair. 12/1/97 Blossom and pair seem to be getting along well. 6/98 Adults gave birth to twins. Blossom good babysitter. Still overly friendly with me 2/99 Blossom very good with young. A little less friendly with me. 3/99 Blossom paired with experienced two year old male. 6/99 Blossom very aggressive towards me. She gets along fine with the male. 9/99 Twins - both found dead, not cleaned up very well. 2/29/00 Twins - one found dead. Blossom and mate taking care of the other baby. 7/22/01 Twins - one found dead 12/24/01 Twins - one found dead 6/24/02 Triplets - one found dead Annie DOB 6/14/97 One of triplets 11/97 Introduced to breeding pair 5/98 Have observed playing and grooming between Annie and the adults. 6/98 Adults had single baby. Baby had small wounds around eyes and mouth. Pulled baby - died. 5/99 Adults had twins - pulled both. Annie and adults ignored babies. Both babies died within four days. 7/99 Removed Annie due to aggression on her part towards adult female. Pair with Ian? 2/16/00 Paired Annie with Ian. They get along really well. 7/19/00 Twins - both cleaned up. Annie and Ian seem to be good parents. 7/24/00 Annie and Ian take care of one baby really well and seem to ignore the other. They will carry the baby for a while and Annie nurses it, but they are not as caring with it as with the other. They leave it on the side of the cage a lot. 7/26/00 Pulled the baby that they tend to ignore. The other baby is doing great. 3/20/01 Triplets - pulled one. Parents taking care of the other two Miller DOB 6/14/97 One of triplets 7/98 Introduced to breeding pair at 13 months of age. All got along well but elements of closeness seemed to be missing. Possibly at being introduced at a later age. 3/99 Adults had triplets. All babies found dead at bottom of cage. 5/99 Miller being intimidated by pair. Removed from cage. 6/99 Paired Miller experienced 14 month old female. 7/5/01 Triplets - pulled two (both died). Parents taking care of remaining baby. 4/21/02 Single - Miller is a great father Ian DOB 6/12/97One of triplets 6/98 Introduced to breeding pair at one year of age. All got along well. 6/99 Adults gave birth to triplets. Ian good babysitter 7/99 Moved to separate cage. Have tried to pair Ian three different times with three different females. Ian dominant and intimidated females. Will try very dominant female. Possibly Annie 2/16/00 Paired Ian with Annie (see Annie's notes) Male HR86A DOB 8/8/98 One of triplets 6/99 Paired with experienced 13 month old female. (No introduction to breeding pair) They get along well. 5/9/01 Gets along great with his mate, but they have not had babies yet. 12/24/01 No babies yet. Male HR87A DOB 8/8/98 One of triplets - parents ignored 6/99 Paired with experienced two year old female. (No introduction to breeding pair) They get along but female intimidates him at times. Keep an eye on them. 5/23/01 Twins - parents taking care of young. 5/25/01 one baby chewed up - pulled other. It died 6/2/01 10/26/01 Twins - parents do not seem to be taking care of them. Pulled both babies 5/2/02 pulled adult female and paired with experienced male. 7/4/02 adult female gave birth to trips (father is male HR87A). Pulled one baby - it died. The adult pair are taking care of the remaining two. Apparently the problem with the previous babies was the fault of the male. |
Some re-introductions go smoothly and can be done in a shorter time period while others require more visits before being able to leave the baby with the adults. If any adult's behavior is questionable, I do not risk leaving the baby in the cage. I find another pair and try again.
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