10 Reasons Why Lemurs Are Not Good Pets

Do lemurs make good pets? No! Lemurs do not make good pets. The number one reason is lemurs are an endangered species, but there are a lot of other reasons why lemurs are not good pets. In this article you will find ten reasons why lemurs are not good pets.

Number One: Lemurs Are An Endangered Species

Lemurs are only found in Madagascar. They are on the brink of extinction and need to be helped, but keeping them in your house is not going to help them. Lemurs are endangered by habitat destruction. If you want to find a better way to help them visit the Duke Lemur Center, or you can buy from places that donate to lemurs like Ringtail Wear.

Number Two: Lemurs Need Other Lemurs

Luna at the Alamogordo Zoo

Lemurs are very social and need lots of friends. A group of lemurs is called a “conspiracy.” In one conspiracy, there can be up to thirty different lemurs. Keeping just one lemur could stunt the lemur’s emotional growth and lead to self-harm. So if you are considering getting a lemur you might want to think again because having just one lemur is cruel.

Number Three: There Are Few Places You Can Legally Own A Lemur

There are only a handful of places where you can legally own a lemur in the United States. Do you want to move because of your pet? I don’t. So double check on the Internet to be sure you won’t get in legal trouble. It is illegal to own a lemur in most states in the US because buying a lemur encourages illegal smuggling out of Madagascar. Lemurs are not a domestic animal. They are still wild animals even if they live in your house. Lemurs want to be wild, even if you think you are taking great care of them.

Number Four: Most Lemurs Are Illegally Smuggled Out Of Madagascar

It is illegal to smuggle lemurs out of Madagascar. In most places where you can get a lemur, people have done illegal things just to get you a poor lemur. Most pet lemurs are stolen from their mothers the day they are born and raised by humans, causing destructive behavior.

At the Alamogordo Zoo I went to a summer camp and met a lemur named Luna. Luna used to be a pet lemur in Texas. Then the family moved to New Mexico where it is illegal to have a pet lemur, so Luna was brought to the zoo. Luna doesn’t know that she is a lemur, because she was never around other lemurs, so when people visit

Me and my brother with Luna at the Alamogordo Zoo

her she will stick her butt in the air and try to mate with them. This is all a result of not being instructed by her mother as a child. Luna now lives with a male lemur named Ziptie, but she still doesn’t understand that she’s a lemur.

Number Five: Lemur Vet Care Is Hard To Find

Think again if you are considering getting a pet lemur. These adorable animals need special vet care that is hard to find. I don’t think this is the pet for you, unless you know a special lemur vet.

Number Six: Lemurs Are very Noisy

Lemurs love to scream, shriek and bark. They are very verbal. They will tell you when they don’t like something or love something. If you have a baby or small child, they might never nap. Ringtail lemurs also communicate by scent, using special scent glands to mark their territory and flirt.

Number Seven: Lemurs Have A Risk Of Disease

Lemurs can easily transmit diseases and you can give them diseases too. Health is really important when you are around lemurs. Diseases are spread because humans and lemurs are close primates. These types of diseases are called Zoonotic diseases; a disease spread between a human and another animal. Not wearing protective equipment like gloves and facemasks increase the possibility of transmitting diseases between lemurs and humans. I don’t want to wear all that protective equipment stuff in my own house. Do you?

Number Eight: Lemurs Can Be Aggressive

When lemurs are between ages two and four they start trying to dominate other lemurs. When lemurs live alone they can even try to dominate their owners. Lemurs naturally try to dominate by attacking. If you don’t want to have to train a lemur then maybe this is not the pet for you.

At the Duke Lemur Center, they get calls all the time from people asking what to do with a lemur they no longer want. You shouldn’t spend a lot of money on a pet, then give your pet away. One caller said, “I’m trapped in my bathroom and he’s outside the door. How do I escape?”

Number Nine: Lemurs Are Expensive

When you buy a pet lemur you are committed. At the Duke Lemur Center, the average cost of one lemur over its lifespan is $200,000. The cost of a dog over its lifespan is $15,000. It takes a lot of money to care for a lemur.

Number Ten: Lemurs Are Wild Animals

Red Ruffed lemurs at the Denver Zoo

Dogs and cats are domesticated but lemurs are wild and not a normal pet. You might see lemurs acting like domesticated animals around their owners but most lemurs don’t act like that all the time. Lemurs deserve the same rights as all the other endangered animals. They are wild and not very good pets. If you want a snugly, cute and happy pet, then a lemur is not right for you. Get a dog or a cat!
In summary, lemurs are not good pets. If you want to help lemurs you can donate to the Duke Lemur Center, or buy from Ringtail Wear.