Day-today activities of a monkey trainer

So now that I've explained how I ended up being a monkey trainer, I bet you're curious about what I do on a day-to-day basis. Well first off I clean. A LOT. Do monkeys actually throw poop at me? Well there are a few that are learning not to, but one monkey is notorious poop thrower. I don't know what he had against me, but everytime I'm in his room cleaning (there are six different monkey "dorms") I end a lot dirtier than I started. Thank god they provide scrubs for us to wear so our we don't have to leave stinking like monkey at the end of the day. After cleaning, comes the important part which is feeding and medications. The monkeys are all on really strict schedules so it's really important to feed them at the same time everyday. Sometimes I think the monkeys have a better diet (I am a poor college student after all); they get to eat walnuts, fresh fruit, vegetables, even hummus and chicken! Once these tasks are all done, then it is the fun part. Each monkey has one trainer who is responsible for taking them out, weighing them, even bathing them. We have an awesome playroom that has all the toys you can imagine for the monkeys to use. I am still forming my relationships with my monkeys (they have EXTREMELY complicated hierarchies), so my monkeys and I started out by hanging out in a private room, and had to work our way up to the playroom. Once you are in a comfortable relationship with your monkey it is so fun to watch them with the toys, and even better is watching them interact with other monkeys. We have one monkey that all of the ladies looooove. He is like the Brad Pitt of the place. My one monkey gets so excited when they are both out at the same time that she will bat her eyelashes and stand there and flirt until he notices her.

Aside from the playroom, there is also a floor of training rooms ("apartments" to simulate the real homes the monkeys will live in one day), and also an enrichment room. The enrichment room is a favorite of many, it is a system of pipes and hanging toys. It has places where you can hide walnuts as a game for the monkey to play. The monkeys are just like people and some are smart, some are not. Therefore, not all monkeys are always in training. Currently, my monkeys are not in training. I have one in particular that is known for her lack of brains. She is certainly very cute, but she is by no means the sharpest tool in the shed.

All in all the day-by-day work as a monkey trainer is probably just as fun as it sounds. There are times when I am mopping a gross floor, or cleaning a cage smeared with poop, but the one-on-one time with my monkeys most certainly makes it worth it.