fbpx
Skip to content

Our hand-raised miracle.

On March 7, 2017, our marmoset, Porsche, gave birth to triplets. They were all very healthy at birth but, unfortunately, common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) can only produce enough milk to feed two offspring. Something had to be done! If we did not step in, one of the three would be forced out and unable to survive. Time was not an option and we had to act quickly, so we pulled one of the three – a boy we named Samson. We would carefully raise him by hand.

Caring for a baby monkey is very hard work! Early on he needed to be fed every two hours around the clock. Our dedicated staff took him home each night to keep him healthy and happy. Samson is now just over one month old. He has tripled in size (now a whopping 4 ½ inches long without his tail) and eats nearly 4 mL of milk replacer every four hours. He’s become very active and curious and loves crawling around on his human friends.

Samson will start eating solid foods at 10 weeks of age and our hope is to move him back into Marmoset Garden where he can rejoin his mom and siblings. Marmosets are very social primates that live in family groups of 12 to 15 members, so it will be essential to begin socializing him for family life. For this reason, we often take Samson on field trips to see the rest of his troop.

On occasion, we bring him out to the Creature Feature show which happens daily at 11:30 AM. Maybe you’ll be able to meet him up-close at the show before this hand-dwelling primate becomes the tree dweller marmosets are known to be! It’s your opportunity to see the Mighty Sampson in all his diminutive splendor.

Learn more about common marmosets and some of our other marmoset family members here.