Finished cage, blistered feet

Finally Georges cage is built. The guys finished up all the welding, painted in a non-corosive (non lead) paint, hung the double doors and fitted a weather proof sleeping box, as well as put a roof over the sleeping box and a shelf for George to sit on.

The sleeping box and the shelf actually have steel frames. Monkeys get very strong and I have built the cage to withstand a monkey tantrum.

I will buy the plants this weekend for the cage, making sure I don't buy plants that could be toxic if George eats them. I fully expect to have to replace them from time to time as George is a very destructive little monkey and no doubt he will strip the plants fairly quickly.

You can also see a small food hatch under the sleeping box. As George gets older, he will get more aggresive and I want a safe way for my staff to be able to give him food without having to enter the cage. It can be cleaned by hosing it down, or I will go in weekly to disinfect the cage floor.

So, why isn't George in the cage? Well, my Thai staff let him stay in the cage all day when I was not home last week. Unfortunately it wasnt ready for him with ropes, toys, plants and sleeping box. As a result, George spent a lot of time on the rough concrete and he wore away little blisters on his feet that are slow to heal.

He's a smart little guy. I clean them and put antiseptic on them twice a day. He knows exactly what I have to do, and will sit down and stick one foot out at a time to be taken care off. They are getting better slowly, but until the cage is ready with lots of things to do, he wont be allowed in there.
As much as I would have preferred grass on the bottom of his cage, I know that it would become very muddy, difficult to clean and unhygenic. George would also be dirty and wet all the time in the rainy season. Hopefully the natural trees compensate for concrete floor.

See how big he is getting. His feet are almost the same size as my hands...and his little teeth are getting bigger and sharper. We play together like you would with a puppy and he bites my ears and fingers and I know if he wanted he could break the skin (he did on my maid) so, I do have to be careful.