Moving house.

George needed a new cage - big enough so he could move around and play, sleep and eat. It had to have a removeable tray for food scraps and toilet as monkeys are pretty messy animals. It also needed double spring locks on the door and wheels so I could move him around with me when I was working.

I looked online, but to ship a cage to Thailand would cost a small fortune. A trip to Bangkok found lots of larger parrot cages, but they weren't quite big enough, and a over $500, not perfect for a monkey.

So, I designed my own and found a local Villager who would build the entire cage, including materials for $200. I drew up fairly accurate plans in Microsoft Visio and in broken Thai communicated what I wanted. 1 week later he turned up with an exact replication of what I had drawn him.

I added a thick rope with knots in it so George could climb and swing. A car rear vision mirror added hours of entertainment - more for me than him. A ladder gave him a platform to play on, and some well placed shelves gave him plenty to jump around on.

His sleeping box was built high in the 7 foot cage as monkeys like to be high up in the trees. The sleeping box opened from the outside to clean it and every night he'd get dry, fresh bedding to sleep in.

As the sun goes down, he starts to get vocal and tired. His eyes get droopy and he is ready to put the cover on his cage and put him in a dark space to sleep.

When I finish work or watching TV I'd often walk by his cage and he will wake up and climb down, pull the cover to the side and look at me. I usually turn the light on and talk to him for a while, but he is just like a small child who can barely keep his eyes open, but wants to play. When I turn of the light I can hear him go back to bed. Too cute.

But it's clear that this cage will only last 6 months or so and George will need a proper outdoor cage, with trees and ponds to play in.

Another reason, is that at about 2 years old, monkeys reach sexual maturity and can become very vicious and dangerous. So at some point, he will probably be confined to a cage, so I better build it nice.