Pet owners can be severely injured from bites. Wild capuchins are known as destructive foragers, meaning that when they search for food they tear apart and uproot trees and plants in order to look for food. Capuchins have a complex diet. Most pet owners will not be able to provide their capuchins with the proper nutrition for a healthful life. Most local veternarians are not trained to take care of exotic pets like capuchin monkeys and frequently deny service to owners of these type of pets.
Capuchins are long lived animals.
With proper care and nutrition, they can live over 40 years in captivity. Capuchins and other nonhuman primates may carry diseases and parasites that can be transmitted to humans. Capuchins are highly social animals that need to be with their own kind for proper mental and emotional development. Many capuchin owners complain that their monkey has become psychotic and begin biting, scratching and acting very aggresively towards humans. This is mainly attributed to lack of contact with members of their own species.