Finley was born into the UK primate pet trade in 2017 alongside his twin, Freya.

Shortly after their birth, their owner split them from their older sister, Beattie, and their father as they were worried about jealousy in such a small space. This is extremely unnatural for marmosets, as the father provides the majority of care for the babies whilst older siblings get involved in helping with their care and learning natural life skills. They lived in adjacent bird-cages, unable to reach each other, so this would have been an extremely stressful time for all of them.

Eventually, siblings Beattie, Finley and Freya were put together. There was very little room for them to move around – with no ropes or branches to walk or swing on, and no substrate to forage through.

Thankfully, their owner wanted a more natural life for them and so contacted us and we rehomed the entire family. When they first arrived at the sanctuary, all three of the siblings initially struggled with the complexity of their new enclosures, as they had never moved around on anything but cage bars before. Thankfully, their young ages meant that they were keen and energetic and, before long, they were all well on their way to mastering the art of being a marmoset!

Beattie passed away in 2022 and sadly, Freya passed away also in mid-2025. Finley is now paired with a suitable member of the opposite gender in order to give him a much more natural social dynamic.