What Makes Pet Rodents Popular As Pets?

Pet Rodents are popular for the following reasons:

• They are attractive to young children
• They require far less care than other pets
• Their small size is an added attraction for those pet owners who do not have places to house larger animals.
• They are friendly and affectionate
• They are easily tamed
• They are intelligent, and require adequate care, affection and enough exercise to keep them fit, and healthy and happy.
• They do not require vaccinations

Their Special Characteristics

Rodents are plant eaters(Herbivores) and need to constantly eat. Their front teeth, called incisors, grow throughout their lives, continually. Incisors that are overgrown is a problem for your pet rodent, and can be rectified by the right sort of diet and by chewing on toys specially designed for this purpose.

Special Features of Guinea Pigs

Originating in South America, they come in varied markings, colours, hair lengths, and are tail-less. The young at birth are already fully developed, with a full coat of hair and eyes wide open. They can be weaned when they they are 2-3 weeks old, and start to nibble solid food shortly after.

Special Features of Mice

They are friendly, and easily tamed. They require gentle handling. They are intelligent and need to be physically and mentally stimulated by giving them toys and other exercise equipment to play with.Their young are hairless, and born with their eyes closed. They have a Harderian gland which is responsible for the production of nasal secretions and red tears.

Special Features of Rats

They make intelligent and very loving companions. They feel very secure when held comfortably in the palm of your hand. They may bite if they are not handled gently. They can be weaned when 3 weeks old, and their young too are born hairless with eyes which remain closed for the first 14 days. Like mice, they too have a Harderian gland that produces tears and nasal secretions.

Veterinary Care For Pet Rodents

Discussing the various types of veterinary treatment for pet rodents:

• Vaccinations are not given to pet rodents, since such vaccines to protect rodents against contagious diseases, are not yet available in the market. Neither do pet rodents require the rabies vaccination, as they are not susceptible to the rabies disease.
• Despite the lack of availability of vaccines, you should schedule “well pet” meetings for your pet rodent with the veterinarian every 6- 12 months, to detect any symptom of a contagious disease, and also since the life-span of the rodent is relatively short. Besides, any new information on pet rodent care just discovered, can be passed on to you by the veterinarian.
• Your veterinarian can neuter or spray your pet rodent to prevent not only breeding, but also some reproductive diseases. You could discuss this surgical option with him.
• Small pet mice, rats, gerbils and hamsters, have incisors (front teeth) that are constantly growing, and so tooth overgrowth becomes a potential problem. Fortunately the incisors of the rodent typically occlude against each other and these teeth wear down on account of normal eating behavior. Sometimes, rodents suffer from incisor malocclusion (that is, badly positioned) teeth on account of gum infection and past traumas. In such cases, you should seek veterinary care for your pet rodent for tooth extraction, and periodic tooth trims.

Some Precautions While Handling Pet Rodents

These typically include:

Diet

Pet rodents should receive nutritious food daily. On account of animal research, formulated diets are now marketed extensively. Such diets should have a minimum protein content of about 16%, and a fat content of 4-5 percent. Small portions of fresh vegetables can be served along with the formulated diet, but remember that rodents tend to stash away the fresh food, to be eaten later. But this could spoil, and cause health problems later. Seed diets are common but they are high in fat and quite low in calcium, and if fed in excess can cause illness. Food supplies have to be kept covered at all times.

Supplements

Supplements are unnecessary, if your pet rodent is being serve a pelleted diet. Any supplements that you may want to feed your pet rodent should be at the discretion of your veterinarian; as adding these pellets and other vitamins to the drinking water cause a bitter taste to the water, which in turn would prevent the rodent from drinking adequate amounts of it. Further this kind of water supplementation can cause disease causing bacteria to grow in the water.

Housing

Pet rodents should have cages that are made of stainless steel, hard plastic or glass, as these materials are resistant to chewing. The cage length must be greater than the height of the cage. These cages must be escape-proof, as rodents make excellent escape artists. There must be adequate ventilation; otherwise the rodent may develop respiratory disease and immunosuppressant. A suppressed immune system will make the rodent susceptible to other illnesses.

Bedding

Material for bedding for the cages can consist of shredded paper, recycled paper litter, and wood shavings that are non-resinous. Do not use cat litter and cedar chips as bedding, as the dust and aroma are known to create respiratory irritations, and cedar chips have been proven to be toxic.

Cleanliness

Cages can be regularly cleaned 1-3 times a week, with hot soapy water, in order to prevent ammonia levels, moisture and bacteria from rising to dangerously high levels. White vinegar helps in removing stubborn urine deposits.

Temperature

The temperature in the cage has to be maintained between 65 and 70 degrees, Fahrenheit. Anything over this level could cause the rodent to develop heat stroke. Most rodents require 12 hours of dark, and 12 hours of light.

The various types of rodents- like pet mice- on account of their sociable personalities are much loved family pets. Once you get adequate knowledge on pet rodents and enough information on pet rats, on breeding pet rats, on care of pet rats and on gerbil care, you will find that having a rodent as a family pet is a very rewarding thing