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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.
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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
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