Rodent Pet

COMMON NAME: Rodent - rat, mouse, gerbil and hamster

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Rattusnorvegicus, Mus musculus,Meriones unguiculatus andCricetus auratus

DISTRIBUTION: The wildforms of rats and mice arefound worldwide; theMongolian Gerbil is fromChina and Mongolia; and theGolden Hamster originates inSyria. In captivity they arefound everywhere

HABITAT: Savannah/grassland/steppes

ADULT SIZE: 15-25 cm (6-10 in)

GENERAL: All these animals are easy and pleasing to keep.Hamsters must be kept singly, since otherwise they will fight to thedeath. All the other species can, and indeed should, be kepttogether though it must be noted that unless you want to breedyour animals you will have to keep only females, and that whilstrats are content to live together and welcome newcomers to theirworld, mice will not tolerate an introduction unless the newcomeris introduced carefully and slowly, and gerbils will only live harmo-niously if the animals are introduced when they are very young.If an animal is to remain tame it must be handled frequently orit may bite, and all rodents have long, sharp teeth. Never pick up apregnant mouse by the tail or you may cause her considerabledamage, nor should you lift a gerbil by the tail or you may end upholding the skin which breaks off, leaving the animal with a bald,rat-like tail.

FOOD: The best basis for rodent diets is a commercial seed andpellet mixture, supplemented with a variety of fruit and vegetables.It should also not be forgotten that most rodents are to an extentcarnivorous, so they need livefood in the shape of crickets ormealworms.

HOUSING: Do not buy a metal rodent cage from your pet shop. Atbest they are far too small, badly designed and boring for the animals; at worst they are lethal (see the chapter on Housing).By far the best home for a rodent is an aquarium fitted with aweldmesh top on a wooden frame. A small box should he suppliedas sleeping quarters, and a quantity of old cardboard boxes,cardboard tubes and so on provide hiding places and interest forthe occupants.

BREEDING: If you keep both sexes of most common rodentstogether, they will breed, but if you wish to produce particularcolour varieties you will need to do some homework on genetics.Remember that you can only mate hamsters with care or the malewill be killed, and that pairs of gerbils must be kept together fromthe time they are weaned. Additional food will be required bypregnant females, and typical rodent behaviour when a mother isdisturbed, or when a colony is overcrowded or otherwise understress, is to eat the offspring. Therefore care must be taken toallow breeding to take place in peace and quiet.

Rodents are very prolific so one must be certain that the younganimals can be disposed of before embarking on a breedingprogramme.