Commonly kept rodents are hamsters, gerbils, rats, and guinea pigs.  With a few minor differences most of these have similar husbandry requirements.  Most rodents are friendly engaging pets good for children, but some individuals are prone to biting.  An important consideration when purchasing this type pet for a young child is that they are all relatively short lived.  

Avg. life span: 

Hamsters             1.5-3 years

Gerbils                 2-3 years

Guinea Pigs        5-6 years

Mice                     1-3 years

Rats                      2-3.5 years

Housing:

            Most of these pets acclimate well to average household temperatures and do not need supplemental heat.  Avoid placing cages in areas of direct sunlight or significant draft or temperature fluctuation.

            Cages can be constructed of plastic, metal, or wire, as well as glass tanks for the smaller rodents such as mice, gerbils and hamsters.  These are all such popular pets that there is an abundance of appropriate prefabricated rodent caging on the market.

            Bedding - can be pine or aspen, shredded paper, or recycled commercial paper bedding.  Avoid cedar as this wood has oils that creates irritating vapors to the rodents respiratory system.  This can also sometimes be the case with pine, but in general it is safe

            Rodents produce prodigious amounts of fecal and urine waste.  Often depositing these in food and water bowls.  Cleanliness is essential in keeping a rodent healthy.  Spot cleaning daily of both fecal and urine deposits and bi weekly to weekly changes of bedding depending on how messy your pets are.  Too much urine waste creates large amounts of ammonia at the base level of the cage.  This is a more significant issue if you are housing your pet in a lesser ventilated cage such as a glass tank.  Ammonia fumes will make your pet sick.

            All rodents like to chew and it is important for their dental health.  Provide appropriate wooden chew toys in the cage.  Again there are several suitable commercial options.  Exercise wheels, hide boxes and tubes are also good additions to cages.

Feeding:

            Choose an appropriate commercial diet for your pet and  provide a constant clean source of this diet, as well as clean water.  Guinea pigs should also be provided with a daily source of good quality hay.  All rodent diets can be supplemented with small amounts of fresh vegetables.  Fruits can be given on occasion in small amounts as treats.  Do not give human foods such as chips, chocolate, candies etc.  Remove all uneaten fresh food daily.

Health Care:

            All rodents reproduce readily and rapidly, so if you have more than one, make sure they are the same sex or spayed and neutered.   Guinea pigs, if allowed to breed after 7 or 8 months of age are unable to have a natural birth due to fusion of the pelvic canal. 

Proper husbandry averts most issues, but some common health issues are:

• Parasites: - lice are common - itchy pets, hair loss and you can often see the lice moving on the surface of the hair.
• Diarrhea - rodents should have well formed stool, if you see persistent non formed stool you should seek veterinary attention immediately.
• Respiratory problems - sneezing, what looks like blood leaking from eyes, heavy labored breathing, nasal discharge etc.  - Seek veterinary attention
• Tumors - rats and mice are especially prone to tumor growth as they get older
• Malocclusion - inappropriate alignment of their teeth.  You would notice your pet dropping food, not eating, loosing weight etc.  These can often be trimmed and corrected by your veterinarian.

Healthy animals are bright and interactive, have clean shiny hair coats (baths are not necessary, healthy rodents groom themselves) and normal stools.

Sick animals have rough unkempt hair coats, keep to themselves, and may not be eating well.

  Please contact our veterinarians at Animal Medical Hospital in Saint Petersburg, Florida (FL) at 727-896-7127 for more information.