4lf

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Meter Started: Apr 22, 2007

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Rodents

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Please click on the animal information next to the name below to go directly to their dedicated section on the forum. You will see care sheets, and owners who have the animals, and also breeders 'a day in the life of' which covers so far: Hamsters, Mice and Ferrets, and coming soon Chinchillas and Chipmunks.

so watch this space :)

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A hamster is on of the easiest animals to tame, because of their inquisitive and curious nature, most will walk up to your hand to investigate.
The ideal age in which to acquire a hamster is 5-6 week old. A hamster of this age is very easy to tame. The hamster will be a little jumpy and nervous at first. But with a little "patience" and care in handling, your time and efforts will be rewarded.
A baby hamster can be tamed in a matter of day's rather than weeks, the older a hamster the longer it takes to tame.
Once you have acquired your hamster, during the 3-4 day settling in period. Approach the cage slowly, no sudden moves, or sudden noise, talk to him in a low tone, get your hamster used to hearing your voice first.
Put your hand in the cage, as you feed him, and tidy the cage. Try to give him a little stroke now and again; it is just a matter of getting him used to your hand being there. After the initial settling in period, it's time to get your hamster used to your hand. He isn't going to jump on right away, Place your hand, palm up on the bottom of the cage with a little treat on it. He won't take it off you; this will help to build his confidence. Hamsters are inquisitive little creatures and before long he may come to investigate, don't make sudden moves.
Very few hamsters will not freely step on to your hand, so here we are going have to use a little pressure, without frightening your hamster, back him into a corner of the cage, keeping your hand in front flat. He's not got anywhere to go, but to cross your hand, he will I assure you, but very fast.
After a few times of doing this, hamster should now be jumping on and off your hand. Gaining a little confidence all the time. Try this a little but often over a period of a couple days don't rush him, hamsters will not be rushed. After a day or two scoop your hamster up with your hand, then put him down again, in another part of the cage, (without actually removing him from the cage.)
Once hamster is confident enough and realizes there is nothing to fear from your hand, it's time to let him out of the cage.
Place the cage on the floor, kneeling down take the top off (make sure the cats out first) Pick up your hamster with both hands (cupped) then letting him walk freely from one hand to the other, by putting one in front of the other. Do this for very short periods but often, and then increase the time gradually.
Don't try to stop him jumping from your hand by trying to grab him or folding your fingers round him, just pick him up again and repeat the process.
The easiest and "quickest" way to tame a hamster is to have a roller ball, one of those plastic play balls at the ready to place your hamster in there. Let him have a run around for 10 - 15 min's then put him back in the cage. You can do this maybe a couple of times in an evening, an hour or so apart.
The next two or three times, he should be racing to get out, into his play ball. From here on he will begin to associate hand is playtime / treat time. In a very short time you should have a confident and friendly hamster.

The right pet for you?
Gerbils are bright and inquisitive, and fun to observe, but they need your commitment and regular attention. Before getting any pet, you should think very hard about whether you can provide everything it needs, including love.

What do gerbils need?
Companionship - to be with other gerbils.
Daily feeding on a diet of mixed grain and washed fruit and vegetables, with occasional sunflower seeds and peanuts.
A constant supply of fresh, clean drinking water in a drip feed bottle with a metal spout.
A large home called a gerbilarium (like a big aquarium tank with a wire mesh cover) that is kept indoors in a warm place, out of direct sunlight.
Plenty of burrowing material (potting compost and chopped straw or hay) and clean white kitchen paper or soft hay for bedding.
Toys to play with, like cardboard tubes and wooden cotton reels.
The gerbilarium to be tidied every day and thoroughly cleaned out every two to three weeks.
A softwood gnawing block to wear down long teeth.
Some quiet time every day to allow them to rest.
To be taken to a veterinary surgeon if they are ill or injured.
To be looked after when you are away on holiday.
Life span
Gerbils live for three years.

Behaviour
In the wild, gerbils live in groups called colonies, and it is unkind to keep one gerbil on its own. Either male or female gerbils from the same litter can live happily together, but adult gerbils that don't know each other are likely to fight. Gerbils are very active and have a strong need to burrow, scratch and dig, so their housing needs to cater for this. They are active by day and night, with about a three-hour cycle of activity and rest.

Handling
Encourage the gerbil to walk on to your outstretched hand, limiting its movement with your other hand over its back. Gerbils are very lively and are inclined to jump, so great care and caution is needed. They may become upset by too much handling. Never pick up a gerbil by its tail.

Breeding
The RSPCA strongly advises that you do not breed from your gerbils as it is very difficult to find good homes for the young. The best way to ensure that gerbils do not breed is simply to keep males and females apart.

A female gerbil has an average of five to seven litters during her life, with up to eight young in each litter.

Health
If the gerbilarium is left in direct sunlight, gerbils can suffer heat exhaustion. They should recover if moved to a cool dark room and left alone, but the situation is easily avoided.

A sore nose and eyes can be caused by gnawing wire or burrowing in dusty conditions. Make sure gerbils' accommodation is clean and suitable for their needs.

Gerbils may suffer from overgrown teeth if there is a lack of material to chew on. Your veterinary surgeon may have to cut them back.

Poor handling or a minor accident can cause a tail injury. The thinner part of the gerbil's long tail is easily injured and great care should be taken when handling and when choosing toys for the gerbilarium.

The most serious disease to affect gerbils is called Tyzzer's Disease. Symptoms include tiredness, lack of appetite and diarrhoea. This disease can be fatal, so you should seek veterinary advice straight away.

The right pet for you?
Ferrets are lively, playful and easily tamed, but they need a lot of space. They can also inflict severe bites and emit a strong musky smell. Before getting any pet, you should think very hard about whether you can provide everything it needs.

What do ferrets need?
Companionship - to be with other ferrets and to have human company.
A diet of complete dried food supplemented with raw or cooked meat if desired. Meat should not be fed solely as it does not contain all their nutritional requirements.
A constant supply of fresh, clean drinking water in a drip feed bottle with a metal spout.
A large home that is kept up off the ground, in an open shed or indoor area out of direct sunlight and strong winds.
Separate areas inside their home.
A deep, clean layer of wood shavings on the floor and plenty of fresh meadow hay or old clothing for bedding.
Toys to play with, like cardboard tubes and wooden cotton reels.
Their home to be tidied every day and thoroughly cleaned every week.
A very large, secure area to play in.
Injections to prevent certain serious diseases.
To be taken to a veterinary surgeon if they are ill or injured.
To be looked after when you are away on holiday.
Life span
Ferrets live for about eight years.

Behaviour
Ferrets need to be with other ferrets and it is unkind to keep one ferret on its own. Either male or female ferrets from the same litter can live happily together. Although ferrets can appear very tame, they are not easy to look after as they need a great deal of space and may try to escape.

Handling
Pick up a ferret gently but firmly using both hands, one around its hindquarters and the other around the shoulders. Hold it close to your body. It is important to handle ferrets regularly to keep them tame.

Breeding
The RSPCA strongly advises that you do not breed from ferrets as it is very difficult to find good homes for the young. The best way to ensure that ferrets do not breed is to have them neutered. Male ferrets can be vasectomised. Female ferrets (jills) should be neutered because they can get serious diseases.

Female ferrets come into season (a time when they can get pregnant) from early spring until September. If you keep female ferrets, they will become sexually mature at about eight months old, and you should seek expert advice on their care before this stage.

Health
Ferrets must be vaccinated against the potentially fatal disease canine distemper. Your veterinary surgeon will be able to advise you on this.

If the ferrets' home is left in direct sunlight, ferrets can suffer from heat exhaustion. They should recover if moved to a cool dark room and given plenty of water, but the situation is easily avoided.

Ferrets can catch the influenza virus from humans, and you should keep away from ferrets if you have flu. Keep an infected ferret away from the others and seek veterinary advice straight away.

If a ferret is constantly scratching, producing bald patches in its fur and broken patches in its skin, it may have mange. Seek veterinary advice straight away.

Ferrets can suffer from parasites (tiny living things which live on other creatures) if their bedding is not kept clean. Check ferrets' ears and coat regularly and seek veterinary advice if there is any sign of mites.

Housing and Cage Requirements:

While chins are relatively small animals, they like to have a lot of room to play. So when purchasing a cage, bigger is always better. The smallest cage normally recommended for chins is 10 cubic feet for one chin and 5 cubic feet per additional chin in the same cage. Chins also like to jump and hop on things. I recommend buying a cage with shelves or ledges in it. My cage has seven shelves that they can jump from one to another.

The cage should have at least one side made entirely from wire for ventilation. Chins need to be kept somewhat cool or they can suffer from heat stroke. The ideal temperature for chinchillas is around 65 degrees, not greater than 75 degrees. They should be kept in a well-ventilated area, preferably with air conditioning. Otherwise, they may get too warm.

The most common type of bedding used for chinchillas is kiln dried pine shavings or pellets. Another type of bedding that is safe to use is Carefresh. There are a few types of litters that are not safe to use-regular pine shavings, clay pellets, clumping or scented litters, and cedar bedding. These types can be toxic if ingested by your chinchilla.

Toys FOR Chinchillas

Toys are a good idea for chinchillas, especially if you have only one chinchilla. A “free” toy I give mine all the time are empty toilet paper and paper towel rolls. They don’t last very long (they chew through them very quickly) but its something you were just going to throw out anyway. They love them and even fight over them. Another good toy is wooden chew blocks. Chins love to chew and will chew on anything (so watch what you put their cage next to). Mine don’t care for blocks that just lay on the bottom of their cage (I always had to throw them out because they got dirty) and then I tried bird toys. They love bird toys that hang from the top of their cages. I hang mine from the top of their cage in a place that isn’t too easily accessible. That way it makes it more of a challenge. Make sure the toy doesn’t have any plastic or rope on it though. Plastic bits can get caught in their throats if they swallow it and rope can become trapped in their bodies. I make sure mine are all wood and they hang from a metal chain, usually with a little bell. The bell will also let you know when they are playing so you can watch them.

Feeding and Treats
Pellets are an important part of a chinchillas diet. Most pet stores sell chinchilla food, however the pellets that they sell are often not of the best quality. You will often see that pet stores sell pellets that contain things besides pellets, most often treats. While giving your chin treats is not a bad thing, too many treats can make them sick so it is best to avoid pet store pellets. Unless of course, the pet store sells high quality pellets.

Some quality brands of chinchilla food include Mazuri, Kline and Oxbow. I feed Mazuri and my chins love it. To find a Mazuri dealer near you, you can check out http://Mazuri.com. I order my food from http://lonestarchinchilla.com because I cannot find a store that sells Mazuri chinchilla food near me. Even though I order the food online, it is still cheaper than buying the low quality pet store food if you figure out how much you pay a pound.
When ordering online, I recommend buying in “bulk”. I usually buy 6 or 7 pounds each time, because the shipping is the same as if I had only bought 1 pound. It works out better buying larger quantities and freezing whatever is not needed in sealed containers, and thawing more as needed.

Most pellets are made primarily of alfalfa hay. It is important to know what kind the pellets are made of when selecting a type of hay. When you order online, it usually comes in a bag with no ingredients on it because the seller buys in large bulk bags and ships small bags out to those that order. You can research to find out what ingredients are in your hay online. I imagine http://Mazuri.com has an “Ingredients & Analysis” section for their pellets (they are made of alfalfa).

The reason it is important to know what your pellets are made of is because too much alfalfa can cause problems. Alfalfa is high in protein, calcium and calories. Too much protein can cause liver problems and too much calcium can lead to bladder stones. So if you are feeding a pellet that is made of alfalfa, it is best to get your chin a grass hay. Grass hay includes Timothy, Brome, Orchard grass and Oat.

Good quality hay is green and smells fresh. It shouldn’t be in an airtight container as that will trap the moisture and cause mold to grow. When my chins eat loose hay, they most often eat only the leaves off of the hay and leave the stems behind.

You can choose to feed either loose hay (out of a bale) or hay cubes (which can also be purchased at http://Lonestarchinchilla.com). Because I have large animals that require hay (the deer) it has always been easier for me to feed loose hay, but if you only own small animals, loose hay may not be the best option. Hay cubes can be a very convenient way of feeding hay to small animals, but you will pay more than if you were to buy a bale of loose hay.

Chinchillas love treats, but you should not give your chinchilla too many treats because they can get sick. Too many treats often causes diarrhea. A favorite treat of chinchillas is raisins. When you shake the box, they know what it coming. Other good treats for chins include dried fruit, rose hips, cheerios (without honey or sweeteners) and sunflower seeds. Another thing that can be used as a good treat and supplement is oats. When you give them oats, they think you are giving them a treat. I kept a dish of oats near their cage and gave them one every time I walked by when I first bought them. This showed them that I meant no harm and they expected a treat every time I was near, so they were always glad to see me. Now I give them oats as part of their meal once a day. http://Lonestarchinchilla.com also sells oats in small quantities so you can get a pound or two and it will last a long time.

If you buy a chinchilla and wish to change its diet, you must do so slowly so that you don’t upset their stomachs. Changing their diets all at once (cold turkey) can cause diarrhea. So start slowly adding whatever type of food you would like to change them to into their current diet. Keep adding more and more until you are completely changed over to the new food. This is much easier on the chins.

Sexing Chins
It can be difficult to sex chins, especially at a young age. Females have less space between the cone and the anus that males do,

Breeding and Babies
I will only go briefly into breeding. Most people will not breed a female chinchillas until she is 8 month old because a female younger that 8 months really isn’t mature enough to be breed. However, female chins can breed from about 8 weeks of age so it is important to separate her from any males present (including her father and brother) until she is old enough.

A female's cycle occurs every 28 to 35 days and usually lasts 4 to 7 days. This is when a female can get pregnant. A chins gestation period is usually 111 days, so it actually will take quite awhile for her to have babies. And they usually only have 1-3 babies, but there is a possibility of more. They will usually only have babies once or twice a year.

Once she does have babies, you should remove the male so they she goes not get bred again immediately. She will come into heat again almost immediately after giving birth. If you allow this to happen, it is very hard on the female because her body has not had time to heal. Death and miscarriage could also result.

Unlike other small baby animals, chinchillas are up and walking around within minutes. They are born with their eyes open and with fur. They are about the size of a hamster when born. So if you know your chinchilla is pregnant, you must have a cage with very small wire (mine is one centimeter width and height) to ensure that they stay in their cage. I accomplished this by covering my existing cage in very small wire. The only other option is to buy another cage.

The male will not hurt the babies like most other species of animals, so it is okay to put the father back after a few days to a week. He can then keep mom company and relieve some of her stress.

The mother will not really need your help in raising the babies, but you can touch them and handle them. This gets them used to being handled very young. You may want to get a good scale and weigh the babies’ everyday to make sure that they are gaining weight and getting the proper amount of milk from mom.

Top
please note this was courtesy of: Adrianne
http://sybilsden.com/bizzybear/main.htm

What is a Degu?

A Degu is a small Rodent with tweed brown coloured hair. They are classified as mammals related to Guinea pigs but many people now believe that they are in actuality closer in relation to rabbits. The tummy has a cream colour and they have lighter circles around the eyes. They have long whiskers, and their ears are quite big. A full grown adult is about 6" long with another 6" in tail with a bit of fluff on the end of the tail.

The teeth of a healthy Degu are yellow or orange coloured. White teeth are an indication of a serious disease. Their Latin name is Octodon Degus. Octodon means "eight-toothed rodent" because their molar surfaces look like a figure "8".

Degus were transported to Europe and North America from Chile, where they live from the West Coast to the Andes Mountains. The primary reasons for this transportation was that the animals cannot digest sugar and are very prone to Diabetes and so were used for research into this disease.

Degus make good pets as they are friendly little animals and are awake during the day. They will doze on and off during the day but once they get to know you they will come flying over to see you when you walk into the room. They make a variety of sounds and seem to have quite a complicated language. Their distress call is a high pitched beep beep sound. They chitter when they are upset and will screech at each other when they are having a wrestling match or someone swipes their food. Some Degus are more vocal than others and will come and "talk" to you and tell you off when a treat isn't given as often as they would like. There is an example of a degu talking on the Rodent Movies page.

There seem to be varying reports of how long Degus will live in Captivity. It is safe to say that most Degus will live at least 5 years but may live for as long as 10 or more.

As a natural defense against enemies Degus can loose their tail. If a Degu is caught by the tail it can loose the tip or the whole skin of the tail. This causes the animal no serious harm but is unpleasant for both you and your pet and so you should never try to catch a Degu by its tail.

One or Two Degus?

The Degu is a very sociable animal so it is best to keep at least two animals as a single animal will not be very happy and may not live as long. I have also seen reports that lone degus can become aggressive. Certainly Pumpkin became quite withdrawn and bad tempered when she was alone. Two or more degus of the same sex are a good idea but if male Degus are kept together they should be kept away from females, as they will fight when the female comes into season. With a pair it's very probable that females will be pregnant all the time and will die young.

A male degu can be neutered if you find an experienced vet. They are unlikely to have done a lot of degus but look for one with experience of neutering chinchillas, who is willing to find out about neutering degus. I now have a neutered male degu who is very happily living with my female. Introducing degus can require time, patience and either two cages or one separated by a wire mesh divider to give them plenty of time to get used to each other. However, neutered male - female introductions seem to be the most straightforwards and I simply introduced my two in a neutral environment and then put them in a cleaned out cage. But do not rely on it being that easy.

Your Degu’s Home.

When getting a home for your pet it is important to remember that they can grow to the size of a small guinea pig. A large rat or even a chinchilla cage is ideal. The only disadvantage of this setup is that your Degus may kick their bedding out of the sides of the cage so a mesh cage fitted on top of a glass tank is also a good idea - see the Jird Cages page for an example. Remove the mesh bottom from chinchilla cages as Degus made to walk on mesh flooring develop a painful foot condition called Bumblefoot (see Health section below). Go to the Degu Cages page for more information.

I have used Megazorb horse bedding in the bottom of the cage and now use ecobed. More details of this on the Bedding page.

Degus love to climb and I have a climbing frame designed for parrot cages and an old belt strung across the top of the cage. Fruit tree branches and other parrot toys also make great toys for Degus. Your Degus will need something to chew on to keep their teeth worn down. Wooden toys and branches are good and you can also buy chews designed for Chinchillas, which are ideal.

If possible Degus should be provided with a large solid wheel that does not have spokes. These can be quite difficult to obtain in this country but there are some suppliers and importers. Check out the Wheels page.

Degus claws are quite sharp and so it is worth having a piece of stone in the cage for them to rub them down on. You can also get stone parrot perches that are designed to keep their claws short and these also work quite well. I have placed mine so that they have to walk across it to get to the upper levels.

Degus like a dust bath to keep their coats clean. You can buy dust especially designed for Chinchillas and give your Degus a large ceramic bowl with an inch or two in the bottom for a short period everyday. It is very amusing to watch them rolling about in it. Don't worry if they appear to be eating the dust, it doesn't seem to do them any harm. The dust bath shouldn't be left in the cage for too long or they will use it as a toilet.

Your Degus will also need a hayrack, food bowls (I use two to prevent squabbles), a water bottle and will appreciate a nesting box to hide in.

More information on amusing your degus on the Environment Enrichment page.

Feeding your Degu.

The most important part of looking after your Degus is to feed them correctly. They cannot cope with sugar and in the wild live on a very poor diet and so are designed to eat lots of roughage and very little carbohydrates. Degus given lots of sugary treats such as breakfast cereals, cake and dried fruit may get diabetes

There has recently a suggestion on certain web sites and lists that sugar is not a problem. I have yet to see the results of any peer reviewed scientific work that proves that it is safe to feed sugary treats to degus. I would suggest that until this is the case it is safer to continue to follow the standard advice - i.e. do not feed sugary treats or heavily molassed pellets.

Although we restrict the glucose in our degus diet they do in fact have glucose in their systems. Glucose is a simple monosaccharide sugar that is a building block for a number of other carbohydrates. For example starch and cellulose are both made up of glucose units, each in a different structure. When the degu digests complex carbohydrate in its diet (starch from grains in pellets, cellulose from hay and other plant material) it is broken down into glucose and released into the blood. So the obvious question is why do we then restrict simple sugars in the diet if their food is broken down into glucose anywhere?

The answer is about blood sugar levels. It takes quite a bit of time to break down complex carbohydrates into simple sugars and them to be released into the blood stream, and in addition degus browse almost continually. This results in a constant low level of glucose being released into the blood. If the blood level of glucose gets too high then the hormone Insulin is released to encourage the cells of the body to absorb the glucose. There are receptors on the cells that detect the insulin and tell the cell to take up glucose.

When a large amount of simple sugars are eaten in the diet they all get into the blood very quickly. This results in a large rise in the blood glucose level and a large release of insulin. If this happens a lot then over a period of time the number of receptors for insulin on the cell surface drops and the cells do not respond as well to insulin. This is known as insulin resistance. Ultimately the cells will not respond well enough to insulin to get the blood sugar level down to a safe level and this is type II diabetes (type I diabetes is when the body cannot produce insulin at all). High levels of glucose in the blood can cause all sorts of problems including damage to the eye seen as cataracts and damage to the liver, kidneys, immune and nervous systems. As degus have evolved in an environment where their diet is very poor and takes a long time to digest they seem to have lost the ability to cope well with blood sugar levels that fluctuate at all and this may be why they are very prone to type II diabetes.

The main diet should be a mixture of Guinea Pig and/or Chinchilla pellets. I used Burgess Supra Guinea pig pellets which are widely available and contain everything in one pellet preventing your pet from picking out the bits that they like and leaving the bits that are good for them! They also contain vitamin C - it hasn't been decided yet whether Degus require vitamin C like Guinea Pigs but it is best to be safe. However, I have recently come to the opinion that they probably do need chinchilla pellets as well to provide essential fatty acids. I mix in Duggins Pellets from Chinchillas 2 Home now. When buying Chinchilla pellets check the ingredients and make sure that they do not contain large amounts molasses, which are full of sugar and so not good for your Degu. Calcium chews sold for Chinchillas are also a good idea.

It is best if your Degus have fresh hay available to them at all time. Degus like to munch all day long and so good quality hay should make up a high proportion of their diet. Chinchillas 2 Home also sell wonderful timothy hay or try Oxbow Timothy hay. They can also have grass, alfalfa, clover and/or dandelion leaves and small pieces of vegetable but no fruit as this is high in sugar.

Degus should always have access to a supply of clean, fresh water. It is often said that Degus should be fed bottled or boiled water however it is more important that the water is fresh and the bottles kept spotlessly clean. The suggestion that you sometimes see that water should be chlorinated using household bleach is just plain dangerous and certainly does not apply in the UK where the water is already chlorinated.

Degu Health.

If in doubt take your pet to the vet. Ring around and try to find a vet who has plenty of experience with small rodents and is interested in finding out about Degus even if he/ she has not seen one before. My vetinary book (Diseases of Small Domestic Rodents by V.C.G Richardson) says that they can be considered as scaled down Chinchillas for medication purposes. Some guinea pig knowledge is also useful as with the Ovarian Cyst discussed below. It is worth finding a vet before you need one in an emergency and maybe take your degus in for a checkup - in this way you can decide whether you like the vet and they seem interested before you have a sick degu on your hands. Degus seem to be generally robust little rodents but there are one or two conditions that you should be aware of.

Diabetes: Degus cannot metabolise sugar; therefore, if they eat too much of it they can become diabetic. The first sign of trouble can be that your Degu gets very fat. They will drink more water than normal and towards to end may become very thin. Diabetes is always fatal and cannot be treated in small animals. Don't feed your Degu any food that contains sugar. That includes fruit, and raisins. Don't let your Degu get too fat - it is not kind to feed an animal treats until it becomes obese and dies young. If you have a fat Degu reduce the amount of pellets and cut out all treats letting the animal eat mainly hay - never allow the supply of hay to run out as degus need to munch pretty much continually to keep their gut working well.

Bumblefoot: Having to walk on wire surfaces continually can cause this painful condition. The Degu may have difficulty walking and might show pain while on his feet. Remove wire-mesh bottoms from chinchilla cages and try to provide a solid wheel.

Liver Disease: If Degus are fed too much fat, they will contract liver problems. These can have similar symptoms to Diabetes in that they animal may drink lots of water and get very thin after being quite fat. Don't feed your Degus too much food that is fatty, such as sunflower seeds, peanuts and nuts.

Mouth Disease: Degus are very prone to infections of the mouth. Make sure that the water bottle is kept spotlessly clean. If your degu is having problems eating, is pawing at her mouth, drooling or has weepy eyes then suspect teeth problems. As with chinchillas their molars can grow spurs causing lots of pain. There is limited information available about degu teeth problems but information on chinchillas is relevant. There are some information and links here. Or do a search on google for the words chinchilla and malocclusion. Degus have smaller mouths than chinchillas and so it can be much more difficult to work on them. Sadly sometimes the kindest thing may be to have your degu put to sleep which is what I had to do with Pumpkin, when she developed a jaw abcess a month or two after her dental work.

Inbreeding: Because of the small population of Degus in the country inbreeding inevitably occurs. This can cause many health problems in the babies and should be avoided. If you want to breed never breed from closely related Degus particularly brother and sister pairs but try to get your Degus as unrelated as possible.

Cataracts: Cataracts in Degus are a genetic condition and the symptoms are greying of the eye and sight problems in older Degus. Degus have whiskers which prevent them from bumping into things and a good sense of smell and so should manage fine. They also seem to occur in younger degus - Willow has had them since she was about a year old and seems to be doing fine. I just make sure that I don't change the cage around too often. However I have recently done a major upgrade to the cage and she coped fine.

Fur Chewing or Biting: You often see Degus with chewed tails. I have no idea what causes this. In chinchillas fur chewing is said to be down to boredom, stress or lack of fibre. So make sure that your degu has plenty of toys and hay to eat. If a tail is damaged they may also chew at it and it may also be due to lack of feeling in extremities due to diabetes (but this is just a vague idea that I have no proof for). Degus can also fur chew - chewing the surface off a patch of hair. Willow suffered from this on her back although I have a feeling that it may have been Pumpkin doing the chewing - I never saw either of them at it. I broke this and the tail chewing habit by applying stop chew lotion sold for chinchillas (try The Chinchilla Rescue Service) daily on her back and tail. The fur grew back perfectly.

Dry Skin: - Degus tails can become quite dry looking. It is ok to use baby oil, cocoa butter or Aloe Vera on the tail. I use Allergenics Dry Skin Cream or Evening Primrose which I get from my local health food shop. If you do it before a dust bath the dust will stick though. Chinchillas can suffer from fatty acid deficiencies that can cause dry skin and I think that Degus may do as well. Evening Primrose oil seems to work quite well. Buy the capsules, break open and dip a pumpkin seed into it. Mine seem to take this quite well.

Ovarian Cysts: - I know that Degus can get these because Willow has got one. In Guinea Pigs the symptoms include hair loss on both sides but Willow did not have this. She did have very dry quite scaly skin but that may not have been linked and I treated it with evening primrose oil as mentioned above. The cysts can go down of their own accord. In guinea pigs the vet will often do a full hysterectomy but understandably with Degus being so much smaller and Willow being so frail neither us or the vet thought this was a good idea. We were told to watch out for weight loss. Sadly Willow died a few months later - however, it is possible that this was from complications of her diabetes rather than the cysts.

Injuries: an injured degu should always be taken to a vet. This is particularly true in the case of fight injuries which can become infected or broken limbs. Damaged tails are common and degus should never be caught by their tail. These usually heal well, but it is worth getting the vet to check them just in case.

Breeding.

Please think very carefully before breeding any small animal. Are you in a position to provide good homes to all of the babies that result from breeding? Are you willing to keep any babies that you cannot find homes for? It can be difficult to provide the attention and pay for the vet bills that lots of pets inevitably mean. An out of hours emergency caesarian can cost £100 or even more in some areas - if you aren't willing to pay for this then you shouldn't be breeding period. There are a lot of degus turning up in rescue centres at the moment - often due to irresponsible breeding. If you can't afford to get your male degu neutered, you certainly can't afford the potential vets bills of breeding.

Degus can be sexually mature as young a couple of months, although this is unusual. The gestation period is long for rodents at about 90 days and the babies are born with fur and teeth and their eyes are often already open. Only a few hours after their birth, they will start searching the surroundings of the nest box. Soon after this, they will also start eating normal food. They can be removed from their parents at 8 weeks and it is important to remove the females from their father promptly or he could mate with them.

When the Degus are mating, they produce a strange sound and move their tails around. Male degus are unusual in that they have a distinctive after-mating call, which they continue for long periods. It is not easy to spot that a female is pregnant until about a month before the birth After this, do not handle her as this can cause an abortion, and also to the death of a pregnant female. Make sure that you have a suitable vet well in advance of the birth that is willing to deal with out-of-hours emergencies.

A Degu female can get pregnant within 24 hours of giving birth so it is recommended to separate the male for one to two days afterwards to prevent a breed-back litter which is not good for the female or her young. Female Degus should not be allowed to breed continuously or they will die from exhaustion very young. It is possible to have a male Degu neutered or another idea is to keep a male baby in with dad and a female with mum so that they are not so upset by the separation.

PLEASE VISIT http://www.eRodent.co.uk and you can find the links mentioned there. Please feel free to print this page out and give it to others. Much of the information is courtesy of the Octodon Degu Page combined with experiences. Please visit it as it is a wonderful page.

Mice are mammals which belong to the rodent family having large incisor teeth that are continually growing necessitating gnawing to prevent the teeth from overgrowing. The word 'rodent' is derived from the latin word 'rodere' which means 'to gnaw'.

Mice are from the sub-family Murinae which is broken down into Genera and then Species. There are many different species of mice throughout the world and the mouse domesticated and kept as a pet is the common house mouse, Mus musculus and is often referred to as the Fancy Mouse.

BUYING A MOUSE:

The best place always to buy a mouse is directly from a private or hobbyist breeder but this may not always be possible and therefore many mouse owners buy their first mouse from a pet shop.

The advantages of buying from a private or hobbyist breeder is that breeding has usually been carefully planned and thought through with regard to producing robust, healthy mice of good temperament. They are not the result of commercial breeding of mass numbers of mice. You will also have the opportunity to see the parents and know the date of birth of the mouse you intend to purchase. Private and hobbyist breeders regularly handle their babies and so any mice they sell are used to being handled. Unfortunately the same cannot always been said for mice sold in pet shops that have come from commercial breeders.

If you are buying a mouse from a pet shop what should you look for? How do you tell a good pet shop from a bad one? The first impression of the pet shop will usually indicate their standards. A clean, tidy shop is often a good indication that the shop owners take pride in their shop and therefore are likely to take pride in the mice they sell. An untidy or dirty shop is best avoided.

It is always a good idea to find out about mice before you go looking for one. You can then ask information from the pet shop staff and this will give you a good indication of whether they are actually knowledgeable about the mice they are selling. Males and females should be housed in separate cages and staff should be able to tell the sex of the mice they are selling.

If you are not satisfied with the pet shop, their knowledge or their mice, walk out and find another one. It is no fun buying a unhealthy, pregnant or weakly mouse and then dealing with the problems this presents afterwards - it can cause a lot of heartache so take your time and find a good healthy mouse.

Shops have a wide variety of cages and equipment for your mouse. 2

What should you do if you find a bad pet shop? Apart from leaving and finding another shop to buy your mouse you can report the shop an Animal Welfare organisation or your local authority if you feel the conditions warrant it.

MOUSE CARE:

As with any pet a mouse will need care and attention and a commitment to look after it whilst it is with you including veterinary treatment when ill. Although mice are relatively easy to look after, once ill they can deteriorate quickly and proper care will go a long way to ensuring your mouse remains happy and healthy.

The average lifespan is 1-1½ years although they can live longer.

“Please note this is a basic overview & if you require more info on any subject then please contact admin who will pass your details forward to the relevant person if need be” .

What is a chipmunk ?

A chipmunk is a type of ground squirrel , They are small burrowing rodents who are very fast & active , They love to run , jump & climb , As a pet they are very good escape artists .

Chipmunks are light brown with dark brown stripes along there heads & also back , with a long furry tail these are called ‘agouti’, Due to inter-breeding in captivity a new chipmunk was bred which is called a ‘dilute’ , These are white chipmunks with very faint caramel/light brown stripes across there backs , Dilutes also have deep red ruby eyes , These must not be mistaken for Albino’s , Albino’s are pure white & they have pink eyes .

Housing .

If you are housing a pair of chipmunks or a colony the size of their home is very important . You can use either a cage or an aviary this obviously depends on your own home & space. If using a cage the minimum size height should be 3ft , the width 2ft & the depth 1.5ft, This would house no more than 2 chipmunks .

An aviary is also a housing option if you have a colony or the space in your home for one . These can again be custom built or you can find them for sale on various websites . A 6ft-3ft-3ft cage/aviary for example would house no more than 5-6 chipmunks at the very most .

Inside you will need : Nest box’s / huts, suitable bedding material or hay, toys to relieve boredom, water bottles & also food bowls , woodchip or similar for the bottom of the cage , You must not use sawdust as this can irritate chipmunks eyes,nostrils & ears & cause problems.

Feeding & Drinking

Chipmunk food is available pre packed from pet shops in 1kg bags & is roughly £2 per bag, This contains the basic dietary requirements for them & other foods must be offered to supplement their needs including fresh fruit & veg . Chipmunks favourite food is peanuts & also grapes .

Fresh water should be supplied daily in a water bottle with a metal spout , like those used for hamsters, gerbils & other rodents.

Avoid using water bowls as it does not stay fresh & will go stagnant .

Handling

Chipmunks can be tamed & is not difficult to do so if they are young & enough time is put in to taming them . This is easier done when very young , You can buy chipmunks from pet shops semi tame as they are used to people looking at them , You can also buy them from breeders who usually spend more time with them from about 1-2wks old so by the time you purchase one they are usually very tame & used to people . It is harder to tame an older chipmunk & much patience will be needed .

Breeding

Before breeding make sure each sex is unrelated, you should purchase each sex from different places this reduces the chance of them being related . Do not breed a related pair , eg .mother & son or father & daughter as this can cause severe defects. Breeding season is around April/May & also July/August although in captivity this can be alittle earlier.
Gestation is around 29-31 days .

Health

Little problems will arise with clean living conditions & a balanced nutritious diet, Clean out your chipmunk enclosure regularly especially the places they use as a latrine as this will attract insects & unwanted pests which may carry diseases.
Other health issues like diarrhea ,constipation , teeth problems ,cheek pouches, skin problems & heat stroke must also be taken into account.

[i]please contact ladychipmunk for more details :)[/i]

breeders :

Kayleigh (liverpool)
web address: www.mychipmunks.piczo.com
email: xxxkayxxx_@hotmail.com

Mrs Dale Childs (norfolk)
email : dale@megazirt.co.uk

Mr John Lingwood (sculthorpe)
Email : sonia.lingwood@tiscali.co.uk

Nick ( Sunderland area )
Email : nicholastickner@googlemail.com
(Also builds cages/aviaries & is a rescue for chipmunks)

Rats

SCIENTIFIC NAME Rattus norvegicus

please visit:- http://www.nfrs.org/

Rats come in a veritable rainbow of colours and patterns and several different coat types. The rarer colours and unusual coat types are generally only available with a breeder, THOUGH I RECOMMEND GOING TO BREEDERS WHATEVER TYPE YOU WANT FOR VARIOUS REASONS.

always check the Rat Rehoming Register AT: http://www.ratrehome.co.uk/or contact the NFRS they run Kitbag by emailing kitbag@nfrs.org

there are lots of rat rescues

here are a few:

http://www.ratrehome.co.uk/ - this one i think is great as u click link top right u can see by area and everything too

RAT RESCUE, SURREY
Sarah always has many rats needing safe, secure and loving homes. Please contact on 020 8395 9639 or email: rehoming@sprogpages.co.uk. Visit: www.sprogpages.co.uk/Fosters.html

RAT RESCUE, CHEADLE
Mo at the Rat Rescue, Cheadle Staffordshire. Phone 01538 752042 Mobile 07808 960588 Email on mobile: ratrescue33@orange.net

MANCHESTER RODENT RESCUE
Please call Cynthia on 0161 724 6048 or email: rat.rescue@ntlworld.com

Piczo