GUINEA PIGS:
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Guinea Pigs can make excellent
pets for both adults and children. They are affectionate and
gentle animals and will bond well with their owners when handled
often. They can be housed in pairs or small groups but I do
recommend neutering the males. The average lifespan is around
4 years of age, but exceptions do occur. Like all exotics
there are special concerns that should be addressed such as: |
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Vitamin C: Guinea Pigs are
unable to make their own vitamin C and therefore must have a vitamin
C supplement provided daily. If adequate vitamin C is not provided,
the pigs will develop vitamin C deficiency, also called scurvy,
leading to a suppressed immune system. Affected pigs are much more
susceptible to disease and respiratory infections are very commonly
the first sign of immunosuppression, with arthritis, tooth disease
and many others also frequently seen. Early signs of respiratory
infection include tearing and crusting around eyes, sneezing, weight
loss and nasal discharge. I recommend providing chewable vitamin
C tablets or powdered vitamin daily to all guinea pigs throughout
their lives. I recommend giving a minimum of 50mg vitamin C daily
and this dose should be increased for pregnant guinea pigs and those
with deficiency to at least 200mg daily. Additionally, all guinea
pigs should be provided with at least 1/2 cup of fresh dark leafy
greens daily for a natural source of vitamins and nutrients. Many
leafy greens are available and will vary with the seasons, but a
couple of good ones are kale and parsley.
Other dietary
recommendations: Guinea pigs should be fed a grass hay based
pellet and provided grass hay daily in addition to their greens.
Guinea pigs do love to eat but treats high in sugar or grain should
be limited to keep their GI tract healthy.
Housing: Because
of their round body shape, pigs are susceptible to foot sores when
housed on wire bottom cages. The new plastic bottom cages are a better
choice to keep your pig comfortable. Avoid all wood chip bedding,
what can cause allergies and other respiratory problems, recycled
paper bedding is usually a safer alternative. A hide box should
also always be provided to allow a stressed pig to "escape." Toys
should be provided, including safe chewable wood toys made for
guinea pigs. A water bottle and food bowl will also be required.
Dental Disease: Rodent
teeth will grow throughout the animal’s
life and guinea pig teeth are no exception. All guinea pigs should
be examined yearly by a veterinarian and part of their physical exam
should include an oral examination. With malocclusion, the molar
teeth can grow longer on the inside surface and cause pain when eating.
With progression of the disease the teeth can actually form an arch
that entraps the tongue and prevents the pig from eating. Signs of
dental disease are often limited to weight loss or anorexia, but
may also include dropping food when chewing or salivation. The front
teeth or incisors can also become over grown and may require trimming
by your veterinarian. The incisors should never be clipped with nail
trimmers because this can actually result in a break higher up in
the tooth. Your veterinarian will use a dental bit or dremel to quickly
and safely reduce the tooth length. Molar teeth can be more difficult
to trim because of the small oral cavity and will usually require
general anesthesia to allow access to the back of the mouth.
Skin Disease: Signs of skin
disease include, scratching, hair loss with "bald" spots,
skin flaking and skin wounds. Some guinea pigs will be so itchy
that they will have what appears to be a seizure to the owners.
Skin disease can occur when stressed from new surroundings or due
to vitamin C deficiency or both. It is not uncommon for guinea
pigs to develop mite infestations, lice (not the human type), and
ringworm. The best course of action is to have all itchy pigs examined
by a veterinarian. Skin scraping and fungal culture may be needed
for a diagnosis. Treatment for ringworm (which is infectious to
humans) involves the application of topical antifungal medication.
Treatment for mites may vary with the veterinarian. In the past
an injection of ivermectin (an anti-parasitic medication) was most
often used. Today, many veterinarians use the topical skin product
called Revolution. The product is just applied to the skin between
the shoulders and will protect the animal's entire body for up
to a month. The product is not approved for exotic animals but
is commonly used very safely under the direction of a veterinarian.
Your vet will determine the correct dose for your guinea pig. Do
not use your dog or cat products on your guinea pigs.
Surgery?
I do not recommend spaying female guinea pigs because it is, in my
opinion, a high risk procedure. However, males housed with females
should be neutered because female guinea pigs who have not been
pregnant prior to roughly 6mo-1yr of age will fuse their pelvis.
As a result, later pregnancies are at a higher risk of dystocia
or stuck/retained babies. Neutering guinea pigs is a relatively
quick and safe procedure with few complications. The most common
complication seen is the development of an abscess or infection
at the site of the neuter. We attempt to minimize this by performing
a sterile surgery and leaving an area for drainage at the scrotum.
Owners can also help to minimize the risk by housing the guinea
pig alone while recovering and changing the bedding twice daily
to keep the environment very clean. If an abscess does occur it
is lanced and drained/debrided and the pet is placed on antibiotics.
Chinchillas:
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Chinchillas
are South American rodents that can make excellent pets.
They are long lived, with an average of a 15+ year lifespan.
I often recommend chinchillas for those people considering
purchasing an exotic pet. They are typically very gentle and
become very tame when handled on a regular basis. Chinchillas
come in a variety of beautiful colors, have a soft luxurious
coat, are relatively quiet and, unlike small mammals such as
ferrets, they have no real body odor. When well cared for they
are healthy and unlike the other more common pet rodents, chinchillas
are likely to be around much longer.
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Feeding:
Chinchillas have a sensitive gastrointestinal
tract and should be given a routine diet that doesn't vary on a daily
basis. I recommend feeding them a mixture of chinchilla pellets,
grass hay and some alfalfa hay for additional calcium.
Supplementation?
We
know that guinea pigs are unable to make their own internal (intrinsic)
vitamin C and will get scurvy without daily supplementation. However,
it remains undetermined as to weather or not chinchillas can make
their own vitamin C. The safest course of action is to supplement
their diet with a chewable (XtraC from oxbow is a good choice) vitamin
C tablet of about 100-200mg/day. A calcium supplement may also be
needed if the diet is low in calcium or for pregnancy.
Housing:
A flat bottom cage is safest for
their toes and feet but will require much more diligent cleaning.
Wood shaving are not recommended for rodents and the best choice
for bedding is hay or recycled newspaper pellets. The cage should
be the largest that you have room for and the use of a multiple level
cage will increase their area of activity. Chinchillas are very active
animals and are most active at night. They should be provided with
monitored time out of the cage daily to allow them to run and play.
A chinchilla wheel should always be available in the cage. A typical
rabbit water bottle and food bowl should also be provided. Also,
a hide box should be provided to allow them a feeling of security
and a means of escaping if startled or stressed.
Dusting:
All chinchillas should be allowed
access to a dust bath on a regular basis. Special chinchilla dust
can be purchased at most pet shops and should be provided daily in
a container. Common containers are litter boxes (covered work well)
and large mouthed class jars big enough for the chinchillas to freely
move around in. The container should be removed after the bath. Chinchillas
have a very thick coat that does not dry quickly when wet. Dusting
is their way of having a water free bath. Dusting allows
them to remove oil and debris from their coats and truly seems to
be a source of enjoyment.
Chewing:
Like other rodent teeth, chinchilla
teeth continue to grow throughout their lives. Normal healthy chinchillas
should have yellow incisors. White incisors are often a non-specific
sign of illness. All chinchillas must be given appropriate items
to chew on throughout the day. Hay provides a good source of nutrition,
fiber and chewing. They should also be provided with wood chew toys
and pumice stones made for chinchillas. Always monitor chinchillas
when allowed play time out of the cage because they will chew on
just about anything.
Selected Problems
1. Heat: Chinchillas are from high mountainous areas and are well
outfitted for cold weather. As a result of their thick coat chinchillas
over heat quickly and should always be housed indoors with an air
conditioner. If overheated they should be quickly transported to
a veterinarian.
2. Eyes:
They can suffer eye infections and irritations from dust and debris.
Any chinchilla with tearing, redness, or squinting should be examined
by a veterinarian.
3. Teeth: Like guinea pigs, chinchillas can suffer
from many dental problems such as overgrown molars and abscessed
teeth. Common signs of dental disease are wet chin fur, weight loss,
dropping food and avoiding hard foods. Part of a chinchilla’s
annual veterinary exam is a through dental exam.
4. Fur:
If grabbed suddenly or inappropriately the fur will literally come
off in clumps leaving patches of alopecia. Always handle a chinchilla
gently and never grab the fur. Ringworm and mites can also result
in hair loss and itchy skin. During the annual examination your
veterinarian will ensure that your chinchilla has a healthy coat
and skin.
5. Grooming :
Chinchillas will shed and ingest hair when grooming. They should
be groomed on a regular basis to remove loose hairs. Intact males
used for breeding can develop hair rings around the penile area that
can cause constrictions and they should be carefully checked for
these.
6. Aggression with cage mates:
As I've said, chinchillas are commonly very gentle animals but sometimes
will become aggressive bullies when the same sexes are housed together.
It is best to have only a single chinchilla or a male and female.
7. Respiratory:
Chinchillas can develop pneumonia from a variety of bacterial pathogens
and any chinchilla showing increased respiratory effort, nasal discharge
and/or weight loss should be examined by a veterinarian.
Surgery?
I don't recommend spaying female
chinchillas, but male chinchillas housed with females should be neutered
to prevent disease and pregnancies. For more information on neutering
see the ChinCare page which is linked below.
MICE, RATS, HAMSTERS, GERBILS
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Rodents are true "pocket
pets" that do not take
up much room and are easy and inexpensive to acquire and care
for. In my opinion, out of all the various small rodents, rats
tend to make the best pets. They will become very tame and
friendly and will interact with the family. Hamsters are popular
pets, are cute and fuzzy, but do have more of a tendency to
bite then some of the other rodents. Mice also make good pets
but tend to be a little more active and "on the go" then
rats. Gerbils generally are very tame and sweet and typically
are not bitters, but again are very active and must be socialized
well to be a good pet. The primary drawback with all our small
rodents species is their limited life span, with a 2yr old
often considered an old rodent.
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RATS: As with all
pets, many health problems can potentially develop. However, a
couple of the more common problems in rats are upper respiratory
infections and mammary gland tumors. Respiratory infections are
contagious among rats and the ill pet will often exhibit tearing
(often red tears), nasal discharge and sneezing. If caught early
the infection can be treated by your veterinarian. Mammary gland
tissue is present over a wide area on rats and tumors are very
common anywhere on the body. Often these tumors are benign but
will still cause the rat problems due to the large size. Tumors
can be surgically removed by your veterinarian.
Always choose any
new pet carefully. As with all animals, it is better to acquire
your new pet from a reputable small breeder rather then a chain
store which mass produces rats. Rats from pet shops or mass breeders
tend to have more health problems because various sources are
often mixed together and the breeding is indiscriminate. It is
best to go to a small local breeder who is breeding selectively
and socializing the rats early in life. It is always best to choose
your new pet rat as carefully as you would a new puppy.
HAMSTERS: Hamsters
are likely the most popular of the small rodents and are available
in a variety of sizes, coat colors and lengths. Hamsters do
have a reputation for biting, especially when awoken. Always buy
young hamsters that have been handled and socialized well. Common
problems we see with hamsters are broken limbs (often from wire
cages), diarrhea, mites and hormonal disease. All small rodents
should be housed on a solid bottom cage because their small feet
are easily caught in wire caging and frequently a fracture is the
result. Wet tail or diarrhea is a common problem in hamsters and
can be fatal if not addressed early. The small hamster will quickly
become dehydrated if not treated promptly. Over the counter medications
should never be used because they often are dosed inappropriately
and may not even treat the actual infection. Your veterinarian
will be better able to identify the problem and treat it correctly.
Mites are a common problem in all rodents and infected animals
will be itchy and have hair loss, skin wounds, and flaky skin.
Mites can be treated easily by your veterinarian with a variety
of possible treatments. Lastly, older female hamsters can develop
a hormonal condition that often looks like a mite infestation.
The females will loose hair and are often very itchy. Again, your
veterinarian is the best person to diagnose this condition.
 MICE: Mice
have many of the same problems as rats and a similar short lifespan.
One problem we see in both rats and mice is tail trauma. If
picked up by their tails the skin will actually slip off leaving
unprotect tissue and bone. Rodents should therefore never be
picked up by their tails. Also, in my experience mite infestations
seem to be more common in mice and the affected individual
will have hair loss, thickened skin and will be very itchy.
GERBILS: Gerbils
generally make excellent pets and like hamsters they come in
a variety of colors and coat textures. I prefer to house gerbils
in same sex pairs, but if not already housed together they
may fight. Also, overcrowding of gerbils or rodents in general,
will result in a variety of health concerns due to stress, such
as increased infections and behavioral problems. Gerbils should
be purchased at a young age for a reputable breeder that has socialized
them well. Tame gerbils will be anxious to be with you and interact
with the family. They tend to be fairly healthy animals, but can
acquire the same health concerns as other small rodents. Tail trauma
is always a problem and again, rodents should never be picked up
by their tails. Gerbils have a bare patch of skin on their abdomen
that is actually a scent gland. Occasionally the scent gland will
develop a tumor that can be surgically removed. Respiratory and
gastrointestinal infections can also occur.
  
Photos show a gerbil:
(1) during surgery for removal of a scent gland tumor (2) Recovering
from anesthesia (3) Fully healed
Rodents often tolerate anesthesia and surgery very well but the
most challenging impediment to recovery is their desire to chew
on everything including their
sutures/incision.
RODENT
GENERALIZATIONS/ SUMMARY:
- Long tailed rodents are subject to skin slip and should never
be picked up by the tail
- Don't house rodents in wood shaving which can result in allergies.
Recycled paper pellets are a better choice.
- Healthy rodents have yellow teeth. Rodent teeth grow throughout
their life and can overgrow resulting in difficulty eating.
- Many rodents have reddish tears and mucus that is often mistaken
for blood.
- Never house rodents in cages with wire floors.
- It is best to buy two rodents from the same source at the same
time.
- If male and female rodents are kept together the male should
be neutered. Neutering of male rodents is a common procedure that
will prevent pregnancies and should be available at most exotic
veterinarian hospitals.
- Standard rodent chow for your particular species is usually
the best food.
- All rodents need room to move and exercise and various toys
and wheels should be provided.
- Over crowded rodents or those in too small a cage will become
stressed and suffer from many health problems.
RODENT
MEDICAL CARE:
Many of our clients are excellent rodent owners and will bring
their pets in for examination at the first sign of trouble. However,
occasionally we will have a new client with a sick rodent and the
client will express concern at spending additional monies on a
pet that cost only a few dollars to purchase. While it is true
that rodents are largely inexpensive, they are often just as good
a pet as our more common cats and dogs, and they are no less deserving
of medical care. It is our responsibility as pet owners to provide
our small family members with a good quality of life and this entails
not only feeding and housing, but also treating and curing illness.
No animal should be made to suffer based on the monetary value
of the pet. Ask yourself if you would not treat a ill dog that
had been given to you. Your response for this ill dog should be
no different then an ill rodent.
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