This means their cage will need to be cleaned less often. Owning either pet will require you to do daily cage maintenance. You will need to clean out any dropping and remove soiled bedding and uneaten food daily. The water bottle will also need to be cleaned and refilled with fresh water on a daily basis.
Mice live 1 to 3 years, while gerbils have a lifespan of 3 to 4 years. Always err on the side of caution when choosing a pet based on lifespan and consider the lowest number. Children who grow attached to pet mice can be devastated by their short lifespan. Both pocket pets have their pros and cons, but gerbils have the upper hand. Not only are gerbils awake throughout the day and night, but they have a longer lifespan. They are also more apt to enjoy human companionship than mice.
Just as with any pet - and people - fresh water is of the utmost importance, with the emphasis on F-R-E-S-H. Your pet should have two sources of clean water available to them at all times. A sipper bottle attached to the outside of the cage to avoid chewing. The opening of the water vessels should be checked daily for debris or hair that could cause blockage.
The vessels should be cleaned thoroughly at least once a week. Be sure any soap residue is rinsed well before returning back to the cage. Hay supplies small rodents with physical enrichment as well as health benefits.
Small rodents use hay for bedding and burrowing, as well as nourishment. Digestive Health: Fiber in hay facilitates constant digestive movement. Constant movement in the GI tract is necessary; even a short interruption can lead to serious health issues. Dental Health: Hay is the perfect material for small herbivores to constantly chew in order to maintain necessary dental wear, since their teeth never stop growing.
Without hay, dental issues like disease, tooth elongation, and malocclusion could occur. Mental Health: Chewing hay encourages natural foraging behaviors and provides your pet rodent with mental stimulation. All rodents can and should be socialized. When socialized, they are less likely to bite, which makes them great pets for children.
Handling and socializing your rodent from early on enables them to socialize comfortably with everyone in the family. Make sure to note that rats, hamsters and mice are all nocturnal, while gerbils are not.
Rats: They are on the bigger side, and are known to be quite intelligent. This means that they require more social and mental stimulation. Though that may be more work, it also means that they can be taught tricks. They can be trained to respond to their names, use a litter box, and climb ropes. Do not leave your rat unattended outside of its cage; they are prone to chewing on electrical wires, floor boards, furniture, and carpet. Hamsters: They move slow enough for children to hold them.
They can become stressed if mishandled, especially if they are handled while sleeping, startling awake, which may cause them to bite you. Hamsters do well on their own, but they can get along with other hamsters depending on the breed and sex. Do not leave your hamster unattended outside of its cage; they are prone to chewing on wires, floor boards, furniture, and carpet. Mice: They are much calmer pets, and they rarely bite. Mice enjoy socializing with people and other mice. Gerbils: These critters are diurnal, which means they are active during the day, and inactive or sleep at night.
They are active, fast, and do well in pairs. Rodents self-groom. Just another reason they make pretty easy pets! It lives in dark places, like in human-inhabited areas and forests. It needs big ears so that it can hear predators or other threats coming from further away. Gerbils rely on their eyesight. Where they live, there are hardly any trees. Instead, they live in wide-open grasslands where they can spot predators coming from a long way away.
Common gerbils are a sandy color called golden agouti. This color is like a deep gold on top. All wild gerbils exist in this color. Mice are a deeper brown, with fewer hints of orange and red.
However, these differences have become less pronounced in recent years. So, golden agouti is the only wild color of the gerbil, but there are many other colors and patterns in pet gerbils.
So, you can find gerbils that are darker brown, black, slate gray, and piebald. Mice come in lots of different colors and patterns, some of which are the same. So, it may be difficult to tell the difference through color alone. So, if your gerbil is around two inches long from its nose to its rear, then its tail will be around two inches long too. It may also have a tuft at the end where the fur is longer, which may be a different lighter color. Gerbils stand on their hind legs frequently.
They will do so while eating, playing, or looking around for threats. They are adapted to do so and have long hind legs that they can easily balance on. Both mice and gerbils live in groups with a social hierarchy. All the rest do as the dominant pair want. Also, gerbils live in burrows together. This is the sudden shedding of a large patch of fur.
In the wild, fur slip can be used to escape the bite of a predator. While fur slip is not dangerous, it does mean that your chinchilla will have a bald spot that can take months to completely fill in. Chinchillas are native to regions of high altitude with a cooler climate. It is important that your chinchilla does not become stressed and overheat so an ideal environment temperature would be about degrees Fahrenheit with a low humidity percentage.
Unlike dogs and cats, chinchillas do not receive vaccinations. Yearly wellness exams can help you catch a disease before it becomes too serious. As with any animal, be sure to contact your vet if you suspect your chinchilla may be ill or injured. While they may look similar, hamsters are not simply small guinea pigs, nor are they rats without tails. Several species of hamsters are commonly kept as pets, so be sure to look into more specific requirements for your type of hamster. The most common pet hamster is the golden hamster, also known as the Syrian hamster.
Hamsters usually have a lifespan of years. Most species of hamsters should be housed alone to prevent fighting. The ideal hamster cage varies based on species. For example, dwarf hamsters may be able to squeeze through the bars of a typical wire cage and escape, so a glass or plastic enclosure is preferable. Hamsters love to burrow and will appreciate a deep layer of bedding to dig through and rearrange as they see fit.
Many commercial diets are available to provide complete and balanced nutrition for your hamster. Unlike dogs and cats, hamsters do not receive vaccinations.
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