Gerbils, Hamsters, Rats, and Mice

1. Gerbils, Hamsters, Rats, and Mice Ms. Cichon Rosholt High School

2. Gerbils

3. Facts • Known as the sand rat • 14 species • Active in the day and night • Easy to work with, gentle • Has no special food or housing requirements • Drinks little water • Virtually odorless • Seldom will bite

4. What does it look like? • Approximately 6-8 inches from nose to tail. • It has a short body and medium-long tail • Hind legs are similar to those of a kangaroo • Walk on all four • Stands on hind legs • The color is used to camouflage against sand and rock • Now can be found in blacks and whites also

5. Characteristics • Scent gland on its stomach • Communicates through drumming • Life expectancy is 2-4 years

6. Housing • Gerbils should have more cage space than hamsters • Same cage equipment • Needs to be chew proof

7. Feeding • Common grains: corn, oats, wheat, and barely • Although gerbils love sunflower seeds they lead to obesity • Green foods such as cabbage, carrots, turnips, and beets also add variety and are rich in minerals. (Use sparingly-leads to diarrhea) • Water should always be available.

8. Handling • Gerbil should be picked up by placing your hand over the back of the gerbil and encircling his body with your thumb and forefinger • It should NEVER be picked up by the tail. The skin can break and pull off, leaving the tailbone exposed.

9. Diseases • Respiratory infections are most common Symptoms: loss of appetite, constant sneezing, runny eyes and nose • Nasal dermatitis, known as red nose Symptoms: hair loss or red, swollen areas of skin around the nose and muzzle • Tyzzer’s disease

10. Quiz Time

11. Hamsters

12. Facts • Golden hamster is the most abundant • In 1931, young hamsters were shipped to the US Public Health Service Research Center in Carvill, Louisiana • The true hamster has large black eyes and erect ears

13. What does it look like? • Adult hamsters are 5-6 inches long with short stump of a tail • Today the “Golden hamster” can be found in many different colors • Long-haired or “teddy bear” • Two colors or “piebald” • Regular or satin fur • Dwarf Hamsters

14. Characteristics • Male hamsters have sweat glands on their flanks • Hamsters are nocturnal • Protective of their territory • Hoarder of food • More friendly when they are out of their cage • After five weeks of age they should not have “friends” in their cage of they will fight • If the temperature drops below 50 degree F they will go into hibernations

15. Housing • Gnaw proof • Aquariums • Wire cages • Water bottle most be able to hang • Wheels are good for mental and physical health

16. Feeding • Diet should contain corn, millet, wheat, oats, sorghum, and rape seed • Don’t feed soft-types of food • May eat dog food

17. Handling • Do not disturb when sleeping • If you must wake it tap the cage first • Young hamsters should not be handled until their eyes are open • Eye sight is not good

18. Diseases • Wet Tail Symptoms: wetness around tail and rear areas caused by runny diarrhea, become weak, redness around anus • Tyzzer’s disease, causes high death rates & highly contagious Symptoms: rough coats, diarrhea, lose weight, appear listless and inactive

19. Quiz Time

20. Rats

21. Facts • They are apart of the Murinae family • True rats form the genus Rattus • Rattus contains 78-570 species • Believed to originate from Southern Asia • Established in England in the 1200 and was the major reservoir for the Black Plague which killed more than ¼ of the population in the 1300s. • Wild rats cause damage to eggs, fruit, stored grain, and vegetables, and they attack other animals.

22. What does it look like? • The Black Rat • 7-8 inches long including head and body • Tail is longer then the head and body • Color is black or dark gray with brown on its belly • Excellent jumper • The Brown Rat • 7-10 inches long head and body • Tail is always shorter than the body • Thicker and ears are shorter • Not a climber and lives in tunnels, burrows, sewers, and basements • Varieties • Caused by mutations and selective breeding

23. Characteristics • Use their scaly tail for balance • Excellent swimmers • Submerge for 2-3 minutes • Can jump up to 2 feet • Very curious • Clean and odor-free, clean & groom themselves or each other • Domesticated seldom bite • When they become upset they stiffen their body and arch their back • They do best when they have other rat friends • Primarily nocturnal • In the wild they rarely live up to a year- Domesticated live up to 3 years

24. Housing • 2 cubic feet per rat • Very active and need large cage ability • Gnaw on material • Water bottle must be hung • Bedding • Watch out for phenol, which can be toxic

25. Feeding • Pellets are easy • Treats should make up less than 10% of diet • Vitamin and mineral supplements are available • At risk: if it intakes too much when drinking water it could refuse to drink any more water because of the taste difference • Consume an ounce of water or more per day

26. Handling • Grasp around the body behind the front legs • May be picked up by the tail if close to the body • Be careful of older rats • Be careful if they are not tame- go slow • NEVER be grasped at the tip of the tail- it WILL twist and squirm and the tail or skin can break loose

27. Diseases • Respiratory infections are most common Symptoms: loss of appetite, constant sneezing, runny eyes and nose • Pneumonia, Pasteurella, Bordetella, Mycoplasma, and Pseudomonas Symptoms: pneumonia like symptoms, respiratory • Mites Symptoms: hair loss, skin irrigation, itching

28. Quiz Time

29. Mice

30. Facts • 36 species • Best known is the house mouse • “Mouse” comes from an old Sanskrit word meaning “theif” • From Asia- but now are around the world • Claim to fame- reproduction (Greek) “Its raining mice” “mice are made of raindrops” • Through careful breeding mice are now gentler and less timid than their ancestors

31. What does it look like? • 2.5 to 3.5 inches including the tail • 50 different fancy varieties • Self colors or mice of one color • Tans • Piebald (spots, patches, broken patterns) • Satin coat • More

32. Characteristics • Eyes are very large but they can not see well • They can hear VERY well • Primarily nocturnal • Prefer company of other mice • Members of a colony leave urine markings • Males produce more odor than females

33. Housing • 72 square inches and 8 inches of height • Same bedding as rats • Bedding should be changed once a week • Water bottle hung

34. Feeding • Pellets are easy • Needs corn, oats, wheat • Mice love sunflower seeds but should be added sparingly • Veggies are great • Dandelions, carrots, apples, date, raisins • Mice will not over eat

35. Handling • Can climb ropes climb ladders, run on wheels • Should not be picked up at the end of the tail or napped at the neck • When brought home they should be left alone from two days • Stroke the mouse by its head and ears

36. Diseases • Respiratory infections are most common Symptoms: loss of appetite, squeeking, rattling breath, running nose • Pneumonia, Pasteurella, Bordetella, Mycoplasma, and Pseudomonas Symptoms: pneumonia like symptoms, respiratory • Mites Symptoms: hair loss, skin irrigation, itching

37. Quiz Time