Many adorable small pets are available to you and your children, but which one suits you, your children and your lifestyle? Do you want to be able to have young children hold them, or is it enough for your kids only to watch their pets as entertainment?

It’s helpful to think in advance about what small pet would best suit your lifestyle before your children spy a desperately desired impulse purchase.

Rabbits

Pros: Adorable, often very playful and social. Can be kept solitary or in small groups.  Should be spayed/neutered, which allows for “mixed sex” groups.

Cons: Expensive and high maintenance to take care of properly

Best for children old enough and responsible enough for significant cleaning duties as well as food preparation; early teens and up.

Taking care of a rabbit is similar to expense and effort required to care for a dog or cat.  They require daily out of cage social time and playtime, large amounts of leafy green vegetables to eat every day, and therefore also produce lots of poo to be cleaned every single day. They should be spayed/neutered and require regular veterinary care particularly as they age.

Mice

Pros: Small and inexpensive pets. Can be kept solitary and in small groups.  Learn routines and food games quickly. With enough in cage stimulation, do not always require handling.

Cons: Fast moving, smelly, and may be nippy

Good for even very small children if they will not be handling, but older children (8 and up) if they want to hold the mice.

Mice are engaging and very personable pets which can be reasonably content in a confined space if provided lots of enrichment. However, they do have very stinky urine, and so steady cleaning is required to keep their environment healthy.

Rats

Pros: Very engaging and interactive pets, intelligent, social, learn games quickly.

Cons: Short life expectancy and relatively expensive to maintain

Good for children of all ages if they are old enough/mature enough to be able to gently hold the rats.

Rats are wonderful pets, and full of personality.  They are best kept in small groups of 3-4 animals, and need a LOT more room than you might expect to be happy.  They also require a lot of social engagement and environmental enrichment.  Rats will eat themselves into oblivion, and it takes care and attention to prevent obesity. Unfortunately, they are sadly short lived, rarely making it more than 3 years, and often requiring a significant amount of veterinary care in that time period.

Hamsters

Pros: Amusing pets which are relatively content in a fairly small space. Can be kept as a solitary pet. Will create and play games entirely by themselves, but also often enjoy human interaction.

Cons: Nocturnal, can be very nippy, and fairly short lived.

Hamsters are best kept by older children who are able to gently hold a fast-moving animal and are responsible enough to wash their hands after contact.

Hamsters are delightful little animals – at 2 o’clock in the morning. Their nocturnal habits and tendency to be grouchy during daylight hours make them often poor pets for children.  They also can carry a number of diseases which can be contagious to humans. These adorable creatures are most appropriate for night owl adults.

Gerbils

Pros: Active, entertaining, maintenance-light animals. Can be kept in small social groups, and when neutered, can be in mixed sex housing.

Cons: Need lots of space to maneuver

Good pets for children old enough to gently restrain them, likely mature 6 year olds and up.

Gerbils are wonderful and active small animals, but they do need plenty of space and good ventilation for their antics.  They also require regular cleaning and careful feeding to stay healthy long term.

Guinea Pigs

Pros: Friendly, social, interactive pets. Often love human interaction, toys, and developing games. Can be kept in small groups or solo.

Cons: Delicate and require careful handling

Guinea pigs are good pets for even very young children, although they should not be allowed to handle them until they are significantly more mature – such as 8 and up.

Guinea pigs, with their funny looks and even funnier sounds, are great pets and make good family pets with careful adult supervision when they are handled.  Their short and squat body type isn’t forgiving of being manhandled or dropped. They also require some careful attention to be sure they are being fed a properly supplemented diet, and may require some regular veterinary care.

Chinchillas

Pros: That adorable little face. Friendly and engaging, active, entertaining, and often quite social and playful.  Females can be kept in small groups, or solo, males are best kept solo.

Cons: The mess, the chewing, and the nocturnal habits

Chinchillas are not frequently handled – they prefer keeping themselves busy, so they are appropriate for even small children to watch at play.

Chinchillas are an adorable pet just begging for an impulse purchase at the pet store.  However, they are very high maintenance in the cleaning department, leaving small dry poo everywhere they go.  They also tend to leave much harder to repair tooth marks in anything that they can manage to chew. Combine this with their need for a lot of time out of the cage, nocturnal habits – and these animals need just the right household to fit in.

Ferrets

Pros: Amusing, busy antics – almost like the blend of a puppy and a kitten that never grows up. They are intelligent, interactive, and best kept in small groups.  Because they typically come already neutered, mixed sex groups are possible.

Cons: Finding trouble everywhere they go, high maintenance, and significant veterinary costs

Ferrets are best pets for older children, those approaching their teens.

Ferrets are incredibly fun pets, acting with reckless abandon for most of their 5-7 year lifespan.  Unfortunately, this abandon combined with a strong tendency towards serious medical problems makes them extremely expensive to maintain – and not all veterinarians will treat ferrets.  The level of care that they require can easily match or exceed that of a dog or cats.

Parakeets

Pros: the beautiful colors and engaging personality. Some learn to talk, most do interact with whistles and other sounds. Can be kept solo or in small groups.

Cons: Can be nippy and difficult to train

Most parakeets are not excited about being handled, and as such – they are appropriate for even very young children who will be able to watch their antics without touching them.

Parakeets are often thought of as good “first birds”, but they tend to be more of the independent sort, and although they crave attention, it is on their terms.  They can be difficult to train, and are known to deliver swift nips when things are not going their way. Many were raised on “bird seed” – which is not an adequate diet and can lead to very expensive medical problems which are avoided with proper feeding.

Finches

Pros: The barrage of entertaining noises and watching the interactions between birds. They are active, engaging, and enthusiastic in their behavior. Best kept in small groups of single sex birds.

Cons: largely a caged pet – not one amenable to handling

Finches are not birds that enjoy handling, so they are appropriate for children of all ages to enjoy them playing within their cage.

Finches can be great fun for someone looking to have a bird that is content to spend all of its time in a (large) cage.  Finches should be kept in small groups – and watching them interact is great fun.  Do be aware that they can be quite messy, and be prepared to clean flung food and poop not only within the cage, but also well around it.

Bearded Dragons

Pros: Very social, interactive, and inquisitive. Best kept as a solo animal. Large and bright cages can make for a “center piece attraction” to a room

Cons: Expensive to maintain properly, requires a lot of attention to detail

Bearded dragons can move unexpectedly and surprisingly fast, and should not be handled by young children, but while in their cage can be enjoyed by children of all ages.

Bearded dragons are often considered a “starter reptile” – but this does not mean that they are “easy.”  There is a lot of special equipment required to take good care of a bearded dragon, and attention to the details of temperature and humidity are needed to keep them healthy.  That being said, they often crave attention and are one of the more social common reptile pets.

Geckos

Pros: Able to be maintained in a smaller enclosure than many other pet reptiles, interesting to watch. Best kept as a solo animal. Good starting point in to the world of reptiles.

Cons: Nocturnal, high maintenance, and requires a lot of attention to detail

Geckos are not typically fans of lots of handling, and as such, are best enjoyed by children of all ages within their cage.  Older children may be able to safely handle them, but not likely before the age of 8-10.

Geckos are very fascinating creatures, and watching them maneuver in a well-enriched enclosure can bring hours of enjoyment.  However, to stay healthy, they do require careful attention to the particulars of their husbandry and careful feeding, and can be prone to some very expensive medical problems – so these are appropriate pets for those with the inclination and means to care for them.

Sugar Gliders

Pros: Extremely engaging and entertaining animals. Active, full of personalities, and can be neutered to allow for mixed sex groups. Do best when kept in small groups.

Cons: Nocturnal, very smelly urine, high maintenance, and expensive to care for

Sugar gliders do not enjoy being awakened during the day and can be very grumpy about handling when they are tired, and so I recommend them for older/teenaged children and adults.

Sugar gliders are adorable, engaging pets – but are most active at night, which can keep the grumpy pet owner awake!  They are high maintenance and are fairly expensive to care for properly. Males should be neutered for population control if males and females are housed together. Females can be safely spayed by a veterinarian knowledgeable in sugar glider anatomy, however, it is a more difficult surgery and we do not yet know if there are benefits from a health perspective. If not fed properly, they are likely to develop some costly medical problems.

Q. Do Rats’ Teeth Have Roots? I See Conflicting Information.

A. Rats and all rat-like rodents have two types of teeth.  The incisors are the front teeth (two upper and two lower).  These teeth have long crowns.  Under the gum-line and in the bone, the crown extends up to a tooth bud.  Incisor teeth grow for the life of the animal.  The bud produces crown all the time.  The crown under the gum line is called the reserve crown.  The bud is called the reserve crown bud. 

The other teeth in the mouth are like human teeth.  The crown is visible in the mouth, but these teeth are hard to see unless the rat is under sedation.  Under the gum line there is a root.  These teeth, like ours, do not grow after they are formed.

So, the incisor teeth do not have a true root.  On radiographs (x-ray pictures), the reserve crown and bud look like a root, but they are not like other teeth.  All other teeth in the mouth have true roots.

For pet owners who have other rodents, squirrel-like rodents have teeth similar to rats.  Porcupine-like rodents and rabbits have reserve crown and buds for ALL their teeth.

Q. Should I Trim My Rat’s Incisors?

A. A rat whose teeth are normal does not need to have incisor teeth trimmed.  While the teeth grow throughout the rat’s entire life, the teeth meet together (occlude) properly, and grind down on one another to maintain a normal length.  The lower incisors are generally twice as long as the upper incisors.

Q. Do I Have To Trim My Rat’s Incisors If They Don’t Meet Properly?

A. If your rat’s teeth do not meet properly (malocclusion), keeping teeth trimmed to a normal length is necessary to maintain normal function.  Some overgrown teeth will block the ability to eat properly, but others can grow outward and make it easy to snag the tooth and break it.

Q. What Can Be Done For Maloccluded Incisors?

A. There are two appropriate options for managing overgrown maloccluded incisors:

1. Repeated incisor trimmings
2. Pulling (extracting) the incisors

Repeated trimmings can be done but the trimmings need to be done properly.  It is almost impossible to trim these teeth at home: rats are tiny and squirmy, and not all keen on the idea.  If you use a nail trimmer or instrument that puts pressure on the tooth before it cuts, you can cause unseen fractures to the teeth.  This may cause teeth to fall out.  In this case, the tooth bud and at least some of the reserve crown usually remain intact. The tooth will regrow although it may look differently in texture or color, and it may grow in a slightly different direction or angle.  Two other real dangers with improper tooth trims are damage to the soft tissues in the mouth (e.g., lips and tongue) and deep infection of the tooth.  In the latter case, abscesses can develop and require surgical treatment.

In the rare rat, trimmings can be done at home without sedation and with a Dremel® tool.  However, this is a RARITY! Take your rat to the veterinarian. Your veterinarian should be using specific equipment, such as a high speed dental drill or 2-speed or variable speed Dremel-type tool to trim the teeth to a normal length and angle. Many rats need sedation for this to avoid damage to structures other than the teeth. 

Pulling the teeth will be more expensive in the short run but it is advised in many cases. 

The difficulty in pulling these teeth comes from a few factors:

1. The length of the reserve crown (root-like structure under the gum)
2. The ease with which these teeth can break anywhere along their length, and
3. The complete extraction requires removing the reserve crown bud, which is soft.

Water

Clean water must be accessible to any animal at all times. Some species, such as chinchillas and gerbils, require less water due to physiological adaptations to living in a dry environment, but they still need a water source always available. A sipper water bottle is the best choice because it cannot be contaminated with bedding, food, feces and urine. The sipper part of the bottle should be metal and not plastic, which can easily be damaged by inquisitive teeth.  Animals unfamiliar with a sipper bottle may have to be trained to use it. It is not necessary to add vitamins to the water for any of these species if the recommended diets are followed. The disadvantages of adding vitamins include making the water taste disagreeable and promoting bacterial growth. In addition, many vitamins are inactivated shortly after they are exposed to air, water and light, which reduces their effectiveness. Although it is a rare problem, it is possible to overdose a pet on vitamins, which can result in disease. Medications should be added to the water only under the advice of your veterinarian.

Water bottles or bowls should be emptied and filled with fresh water daily to encourage drinking (some animals don’t like stale water) and to prevent overgrowth of bacteria.

Remember that giving food to your pet is not just a matter of making sure it gets its nutrients.  Food is also something that is mentally stimulating and interesting for your pet.  Most animals in the wild spend a good portion of their day looking for food.  When we give them all the food they want all the time in one place in their cage it can be pretty boring!  We are essentially taking away the “work” they do and it is no wonder animals can become lethargic and overweight.  Once your pet is comfortable in your home and is eating well, try making some changes in how and where you feed.  Try stuffing pellets or healthy treat foods in toys like small boxes or toilet paper rolls or plain white paper twisted closed at each end.  Try hiding the food around the cage or exercise area so they have to forage for it.  Be inventive and have some fun.  Treat foods, as listed for each species, are great to use for training your pet for a variety of simple behaviors that make life interesting for both of you!

Food As An Environmental Enrichment

As a general rule, any changes in your pet’s diet should be made slowly over a period of time to avoid intestinal upsets. If your pet is not in the best of health, or if you are in doubt about changes that should or should not be made as suggested by this article, please consult your veterinarian before proceeding. The dietary recommendations in this article are for NON-BREEDING, NON-PRODUCTION PETS. If you are involved in a breeding or a production program, you may need to make adjustments in the amount and types of foods fed.

Rabbits

The biggest mistake people make when feeding rabbits is overfeeding high calorie and high starch foods such as commercial pellets and grains and underfeeding high fiber foods such as hay and greens. This pattern of feeding can lead to obesity and gastrointestinal disease. The most important part of the house rabbit diet is an unlimited supply of grass hay, which provides essential fiber as well as proteins, vitamins, minerals and carbohydrates. Because of the high fiber content of the hay, it is the best preventative for stomach and intestinal problems such as chronic soft stools. Hay (and greens) also provide some of the essential work needed to keep the teeth worn down due to all the chewing the rabbit needs to do to break it down.  Hay should be provided for your pet in a box or hay rack and should always be available. Hay can also be stuffed in empty paper towel or toilet paper rolls, unpainted, unvarnished baskets, empty boxes and so on to provide a sense of foraging for food, which is a mental enrichment.  Grass hay is preferred over alfalfa hay because grass hay is lower in calories and calcium. There are several types of grass hays available such as mixed orchard grass, timothy, Bermuda or oat. Hays vary depending on the area of the country and the time of the year. Sources of hay include pet stores, feed stores and online companies. Hay should be stored in a cool, dry area in an open bag to allow for good air circulation. Hay should have a fresh smell. Damp hay can become moldy and should be discarded. Rabbits of any age can be introduced to hay without any special preparation. Rabbits are perhaps the third most commonly kept mammal after dogs and cats in the United States. They are not rodents, but are included in a family called Lagomorpha. They are strict herbivores and have continually growing incisors and molars that are designed to tear and macerate tough leafy foods. The jaw moves from side to side when the rabbit is eating and the teeth are worn down by this action. Rabbits require a large percentage of fiber in their diet to maintain normal gastrointestinal motility. Rabbits have a large cecum, which is a blind pouch located at the junction of the small intestine and the large intestine, where the digestible portions of the intestinal contents enter and are broken down by bacteria. Some nutrients are absorbed through the wall of the cecum, but most nutrients are locked up in the bacteria. The rabbit then produces bacteria-rich droppings called cecotropes, which are softer, stickier, greener and have a stronger odor than the regular waste droppings. These cecotropes are eaten directly from the anus as soon as they are produced. The cecotropes are then passed through the digestive tract of the rabbit and nutrients such as vitamins, amino acids and fatty acids are released from the bacteria and absorbed into the rabbit’s body. In this way, rabbits are efficient at producing their own vitamin, protein and fat supply from food that for some animals, such as ourselves, would be totally useless.

Another important part of the house rabbit diet is fresh, leafy greens. These foods provide not only fiber, but a variety of vitamins, such as A and C, minerals, proteins, and carbohydrates. Most rabbits really enjoy their greens. The old stories about greens causing ‘diarrhea’ are usually referring to rabbits that have been on a low-fiber or high-calorie diet, such as a commercial pellet or a high-grain diet, that are suddenly introduced to greens. On commercial pellets or grains, the flora in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract may not be as varied as in a hay and greens based diet.  Additionally, the GI tract may become a bit sluggish due to the high calorie content and lower fiber content. When greens are introduced to these rabbits, more water is introduced into the GI tract than the rabbit got on the dry commercial diet.  In addition, the GI flora has to shift to accommodate the new food and the GI tract ‘speeds up’ to a more normal rate. All this can result in temporary soft stools, which usually stabilizes within a week. However there is no reason for your rabbit to have to experience this if you follow this rule.  For rabbits that have never been on anything but pellets, first introduce hay and once your rabbit is eating hay well for at least four weeks, then introduce greens.  

When first introducing greens for any rabbit, do so one type at a time every three days to make sure your rabbit is handling things well.  Keep track of the foods you have fed and once they have been successfully introduced you can feed any selection you like each day.  Once your rabbit has been introduced to greens, feed at least three different types of greens daily so that you provide a variety of nutrients. Greens should be washed thoroughly, to remove dangerous pesticides. Uneaten fresh foods should be removed from the cage after 3 to 4 hours to prevent spoilage. The amount to feed is a maximum of 1 packed cup of greens for each 2 lbs of body weight daily   You can feed this all at once or divide it between two or more feedings a day.  Some examples of nutritious greens are: dandelion greens (and flowers), raspberry leaves, kale, mustard greens, escarole, endive, radicchio, collard greens, beet greens, carrot tops, parsley, turnip tops, romaine, Swiss chard, bok choy, mint leaves, cabbage (red and green), etc. Use dark, tough, leafy greens as opposed to light colored thin-leafed greens such as bibb lettuce and iceberg lettuce.

Commercial rabbit pellets were originally designed to promote rapid growth, weight gain, and ease of feeding for production rabbits (meat and fur) and laboratory rabbits. They are efficient at what they are designed to do, but for the house rabbit that is to live out a full life, the unlimited feeding of a commercial pellet may be a problem. Once rabbits are full grown, they don’t need to put on more weight. Feed your juvenile pet a commercial pellet that is designed for the maintenance of the adult rabbit, with a fiber content of 18% or higher, a protein content at around 13-14% and fat content at no more than 3%. Once a young bunny has reached its adult size (4-8 months depending on the breed) we recommend cutting back the pellets to 1/4 cup per day as a MAXIMUM. Remember, there is always hay available so your pet will never go hungry. Pellets should be bought in amounts that will be used within 3 months and kept in a closed container in a cool dry place to prevent spoilage. Do not use pellet mixes that contain grains and seeds along with the pellets. The addition of the grains and seeds only add to the calorie and fat content, which can result in obesity, liver and intestinal disease. Some obese rabbits that have difficulty losing weight on pellets may have to have them removed from the diet altogether, but this should be done only under your veterinarian’s supervision. 

Additional supplements are not needed for rabbits on a diet that is rich in hay, greens and limited pellets.

Guinea Pigs

Guinea pigs have a special requirement that rabbits and other rodents do not. Guinea pigs, along with humans and primates, require an outside source of vitamin C.  Other animals produce their own vitamin C within their bodies. Commercial foods made specifically for guinea pigs should have vitamin C already added.  The problem is that vitamin C is water soluble and not stable when exposed to sunlight or high temperatures or when stored for a long time.  Sometimes the pellets you buy may not have been stored properly or are too old and you may think your pet is getting enough C when that’s not the case!  The good news is that there are other ways to give vitamin C.  One is through good quality grass hay, as mentioned.  The other is by feeding dark, leafy greens that are richer in vitamin C then an orange! For instance a cup of fresh kale contains approximately 250 mg of vitamin C compared to a cup of oranges (without the peel), which contains only 50 mg of C. The minimum daily vitamin C requirement in the guinea pig is around 25 mg per day. Guinea pigs can easily get this amount and more with the feeding of 1/2 to 1 cup of fresh leafy greens daily. (Use the same greens as listed for rabbits above.) Some particularly high vitamin C foods are kale, dandelion greens, parsley, collard greens, green peppers and mustard greens. Supplementing vitamin C in the water is not effective due the rapid breakdown of the vitamin when it is exposed to light and heat; also, some vitamin C products have a bitter taste and this is not recommended.  There are also vitamin C chewable tablets that can be given if your pet will not eat any of the green foods mentioned.  Please consult your veterinarian if you choose to give vitamin C in a tablet or liquid form to make sure that you are not overdosing your pet. Guinea pigs, rats, mice, hamsters, gerbils, and chinchillas are all rodents, but they have some distinct differences in their dietary requirements due to the diverse habitats where they originate. Guinea pigs are herbivores and require a similar diet as rabbits with plenty of grass hay and greens and limited commercial pellets. They have continuously growing incisors and molars, which like the rabbit wear down with the normal action of eating. Guinea pigs also produce nutrient-rich cecotropes in a similar manner as rabbits, which they eat directly from the anal area. Guinea pigs should have unlimited grass hay, which is rich in nutrients, not too high in calories, promotes healthy intestinal tract movement and flora and is helpful for proper tooth wear.

Healthy treat foods for guinea pigs are the same as listed for rabbits above.  Feed a maximum of 1 level tablespoon of combined treats per day.  These can be great to use for training as well.

As with rabbits, commercial pellets were designed for rapid growth and ease of feeding, however unlimited feeding of commercial pellets can lead to obesity.  Therefore, limit pellets to 1/8 cup pellets per 2 lb guinea pig daily. As mentioned above, even though guinea pig pellets have vitamin C added, you should not depend on them to provide the full daily amount. Guinea pig pellets must be used within 90 days of the day they were produced to guarantee sufficient amounts of vitamin C. In many situations, bags of pellets have been sitting on the shelf for longer than 3 months and the vitamin C content is drastically reduced due to breakdown by contact with air, moisture and high environmental temperatures. Scurvy, a disease caused by vitamin C deficiency, is still one of the most common diseases seen in the pet guinea pig who is fed a strictly commercial pelleted diet. Rabbit pellets should not be substituted for guinea pig pellets because they may contain excessive levels of vitamin D, which can be toxic to guinea pigs. Do not feed cereal grains or sugary foods to guinea pigs for the same reasons as in the rabbit.

Guinea pigs are notorious for playing with their water bottles and spilling a great deal of water into the cage. The bottle may have to be refilled frequently and the bedding underneath it changed daily to prevent mold from growing.

Chinchillas

Chinchillas also can get the same treat foods as rabbits at a maximum of 1 tablespoon a day.  Unlike rabbits, however, you can give your chinchilla a small amount of raw or roasted UNSALTED nuts daily such as pumpkin seeds, sunflower or safflower seeds, flax seeds, millet, almonds, pecans and walnuts. Chinchillas rarely have a problem with obesity and these ‘treat’ foods appear to be greatly relished. Commercial chinchilla pellets can be fed in the amount of 1/8 cup daily for an adult chinchilla. The pellets should contain approximately 16 to 20% protein, 18% fiber, and about 2 to 5% fat.  Because chinchillas come from a dry environment they do not drink much water but it should still always be provided.  A sipper bottle is preferred. Chinchillas have a diet similar to rabbits. They are herbivores with continually growing teeth as in the rabbit and guinea pig. They originally came from a dry, cold mountainous area where their diet consisted primarily of tough dry grasses. Chinchillas should be provided with unlimited grass hay as described for the rabbit because the fiber is critically important to proper digestion and the tough hay strands may be helpful in keeping the teeth worn properly. They can also be offered greens as described for the rabbit, but they don’t need as much since their natural diet is much more dry then a rabbit’s diet.  Feeding about ¼ cup per day of any of the greens listed for rabbits is usually sufficient. 

Rats, Mice, Hamsters, And Gerbils

Rats, mice, hamsters and gerbils have similar dietary requirements. They are all primarily seed eaters but rats, mice and particularly hamsters are also known to eat some insects and other small animals either fresh or as carrion. All of these species have long, continually growing incisors, which are worn down by the action of eating and by chewing on hard surfaces such as wood in the process of creating nests and burrows. The basic diet for this group should consist of a good quality rodent chow or lab block. Rodent chows should have a minimum of 16% protein and 4 to 5% fat content. These dry foods can be left in the cage at all times in a bowl or hanging feeder to be consumed as needed. However as mentioned at the beginning of this article it may be more interesting for your pet to have the food put in the environment a couple of times a day; try putting it in different areas, or hiding it as described. Very young, recently weaned animals may have a problem gnawing on the hard pellets and it will be necessary to break them into smaller pieces or soften them for a few weeks until the pet is more mature. Pelleted food should be purchased in amounts that will be used within three months to prevent spoilage. Good quality rodent chows are considered to be fairly complete diets for this group.

 Other foods can be fed in addition to the commercial pellets but should not constitute more than 20% of the total diet. Fruit and vegetables as described for the rabbits, guinea pigs and chinchillas can be offered at a rate of about 1 teaspoon/day. Remove any uneaten fresh foods within 3 to 4 hours to prevent spoilage. All of these species love grains, nuts and seeds, but these foods should be offered in small quantities because of their high fat content. A reasonable amount of nuts and or seeds would be a total of 1 teaspoon/day for rats and about ½ teaspoon for the other species.  If these ‘treat’ foods are given free choice, the pet will eat them exclusively, not eat the balanced pellets and develop nutritional disease such as obesity.

Ferrets

Ferrets in recent years have been traditionally fed a dry commercial diet.  There are now many diets on the market that state they are designed specifically for ferrets.  The problem with all of these diets is that in order to make the dry shape of the food, it is necessary to use grains such as corn, rice, wheat or potato.  Being strict carnivores, ferrets do not digest nor need these plant products in their diet.  Grain-based diets may also predispose ferrets to urolithiasis. In addition, some researchers have discovered that feeding an all-dry diet is too hard for a ferret’s small teeth and it may cause excessive wear to the teeth over time, leading to dental disease as the ferret ages.  The most natural diet for a ferret would be one that is comprised of whole prey, such as humanely killed whole mice, small rats, chicks and so on.  While whole-prey diet is somewhat popular in Europe, its use has never really caught on in North America. Therefore, if one is to depend primarily on commercial foods, then a variety of foods would be the best choice. Ferrets are strict carnivores and belong to the family Mustelidae. They have a short digestive tract and food passes from one end to the other in about three to four hours. Ferrets have a minimum protein requirement of 32%, which, when combined with the short amount of time that the food is in the intestinal tract, necessitates a high quality dietary meat protein. Plant proteins are not digested and used by ferrets. In addition, they have a high fat requirement, around 20 to 30%. Ferrets use fat as their main energy source. They are poor digesters of fiber and they cannot utilize carbohydrates effectively for energy.  It is also important to note that ferrets, like cats, will develop strong taste preferences by the time they are 4 months of age.  This gives these animals the reputation for being “finicky” later in life, but it is really based on their natural biology.  Therefore it is a good idea to expose young ferrets to a variety of tastes and textures that will expand the foods they will eat later as an adult.

Ferrets can be fed a either a high quality cat or ferret commercial diet that has a minimum of grain in it.  There are several diets available for either ferrets or cats (also strict carnivores) that fit the bill.  Look for a food that has at a minimum 32% and a maximum of 40% protein and at least 20% fat.  Because these diets may be hard on the teeth over time, it may be preferable to sprinkle some water or chicken broth over the food to slightly soften it.  It is not necessary to blenderize it or make it into a soup. Contrary to prior recommendations for feeding dry food to ferrets, it is not necessary to have food in the cage constantly.  Ferrets are highly intelligent hunters and would have only eaten once or twice a day.  Therefore, it is only necessary to put the food in twice a day for 30 to 60 minutes and then remove it.  In this way they will gain some mental stimulation looking forward to mealtime.  Try putting the food in different places and hiding it in their play area to give them a chance to “hunt” for it.

In addition to the commercial diet, you can feed about a tablespoon of a good quality all-meat canned cat food.  Avoid foods that have vegetables or grains in them.  This addition will be both mentally stimulating and will expand the variety of meat sources your pet will get.  Many of the commercial diets are based on chicken, so try canned beef, venison, duck, turkey and other meats if possible.

Some ferrets enjoy bits of fruit and vegetables such as green peppers, bananas, cucumbers and melons. These are not foods a ferret would normally encounter in the wild but in small amounts they are not harmful. Feed no more than 1 level teaspoon per ferret per day of a fruit or vegetable. They cannot digest fiber well, and if these items are fed in excess, your pet may develop diarrhea. Foods to completely avoid include breads, breakfast cereals, cakes, cookies and dried fruits such as raisins. These foods contain too many sugars, which can be damaging to the ferret’s pancreas.

Unfortunately, ferrets love sweet foods and may beg for these treats, but you take a serious risk with your pet’s health in offering them.  Many of the commercial treats sold for ferrets have sugar in them, so it is best to avoid them.  Remember ferrets are carnivores so select their treats appropriately.

Fatty acid supplements may be beneficial to your ferret, particularly if the fat content of the food you are giving is under 20%.  If the fat content is too low you may see the hair coat become dry and the skin flakey.  Your ferret may be itchier as well.  If needed, use a good quality supplement that includes Omega 3 and Omega 6 oils.  Check with your veterinarian for a source.  Use about ¼ teaspoon per ferret per day.   Please note that if your ferret’s coat does not respond to the addition of the supplement within a couple of weeks or if there is hair loss or skin disease, please have your pet examined by a veterinarian.  These signs are indications of disease that is not related to diet.

Conclusion

Feeding your pet will take some thought and preparation, but once a routine is established it should be easy to accomplish. Good nutrition is the basis for a strong body. Feeding your pet in a healthy manner will help to prevent many potential disease problems down the road.

Visit your veterinarian with your pet regularly not only for health checkups but to stay informed of current information in the ever-evolving field of small mammal husbandry and care.

Pregnant ferrets will require extra protein (not fat) during gestation. Lactating (nursing) ferrets will require extra caloric intake. Abandoned or orphaned kits may be hand raised with either puppy or kitten milk replacer with cream added to raise the fat content. Ill, anorexic ferrets can develop hepatic lipidosis and hypoglycemia. There are good dietary supplements commercially available for assist-feeding anorexic ferrets. Ferrets with insulinomas, a common problem, should be encouraged to eat every few hours.

Whole prey diets (chicks, mice, and/or rats) are fine for ferrets and are popular in certain parts of the world although not so much in North America. Cat food is often fed to ferrets, but ordinary grocery store cat food is a poor choice for them. Premium dry cat foods or balanced commercial ferret diets are better choices. The ideal ferret diet is high in protein (30-35%) and fat (15-30%), and low in fiber. The protein source should be meat-based, rather than grains. Grain-based diets have been associated with urolithiasis in ferrets. Ferrets fed dog food will not do well. Meat or poultry or their by-products should top the ingredient list of any suitable ferret food. A diet in which the first main ingredient is corn is not a suitable diet for ferrets. The feeding of table scraps should be kept to a minimum. There are several brands of supplemental nutritional products for ferrets that are commercially available. These products are unnecessary in most ferrets. Older ferrets may require less protein than when they were younger.

Fruits and vegetables have little nutritional value for ferrets. An adult ferret needs approximately 43 grams of dry food per kilogram of body weight, and 200-300 calories/kilogram per day. Calcium: phosphorus ratios in ferret diets should be minimally 1:1. Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) occurs in ferrets, and although it has not been associated with taurine deficiency, taurine is generally added to ferret diets as is the case with cat food. Commercial ferret diets have vitamins and minerals added in adequate amounts. Water should be made available at all times; most ferrets will prefer a bowl to a sipper bottle. They also like to play with their water. Ferrets tend to not be fond of changes in their diet after they are used to a certain kind. Ferrets imprint by smell on the food they like at a very young age. Most ferrets will be content to eat one brand of commercial diet that they enjoy for their entire lives.

Treats should not consist of more than 10 percent of the daily diet. They love raisins; however, while there is no formal study on ferrets and raisins, there are anecdotal reports of raisin toxicosis in ferrets, so raisins are best avoided. Egg can be a good supplement, as can small amounts of liver or hamburger.

These timid and social pets are fun to watch performing their natural behaviors of burrowing, searching for food, and playing. Unlike their wild counterparts that are typically nocturnal, pet rats and mice have periods of activity both day and night. Rats and mice are inexpensive, easy to care for, and responsive to handling.

Diet for Rats and Mice

As with any pet, good quality food and clean, fresh water must be provided at all times. In the wild, these animals feed on leaves, seeds, roots, fruits and insects. Pelleted rodent rations are recommended for feeding in captivity, which are processed as dry blocks or pellets. Typical maintenance diets contain about 14% protein and 4% to 5% fat, while diets for growth and reproduction contain 17% to 19% protein and 7% to 11% fat. Seed diets are also formulated for mice and rats, but these diets should only supplement the basic rodent pellet as a treat item. Rodents prefer sunflower-based diets to pellets, but these seeds are low in calcium and high in fat and cholesterol. When fed exclusively, seed diets can lead to obesity and nutritional deficiencies.

The pet’s appetite should be monitored closely. Many factors affect the rodent’s food intake, including the ambient temperature, humidity, food quality, breeding status, as well as the pet’s health status. On average, an adult mouse will consume about 15 gm of feed and 15 ml of water per 100 gm body weight daily. Comparatively, an adult rat will consume approximately 5 gm of feed and 10 ml of water per 100 gm body weight daily. Rats and mice typically eat at night.

Water should be provided in water bottles equipped with sipper tubes. The sipper tube keeps the water free from contamination. The tubes must be positioned low enough to allow the pet easy access.Inadequate water consumption leads to dehydration, lower body weight, infertility and death. These rodents drink only a fraction of the total bottle volume, but the bottle should be emptied, cleaned and refilled with fresh water daily.

Handling and Restraint of Mice & Rats

Pet rodents become tame and seldom bite when properly restrained and accustomed to handling. Be careful, however, when approaching a nervous or frightened pet. Also, it is best not to disturb a sleeping animal because most are usually quite cranky when awakened. Some rats can be very territorial of their cage, and these should be coaxed out of the cage before being handled. Mice housed individually may be more aggressive and apprehensive than those housed in groups. Most pet mice and rats enjoy being handled when away from their cage.

Rats and mice can be easily picked up by scooping them into a can or cupped hands. They can then be moved out of their territory to a neutral area. Mice can also be lifted by grasping the base of the tail. Rats can be picked up this way, but be careful not to injure them due to their larger size. For any rodent, never pull on the tip of the tail because the skin can easily tear and become stripped from the tail.

A mouse can be further restrained by placing it in a rough or wire surface and grasping the scruff of the neck using a thumb and forefinger. The rest of the body can then be restrained by trapping the tail between the palm and little finger of the same hand. This position allows for close examination and treatment.

Rats can be restrained by grasping over the back and rib cage, while restraining the head with a thumb and forefinger positioned on either side of the neck. To initially pick up a rat, it may be necessary to grasp the tail base as suggested above. Rats do not respond well to scruffing by the nape as described for the mouse, but it may be necessary in some cases.

Pet Rodent Housing

Several types of cages are available which are suitable for housing small rodents. Many of these units come equipped with cage “furniture”such as exercise wheels, tunnels and nest boxes. These accessories contribute to the pet’s psychological well being. Cages should be constructed with rounded corners to discourage chewing. Rodents readily chew through wood and thin plastic. Recommended caging materials are wire, stainless steel, durable plastic and glass. Glass and plastic enclosures restrict ventilation and may lead to temperature and humidity problems. These materials are acceptable when at least one side of the enclosure is open for air circulation.

These pets thrive in solid bottom cages with deep bedding and ample nesting material. Bedding must be clean, non-toxic, absorbent and relatively dust free. Shredded paper and processed corn cob are acceptable beddings. Wood shavings and ground corn cob must be free of mold, mildew or other contamination. Cedar chips or chlorophyll scented shavings should be avoided because of association with respiratory and liver disease. At least one inch of bedding should be provided to allow for normal burrowing behavior. Cotton and shredded tissue paper make excellent nesting materials.

Adult mice require a minimum floor area of 15 square inches and a cage height of 5 inches. Rats need at least 40 square inches of floor space and a minimum of 7 inches in height. Breeder mice and rats require much larger areas. Optimal temperature range for these pets is between 65 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit, with a relative humidity of 40 to 70%. Twelve hour light cycles are preferred, with most rodents being more active during the night.

Pet rats and mice can be housed singly or in groups. These rodents are colony oriented by nature. However, occasionally an overly aggressive mouse or rat may have to be caged individually. Territorial disputes also develop when the cages are overcrowded or when they lack food or water. Group cages should be provided with multiple food and water sources.

As a rule of thumb, the cage and accessories should be thoroughly cleaned at least once weekly. An exception to this schedule is when newborn babies are present, then wait until they are at least 10 days old. Other factors that may require increased frequency of cleaning are the number of animals in the cage, the type of bedding material provided, and the cage design and size. Cages are sanitized with hot water and non-toxic disinfectant or detergent, then thoroughly rinsed. Water bottles and food dishes should be cleaned disinfected daily.

Sexually mature mice and rats need to be properly paired to avoid fighting and permit successful mating. Adult male mice often fight when caged together, especially in the presence of females. Therefore, a single male mouse should be housed with one or more mature females. Rats, on the other hand, usually can be caged in mixed groups of males and females without aggression.

Female mice become sexually mature at about 50 days of age. They have an estrous (“heat”) cycle of about every four to five days throughout the year, unless they are bred. Female mice are usually receptive to males for about 12 hours of this cycle, typically at night. They also have a fertile postpartum estrus, which means that they can be bred within 24 hours after giving birth.

Gestation in mice lasts approximately three weeks, but can be up to ten days longer if the pregnant female is also nursing a litter. Litter size averages 10 to 12 young. Small litter size is common with a female’s first litter or older females. New litters should not be disturbed for the first few days to minimize injury or abandonment by the mother. Baby mice are weaned at about three weeks of age.

Female rats become sexually mature at about 65 days of age (although some rats can get pregnant at 35 days, so the sexes should be separated at 5 weeks to prevent early pregnancy). They have an estrous cycle of about every 4 to 5 days throughout the year. Breeding usually occurs at night during a 12 hour period of receptiveness to the male. They also have a fertile postpartum estrus, and can be bred within 48 hours after giving birth. However, unlike mice, this usually does not occur because the male should be removed from the cage prior to the female giving birth to avoid injury to the pups by the male.

Pregnancy lasts about three weeks in rats as well. Litter size averages 6 to 12, but smaller litters are common as described for mice. The female and her litter should not be disturbed for the first few days after birth, because a stressed female rat may injure or destroy her pups. Rats are weaned at about three weeks of age. The female will resume her normal estrous cycle within 2 to 5 days after the young are weaned.

DISEASES

Chronic Murine Pneumonia (Murine Mycoplasmosis)

Mycoplasma pulmonis is a very elusive bacteria that causes one of the most common and serious infections of rats and mice. The organism is difficult to isolate by standard laboratory culture procedures. As a result, a presumptive diagnosis is typically made based on the patient’s signs and symptoms.

Signs of mycoplasmosis include sniffling, sneezing, labored breathing, squinting, red-brown tearing, and a rough hair coat. If the inner ear becomes infected, a head tilt and neurologic signs develop. In addition to respiratory signs, a genital infection may occur. Manifestations of the genital form include infertility, embryonic resorption, uterine bleeding, and small litter size. Compromise to the respiratory tract by other bacterial or viral infections or exposure to inhalant irritants can increase the severity of mycoplasmosis. The disease runs a chronic course, which may result in death if not treated early.

Antibiotic therapy should be initiated at the first suspicion of infection. Due to the chronicity, long term treatment by antibiotics in the drinking water may be necessary to suppress the infection. Severely affected individuals may need injectable medications and extensive supportive care. In addition, secondary infections with other oraginsms is common, sometimes requiring the use of multiple medications. The goal of therapy is to reduce the severity of symptoms, but complete elimination of the infective bacteria is practically impossible.

The disease is highly contagious. The bacteria is spread by direct contact with affected individuals or from an affected mother to her unborn young while still in the womb. Transmission usually occurs through respiratory aerosol and sexual activity. rabbits, guinea pigs and other rodents can serve as carriers of the disease without exhibiting clinical signs. Other mice and rats can also serve as carriers. It is extremely important to restrict contact between mice and rats of unknown health status until a quarantine period has elapsed. A quarantine period of four to six weeks is recommended. Any animal exhibiting even the slightest signs of respiratory illness should remain isolated.

Respiratory Infections in Rodents: Sendai Virus

The Sendai virus causes one of the most significant and severe respiratory infections of laboratory rodents. Suckling and weanling mice are most commonly affected, posing a serious problem to mouse colonies. Other affected species include rats, hamsters, guinea pigs, and swine. It is unlikely for a pet mouse to become infected unless it was acquired from an affected colony.

Signs of infection are usually expressed in nursing mice, while affected adult mice rarely show symptoms. Signs include labored breathing, chattering, rough haircoat, weight loss, and death. Secondary bacterial infections often worsens the disease, resulting in a higher death rate. Sendai virus infections are usually subclinical in other susceptible rodents, but these species may be a source for infection in young mice.

There is no specific treatment for this disease. Supportive care and treatment of secondary bacterial infections may lessen the severity of signs. A vaccine is available, but it is only practical for use with large colonies of affected mice. Prevention involves selecting pet mice from a Sendai virus-free source and keeping them isolated from mice of unknown backgrounds and other susceptible rodents which may carry the disease.

Sialoacryodenitis in Rats

Rats are the natural host for this highly contagious viral disease. The disease is usually self-limiting in young rats. Recently weaned mice may also be affected. The disease is spread from affected individuals through respiratory aerosol or direct contact with respiratory secretions. Infected rodents carry and secrete the virus for about seven days.

Signs are variable depending on the age and immune status of the affected rat or mouse. The most serious signs are seen in 2 to 4 week old rats with no maternal antibody protection. Initial symptoms include squinting, blinking, and rubbing of the eyes. Sneezing and swelling in the neck area develop later. Finally swellings below or around the eyes, bulging of the eyes, production of red-brown tears, and self-trauma to the eyes are noted. Respiratory signs may be present, especially if complicated by Sendai virus or murine mycoplasmosis.

Tyzzer’s Disease in Rodents

A common infectious disease of rodents is Tyzzer’s disease, caused by a bacteria (Bacillus piliformis) that infects living cells. The disease causes a high death rate in young, stressed rodents; particularly mice and gerbils. Clinical signs are nonspecific, but primarily appear as ruffled fur, lethargy, hunched posture and poor appetite. Diarrhea may also be present. The disease causes changes in the heart, liver lymph nodes and digestive tract which can be observed at necropsy.

Prevention is the key to this disease. Strict sanitation and minimal stress greatly reduces the occurrence of this disease in colony situations. This disease can be carried by apparently normal looking rodents which can cause disease in others. Tyzzer’s disease usually affects rodents that are stressed by weaning, shipping, and adjusting to new environments. Thorough sanitation prior to introduction of new animal is important in preventing outbreaks.

Most hamsters are best kept as solitary pets, particularly if they’re Syrian hamsters, although occasionally bonded pairs may be compatible, particularly of the dwarf species.

Recommendations vary regarding size of hamster cages, but more space is better. One published study found the smaller the cage, the more stressed out the hamsters were. A single hamster should be housed in nothing smaller than a 20-gallon tank, but at least a 40-gallon tank would be better.  Bedding should be deep and absorbent, but not made of wood-based materials. Recycled paper products such as CareFRESH brand bedding are ideal. Scooping out waste materials daily and changing the entire cage weekly will keep the environment healthy and minimize odors.

Hamsters prefer to have secluded areas in which to sleep, so plastic hideaways or things like flower pots laid on their side, are recommended for them to nest in. They will often take their treasured items into their nesting or sleeping areas. Paper towels are often a prized bedding material, and inexpensive and easy to replace when it becomes soiled.

As playful and intelligent creatures, they need items for environmental enrichment, such as solid wheels (not the wire wheels that can result in leg fractures) and toilet tissue cardboard rolls for exploration. Chew toys such as wood from apple trees and dog rawhides are popular. Daily handling is important both from a stimulation standpoint, but also to help keep them tame and make them a little more friendly. 

Hamster urine has a strong smell, but if the cages are cleaned daily, this can be minimized. Cages should be large and well ventilated. Wire caging with narrow bars allows for good ventilation and prevents escape, but many people choose aquariums for safety reasons.

Average life expectancy for a pet hamster is approximately 18 months for the dwarf species, and up to 36 months for the Syrian species.

Diet

Although the hamsters would perhaps disagree, the staple diet should be made up of commercial pelleted rodent block, with all of the other items used just as occasional treats and snacks. This diet can be supplemented with small amounts of healthy people foods, such as fruit, vegetables, and pastas and so on, but those extras should be small in comparison to the primary staple of the rodent block. High-fat items such as nuts and seeds should largely be avoided, since they certainly can cause disease in hamsters over time. Also, avoid dried fruits and vegetables.

Remember though, any changes or any additions made to rodent diets should be done slowly to help avoid diarrhea, something that hamsters are certainly quite prone to.

Medical Issues

As a prey species, hamsters unfortunately tend to hide illness, so when illness is apparent to the owner, in reality they probably have been sick for an extended period of time. Most hamsters are significantly ill by the time they see a veterinarian. Keep in mind that hamsters are nocturnal and most clinic hours are during the day, resulting in a very grumpy patient.

Hamsters are capable of delivering a swift and painful bite, so it is always best to allow the animal to fully awaken prior to handling, and approach it slowly and gently. This goes for handling your pet at home and for your veterinarian.

Hamsters are prone to quite a number of diseases.

Bladder stones are not uncommon in hamsters. This often includes difficulty and pain on urination, frequent urination, and bloody urine. These stones may be felt by your veterinarian and can be visible on radiographs. The stones generally do not respond to dietary changes, Most commonly, however, bladder stones will require surgical removal.

Cardiac disease is a common condition, particularly in older female hamsters, and appears to be associated with amyloidosis in which amyloid proteins get into the organs and tissue, causing them to function incorrectly. Congestive heart failure, with secondary left atrial thrombosis, is the classic presentation. Clinically, the history includes weakness, lethargy, difficulty breathing, and occasionally sudden death. When first seen at the clinic, the hamster often has difficulty breathing, a rapid heart rate, and is bluish due to lack of oxygen. Treatment is palliative and aimed at symptomatic therapy, but is frequently unrewarding since congestive heart failure is often very advanced at the time of diagnosis.

One of the most common issues for hamsters is skin disease, which is not as common in hamsters as in many other pet rodent species. Be aware, though, of normal hairless (alopecia) patches, particularly over the flanks of male hamsters, which are called scent patches and are not lesions. Often the owner suddenly notices them and mistakes them for skin disease. When in doubt, look for symmetry within the patch—they are generally smooth and egg-shaped—and for a matching patch on the opposite side. Other than these false lesions, the next most common skin disease associated with hamsters is bite wounds.

Occasionally hamsters will develop ringworm, which can be diagnosed by a fungal culture. In addition to initiating other local or systemic therapy, it is important to look for other underlying causes of illness.

Notoedres may be causing dermatitis in the ears, face, feet, and tail. Diagnosis is made by identifying the mites and skin scrapings. Treatment is often with ivermectin or selamectin. 

Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus is a condition to be aware of due to its significant potential.to share it with other species, including people (zoonotic). In most instances it is not noticed in hamsters and many will clear the infection on their own. Others, however, will continue to shed large quantities of virus in the urine and be a source of human infection. This RNA arenavirus can cause a chronic wasting disease in hamsters, presenting with weight loss, decreased reproductive abilities, seizures, and depression. Diagnosis is based on pathology and serologic ELISA testing or IFA testing. There is no effective treatment, and infected animals are generally euthanized due to the high risk of zoonoses.

Many hamsters get diarrhea, and there are quite a few underlying potential causes. These are generally collectively referred to by owners as “wet tail,” and the differential diagnoses include Tyzzer’s disease, which is caused by clostridium; salmonellosis; E. coli; antibiotic-associated enterocolitis, and intestinal parasites.

One of the most common underlying reasons is proliferative enteritis or ileitis (inflammations in the GI tract) seen in young hamsters shortly after transport to the pet store or to the new home, as well as older hamsters with other diseases. The causative agent for proliferative ileitis is a Lawsonia bacteria. Overgrowth of this bacterium is precipitated by recent transport, overcrowding, diet change, and stress. It is associated with sudden onset acute watery diarrhea, stomach pain, and dehydration, and is seen most commonly in younger animals and immunosuppressed or concurrently ill animals. There is typically a high rate of illness and death associated with the condition.

Treatment in the generic case of wet tail is generally supportive, and will usually include giving fluids and antibiotics. Prognosis is guarded for severely affected animals and older animals; those with an unclear underlying cause should be closely examined for concurrent diseases. This is a contagious process, so affected animals should be quarantined.

Cancer processes are common in older pet hamsters, with endocrine and alimentary tumors being the most prevalent, and adrenocortical adenomas being one of the more common. Adenomas are benign, but they can cause problematic side effects even they don’t tend to spread elsewhere in the body. The most common malignant tumor associated with hamsters is lymphosarcoma. Older animals with lethargy, weight loss, dermatitis, and/or patchy alopecia should be screened for potential cutaneous lymphosarcoma. As with other species, some success with chemotherapy has been reported. A variety of other benign and malignant tumors can be seen. As with other species, a complete workup including biopsy is necessary to establish a diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment plan. 

In the right environment and with the right people, hamsters make great pets as long as you provide proper nutrition and care.

Wild rats are known to carry pathogens including leptospirosis, toxoplasmosis, Yersinia, and Campylobacter in addition to other conditions. Fortunately, zoonotic disease transmission from pet rats is uncommon.

Despite those different perceptions, rats are quiet and easy to care for, have minimal odor, and are affectionate and friendly animals. With adult supervision, they make excellent pets for children. However, they’re not maintenance free and bringing a pet rat into your home comes with a commitment to provide a large enough cage; time to regularly clean and launder the cage accessories; daily social time, and a high-quality diet.

As pets, with care and attention, rats are gentle, calm, mild mannered, and rarely bite. Although short lived, they are appropriate first pets for young families providing that there is always adult supervision. The most common rat kept as a pet is a domesticated brown rat known as the fancy rat. Over time, breeding has resulted in a variety of different coat colors and types, and fancy rat breeders and clubs are common.

Also, particularly when the rat is to be a pet for a child, mature animals are less likely to explore the world with their mouths; in other words, they tend to be a little less nippy, and are often not quite as fast moving, and therefore, a little easier to handle. On the downside, animals coming from a previous home may come with bad habits including poor dietary preferences, and some retraining may be necessary.

Rats are social animals living in groups in the wild. They appear to derive great enjoyment from social interactions with one another as well as with humans and appear most content when housed in small groups.

Habitat

Unfortunately, many of the basic husbandry needs of rats are overlooked, harkening back to the days of small plastic hamster cages with tubes, wood cedar bedding and food bowls filled with seed and dried fruit. Sadly, this traditional care has led to countless diseases in our pet rats over the years and resulted in significant suffering and pet mortality. In my practice, we spend a generous amount of time counseling our rodent owners on proper husbandry and care of their animals. This hopefully helps not only the animal at hand but generations of pets that these owners may eventually have.

Habitat size must be increased to accommodate group size, but even an enclosure housing a pair of rats can result in a content rat family without requiring too much room. Rats will sometimes exhibit aggressive behavior towards one another, particularly when originally introduced. However, a bonded pair will sleep together, play together, wrestle, groom one another, have squabbles, and develop a variety of communication skills.

Without good basic care, rat health is a house of cards that will easily be upset with even the most minor of infections.

This helps prevent the feet from injury on the wire bottom of the cage, and allows the rat to create a comfortable nesting area. Solid floors are ideal, if available. 

There should be multiple sleeping areas including enclosed sleep boxes, hammocks, and soft, blanketed material. Many rats will readily litter train and each story of the cage should have a corner box available for them. The litter boxes or cage base should be covered with paper-based recycled bedding such as CareFRESH bedding. Avoid wood-based and scented bedding as they can contribute to respiratory disease as well as elevate liver enzymes.

A rat cage that is kept clean will not have a strong odor, and if you feel the need to have scented bedding, this is a sign that the cage is likely not kept clean enough. Bedding should be washed at least weekly and more often if there are multiple rats. Boxes are best changed daily and the remainder of the cage spot cleaned as needed. Rats in general are very clean creatures and will thrive in a clean environment. 

As we have discussed briefly, rats are social creatures. Not only do they bond with their human owners, but they also establish a complex and rich series of community relationships and behaviors. Although rats are frequently kept as singleton pets, they are likely to be more content and enriched when living in small groups. A bonded community of three to four individuals generally appears to be ideal. This can be either as single-sex environment or a mixed group of altered animals.

When intact animals are housed together, particularly males, they need enough room to prevent fighting and establishing territorial aggression. Some dominance is to be expected in any group of animals, but in general most rats appear to settle their disputes amicably.

Wrestling and grooming behavior within a group is common and should not be mistaken as aggression. Adequate space is a solution to many inter-rat problems, and so when in doubt, provide the largest cage you can and as much out-of-cage social interaction time as possible. 

What to Feed

Rats are nutritional omnivores and can eat and digest a wide variety of foods. Unfortunately for the rats, pet food manufacturers have taken advantage of this fact to provide a wide variety of foods that are appealing but do not provide the necessary nutritional basics; in other words, it’s junk food.

In general, the staple of a rat’s diet should be made up of high-quality pelleted food such as that made by Mazuri. These foods are most commonly referred to as ‘rat block’ or ‘rodent block’. They should not contain any colored pellets, nuts, dried fruits or vegetables, or seed bits.

Rat block should comprise 80% to 90% of the overall caloric intake for an animal. Many rats are fed some variety of seed, dried fruit, and nut-based diets. Unfortunately, these diets are often high in fat, and rats can become obese even when eating a healthier diet. Over time, these diets can lead to organ disease, a weakened immune system, skin disease, and obesity.

The higher quality rat food brands have been formulated to completely meet the rat’s nutritional needs with no significant excesses or deficiencies, and they do not allow the rat to pick and choose its favorite diet components. Although not visually appealing to us and perhaps not as popular as the seed-based junk foods marketed for rats, these pelleted diets are vastly superior nutritionally, the equivalent of a salad instead of candy.

Have a thorough diet review with your veterinarian so you can help prevent illnesses wherever possible. The risk of both kidney disease and obesity-related diseases can be reduced strictly by calorie and protein control alone.

Not only is the content of the diet important in the health and wellbeing of the pet rat, but the amount is also important. Rats who can eat whenever they want have been shown to have higher incidences of mammary, pituitary and pancreatic cancers. Moderate caloric restriction has been demonstrated to reduce the likelihood of cancer, particularly with tumors that have an endocrine influence. Therefore, a moderately restricted, high-quality diet yields multifactorial benefits in the health of pet rats.

A variety of healthy treats and supplements should be offered to the pet rat. When you begin to offer these extras, do so slowly in order to avoid digestive upset. Healthy fresh foods that can be given include small amounts of cooked beans, peas, corn, dry or cooked pasta, squash, carrots, green leafy vegetables, breads, and small amounts of other fresh fruits and vegetables. Occasional snacks of nuts, lean meats, and eggs are also appropriate, but rats are sensitive to excesses of proteins in their diet and high-protein snacks should be kept to the occasional treat only.

Portions should be appropriate for the size of the rat: a pinky fingernail-size portion of food is similar to an entire plate of food for an adult human. Although rats adore sugary and salty treats, avoid them.

Basically, if it would be considered a healthy snack for a human, it will likely also be a healthy snack for a rat as long as portion control is appropriate. Rats are truly an example of ‘you are what you eat.’ With their already too-short life spans and a tendency towards disease, we owe it to them to provide as much of a nutritional head start as we possibly can.

Health

Despite the emphasis on overall husbandry and preventative medical care, the realistic truth is that the vast majority of rats seen by veterinarians are pretty sick. That being said, many of the conditions our little rat friends are prone to are controllable and some are even curable. They are surprisingly sturdy patients and can tolerate a wide variety of both medical and surgical procedures.

Although rats in general are hardy little creatures, they are certainly prone to a number of conditions. Some of these, such as renal disease and obesity-related conditions, can be prevented with good husbandry and diet. Others, such as tumors and respiratory diseases, are a combination of genetic predisposition, exposure, and environmental causes. Even though an animal may have a large and dramatic tumor, there are often options to improve the animal’s quality of life even when there is no cure.

Mammary adenomas are the most common mammary tumors found in rats and can be seen in males and females. Spaying can significantly reduce their occurrence in females.  Although they have been reported in rats of all ages, they are most common in animals older than 18 months of age. Some of these adenomas can be extremely large and carry a rich blood supply. Fortunately, this completely benign and encapsulated mass is significantly more common than its cousin, the mammary adenocarcinoma. Mammary adenomas can be deceptive since rats are essentially walking mammary glands. There is mammary tissue from the chin to the base of their tail. Any skin mass could potentially be a mammary adenoma.

Fortunately, rats do very well when having these tumors surgically removed. As a rule, fibroadenomas tend to remain localized and are not invasive. They can, however, be extremely large, sometimes approaching the size of the rat itself. Tumors of this size can be a surgical challenge since essentially you are removing the rat from the tumor. If the tumor is not completely removed, they will often regrow. Still, most rats will benefit from debulking large tumors.

Spaying just as you would any dog or cat at a young age and then restricting calories or not allowing a free-fed diet can go a long way toward preventing mammary fibroadenomas. 

Mammary tumors are dependent on estrogen and prolactin concentrations and spaying markedly reduces their incidence. Early age spaying may virtually eliminate the incidence of later development of mammary masses, and even spaying at the time the tumor develops may prevent a recurrence.

Free-fed rats have a higher incidence of pancreatic, mammary, and pituitary tumors than rats fed in identical diets with moderate quantities. High-caloric intake also enhances tumor growth and the endocrine-based tumors, particularly mammary masses and pituitary masses, appear to be the most influenced by caloric intake. Therefore, feeding a calorically restricted, high-quality diet is crucial to preventing mammary masses and their recurrence. Practicing preventative medicine makes a positive difference.

Fortunately, when it comes to fibroadenomas, we have good treatments to help most pets. Rats make surprisingly hardy surgical candidates. They do, however, tend to self-mutilate their incisions. Surgery is the easy part of treatment. It’s the two weeks after the surgery that’s the hardest part. When we make it to suture removal, I consider the treatment to have been a success.

Pituitary masses are relatively common in rats and appear most frequently in female animals between 13 and 24 months of age. These are occasionally seen in male animals or younger animals but are much more frequently seen in females. Even in the normal animal, the female has a larger and heavier pituitary gland. Females that have been spayed don’t have pituitary masses as often as rats who are intact. Signs are extremely variable and often continue to change. Most commonly, however, these tumors are benign; they rarely metastasize and are a relatively slow-growing tumor. A number of factors influence pituitary tumors including age, genetics, hormonal status, spaying and neutering, injury, infections and so on. Unfortunately, the location of the tumor and the pituitary gland makes surgical removal a poor option. However, targeting the symptoms of most clinical concern for the patient can lead to significant palliation of the clinical signs and improve quality of life for the patient.

Respiratory diseases are one of the most common reasons pet rats to see the veterinarian. Infections are endemic in the rat population and many animals are infected at the time of purchase or adoption by the owner. Periods of immunosuppression, stress, or concurrent infections can result in the sudden appearance of clinical signs. There are several common underlying causes for infection, including bacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitic diseases. Infections frequently have significant and severe secondary results including pneumonia, abscesses, empyema, pleural effusion, and bacteremia. Non-infectious causes of pneumonia, such as aspiration pneumonia or chemical irritants resulting in inflammation and pneumonia, are seen.

Of all the reasons for pneumonia in rats, the most common is the bacteria Mycoplasma pulmonis. Mycoplasma differs from the most common bacteria because they lack cell walls but are enclosed by a lipid protein cell membrane. They’re not considered to be either gram-positive or gram-negative. Because of these facts, some antibiotics such as penicillin and cephalosporins don’t against mycoplasmas.

Clinical signs vary depending on the virulence of the strain involved, the site of infection, the age of the animal, and concurrent disease. For patients experiencing upper respiratory tract disease, clinical signs are generally mild and include sneezing, snuffling, squinting, and porphyrin staining around the eyes and nose. In fact, many owners take their rat to the doctor thinking that there’s eye disease, complaining that the animal is squinting and bleeding from the eyes. These rats may also have signs associated with an inner ear infection including head tilts, rolling, face and ear rubbing, and ear pain. Patients may also have signs of lower respiratory disease including rattling or moist breath sounds, labored breathing, chattering, coughing, and gasping. These animals are often clinically ill and may appear lethargic and/or have a poor appetite, poor coat, weight loss, hunched posture, and grumpy behavior. Some rats don’t have any signs at all. Pups may be infected before birth.

At this time, there is no cure for mycoplasmosis, and it requires long-term management. At best, we try to minimize the clinical signs, reduce concurrent diseases, improve husbandry, and look for the overall quality of life of the patient.