Gerbils, Hamsters, Rats, and
Mice
Ms. Cichon
Rosholt High School
Gerbils
Facts
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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
What does it look like?
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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
Characteristics
• Scent gland on its stomach
• Communicates through drumming
• Life expectancy is 2-4 years
Housing
• Gerbils should have more cage space than
hamsters
• Same cage equipment
• Needs to be chew proof
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.
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.
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
Quiz Time
Hamsters
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
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
Characteristics
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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
Housing
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Gnaw proof
Aquariums
Wire cages
Water bottle most be able to hang
Wheels are good for mental and physical
health
Feeding
• Diet should contain corn, millet, wheat, oats,
sorghum, and rape seed
• Don’t feed soft-types of food
• May eat dog food
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
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
Quiz Time
Rats
Facts
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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.
What does it look like?
• The Black Rat
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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
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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
Characteristics
• Use their scaly tail for balance
• Excellent swimmers
– Submerge for 2-3 minutes
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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
Housing
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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
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
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
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
Quiz Time
Mice
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
What does it look like?
• 2.5 to 3.5 inches including the tail
• 50 different fancy varieties
1. Self colors or mice of one color
2. Tans
3. Piebald (spots, patches, broken patterns)
4. Satin coat
5. More
Characteristics
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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
Housing
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72 square inches and 8 inches of height
Same bedding as rats
Bedding should be changed once a week
Water bottle hung
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
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
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
Quiz Time