Small mammal facts please :)

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I am hoping to get a volunteer job at an animal shelter in January. I am studying hard about several small mammal species at the moment, but I need your help. How? I need your experiences, your advice and any facts on the following small mammals:

Guinea pigs
Gerbils
Hamsters
Rats
Mice
Ferrets
Chinchillas
Degus

Any feedback would be appreciated

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I have HFA, ADHD, OCD & Tourette syndrome. I love animals, especially my bunnies and hamster. I skate in a roller derby team (but I'll try not to bite )

Well, I have experience with all those except degus.

Broad info:

Keep their cages clean, and make sure they always have access to clean water; try not to overcrowd them, even if they are a social species.

Be aware that, aside from ferrets, they are prey animals--meaning other animals hunt them for food--so be gentle and careful with handling them Normally it is advisable with these types of animals to not reach for them from above, as that can trigger a flight response and it's very stressful for them. Except in cases where it's unavoidable, it's best to scoop the animal from underneath, carefully supporting its body weight so it feels less threaten and more secure. Rats and mice can be picked up by their tail for brief periods, if done gently, but be careful with animals with furry tails, like gerbils and chinchillas--there is the chance of the tail being "degloved" meaning the skin breaks at the tail base and slips off th tail like slipping a glove off your hand (teh skin, bearing protected by fur, is not as strong as on a rat or mouse, where the skin is tougher from being exposed). Rats are fairly well domesticated and can handle being picked up by humans better than there other rodent species. Rabbits, though very domesticated, can still panic tot he point their heart stops, if they are not handled properly. All these animal will bite if traumatized, scared and threatened.

Ferrets are carnivores, and more domesticated than most of these other animals so they can be handled quite well by humans, if they can been properly socialized. Poorly socialized ferrets will bite. When holding them, you need to support they supple, flexible long spine--while it is very elastic, a ferret spine is prone to injury from rough handling due to its length. When you pick a ferret up, be sure to use both hands and support both its front end and back end.

All these animal naturally have distinct odors. so don't be surprised by that. Ferrets are the worse--they are naturally quite musky even after having their scent gland removed. Ferrets require gentle bathing about once a week to cut down on teh odors. If you have a number of them in a small place like a shelter, you may need to wash them twice a week--but be sure t use a gentle non-irritating shampoo to not dry out their fur and skin. The other animals' odors are best controlled by frequently changing their bedding, removing waste from their cages daily, not overfeeding them and not overcrowding them.

Quarantine sick individuals and get them proper vet care. These are not "disposable" animals--we brought them into our human society and we are fully responsible for their welfare. Watch for parasites, external and internal, and have them treated if present. Wash you hands before and after handling them. Ferrets in particular can catch certain human-borne illnesses, including the flu. Likewise, since you can't account for everywhere a rescued,animal has been, these critters can potentially pass along some foul microbes through their feces or skin that may make you or your pets at home ill. Also protect yourself--it's best to weaver latex gloves when cleaning their cages if you can, and wear a hospital-grade face mask if you have or recovering from a respiratory illness, have asthma or have any known allergies that trigger respiratory problems.

There's much more, but I'm sure you'll learn as you go. It's best when you let the animals themselves teach you themselves, and they will. Just be openminded and treat them with kindness and respect. Good luck and have fun!

Guinea pigs: They love to hide, they need to gnaw, they are born with eyes open.

Gerbils: The principal movement of gerbil is hopping, rather than running. It is a nocturnal creature, which is most active during the night time. It even has small limbs, making it a bad swimmer.


Hamsters: They mass-produce, they are color blind, they can be wild and can be tamed.

Rats: They only live for about a year, and like hamsters they can have many young.

Mice: Mice are fond of hard bread. Mice are constant eaters - and will eat almost anything. Baby mice curl up when they are being carried. You can keep mice on a table without a cage because mice are afraid to jump off high vertical drops.

Ferrets: Ferrets have no inherent fear of humans. Ferrets like to crawl into small dark spaces to sleep. Ferrets are members of the mink family.

Chinchillas: Chinchillas enjoy exercise, chinchilla is easily frightened and requires a lot of quiet, especially in the daytime. chinchillas cage should be placed in a temperate area. The chinchilla can live on three basic things: hay, pellets and water.If maintained well, the life expectancy of a chinchilla is 10-15 years.

Degus: Their distress call is a high pitched beep beep sound. They chitter when they are upset and will screech at each other when they are having a wrestling match or someone swipes their food. degus diet should consist of low calorie forage such as good quality hay and dried grass.

Forget to mention:

A lot of there species will urinate as a defense tactic. The small ones--hamsters and mice--will poop in your hands while you hold them too. You get used to it.

Rabbits and ferrets can be housebroken, which is nice. hamsters normaly poop and pee in the same place in their cages. I think chinchilla do too, but i don't remember for sure.

Hamsters are nocturnal and will get cranky if mess with too much during the day. Chinchilla, and I suspect degus are crepuscular,meaning they are more active during the dawn and dusk. Domesticated ferrets and rabbits were originally crepuscular too.

All the rodents listed need to gnaw to wear down their ever-growing incisors, not just guinea pigs. Mice can be given a loaf of stale or hard bread for them to gnaw tunnels and holes through. It's very cute. Keeps them happy. Just remove the bread if it gets damp with urine or gets moldy.

Guinea pigs and chincilla are very vocal. They are both related to degus, which are also vocal.

Rats are quite intelligent and social. :O)

Thanks for your comments I hope to learn a lot by working with these fascinating little creatures. I obviously know quite a lot already though because I knew quite a lot of the facts! It means my studying is working! I know A LOT about rabbits, hence the reason I didn't include them on the list. I have owned 5 in my life, three of them died very young. One because she couldn't fight off an infection, the second because he had a genetic disorder and the third... got out of his cage. I am really still recovering from that one. On the other hand I have a rabbit called Jenifer who is 7, nearly 8 years old. Her health is declining due to her old age, but she's a fighter! Our vet told us she wouldn't live past five because she had GI stasis. She's had it about 8 more times since then but is still okay. My other rabbit had mallocusion of the teeth and had to have the front ones removed. He amazes me with his coping skills. The vet told me he would need his food mashed for the rest of his life, but he taught himself to eat without his teeth!

Sorry, I'm a bit obsessed with rabbits! I hope that it will carry on with the other small mammals

_________________
I have HFA, ADHD, OCD & Tourette syndrome. I love animals, especially my bunnies and hamster. I skate in a roller derby team (but I'll try not to bite )