Pocket Pet Breeds, Uses, Management,

and FeedingEvan Faison

Heritage High School Animal Science 2: Small Animals

Breeds-Hamster

• Golden Hamster: Adults reach 5”-6” long and weigh about 4 ounces. Has rich mahogany or orange color on the back with white or creamy colored underside and legs.

• Dwarf/Small Desert Hamster: Light gray with a dark stripe down the back, smaller than the Golden, 4-4 ½ inches long. These are active, friendly pets, but because of their smaller size, they are more difficult for children to handle.

Breeds-Gerbil

• Adult gerbils reach 6-8 inches long nose to tail and weigh 3-4 ounces • Mongolian Gerbil: reddish brown to dark brown

Breeds-Rat

• Black: tail is longer than the head and body, and the ears are about half as long as the head. Color is usually black or dark gray with brown or gray-white underside• Brown: larger than the black rat and the tail is always shorter than the

head and body. Thicker and more robust with short and more rounded ears and fur is dark to gray brown on the back with lighter colors on the underside.

Breeds-Mice

• Self-Colors: One Color• Tans: any color with tan belly• Piebald or pied marked mice: mice with spots, patches or broken

patterns• Satins: any color or markings with satin coat

Breeds-Guinea Pig

• Adult guinea pig reach 8-14” in length and may weigh from 1 to 4 pounds. • Guinea pigs have very sensitive hearing and can detect frequencies

beyond the human ear• Self-defense for guinea pigs is to stand on hind legs and chatter with

their teeth

Breeds-Guinea Pigs Cont.

• Abyssinian: rough, wiry hair coat. The hair is made up of swirls or cowlicks called rosettes• American: hair is short, very glossy and fine in texture • Peruvian: longhaired variety that may reach 20” in length. Since

guinea pigs do not have a tail it is difficult to distinguish the front from the back of the Peruvian. It looks like an animated mop• Satin: coat is fine, dense and soft, and has a sheen

Breeds-Chinchilla

• Adults range in length from 9-15 inches with a tail of 3-10 inches and weigh 1-2 pounds• Standard: blue-gray that is the most popular• White: Mutation with black eyes• Beige: pearl colored to pastel colored• Black: has a black undercoat, very narrow gray-white band, jet black

veil (tips of fur) and high density

Breeds-Ferrets• Common Sable: ranges from light to dark, depending on the shade of

both the under fur and guard hairs, the under fur ranges from white to beige

• White: red-eyed is referred to as a true albino and there are a few black-eyed white

• Silver Mitt: under fur of white or off-white and guard hairs or black and white, which gives a silvery appearance

Breeds-Ferrets Cont.

• Sterling Silver: similar to Silver Mitt but with more white guard hairs

• Butterscotch: under fur is same as sable but the guard hairs, mask, and hood colorings are butterscotch instead of black

• Cinnamon: under fur is white or off-white and guard hairs that are rich red-brown or cinnamon color

Uses-Hamster • Used in medical research in 1931, but found that they could be tamed and

made into a pet.

• Golden Hamster is the most abundant hamster used for research and pets

• Dwarf/Small Desert Hamsters make good pets, but because of their smaller size, children have more problems handling them.

Uses-Gerbil

• Japanese scientists were the first to breed in captivity because they were easy to work with. They are gentle, active during the day, have no special food or housing requirements, drink little water, virtually odorless and would seldom bite.

• These qualities also led to their popularity as pets.

Uses-Rats • The white albino rats have been a major importance in medical,

biological and psychological research. • Used in developing drugs, studying diseases, nutrition, aging, and

other topics. • They are intelligent and have the ability to learn so have been used in

behavioral studies. • Colored rats especially have been accepted as pets.

Uses-Mice

• Used for medical and biological research, especially with hereditary studies

• Pet mice are relatively free of disease, and when handled frequently, show little tendency to bite or escape

Uses-Guinea Pig

• Bred originally for meat production and still used by the native people of Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia as a food source• Used in laboratories for research on pathology, nutrition, genetics,

toxicology, and serum development• Used also as a pet

Uses-Chinchilla

• Used as a source of fur for thousands of years. • Brought to California from South America to breed for their fur • Requires 120 to 150 pelts to make a full-length coat• Used as pets since the 1950’s

Uses-Ferrets

• Recently been found to be wonderful pets, but have a musky smell and need to be de-scented. Males also need to be castrated• Used to help wire airplanes in hard to reach places• Used in scientific research because they catch the same colds as

humans.

Management-Hamsters

• Cage size for a single hamster is 10”x16”x10” tall• Cages must be gnaw-proof. Commercial cages have stainless steel

tops and bottoms. Plastic floors are designed so the animal can’t gnaw with their teeth• Water bottle needs to hand outside the cage to prevent damage from

the animal gnawing or be protected with a metal cover.• Aquariums make good cages. They allow the animal to see out and

are easy to clean

Management-Hamsters Cont.

• Exercise wheels may be plastic or metal. Plastic wheels will be destroyed by the animal’s gnawing, but are quitter. This is important because hamsters exercise all night long

• Hamsters need plenty of clean fresh bedding (paper confetti or strips, wood chips or shavings, hay, straw, cotton) to absorb urine and give hamsters something to chew on

Management-Gerbils

• Gerbils are more active and need more space than hamsters• Multiple gerbils need 36 square inches of floor space for each gerbil• Overcrowding can lead to cannibalism• Gerbils can jump, so a wire mesh cover is essential• Avoid cotton and wool for bedding. These materials can cause

blockage in the digestive system when the gerbil eats them.

Management-Gerbils Cont.

• Cardboard tubes from toilet tissue and paper towels make excellent temporary tunnels and gerbils enjoy chewing them up• Only use solid plastic exercise wheels. Wheels that have spokes may

snag the tail of the gerbil and cause injury

Management-Mice• A pair of mice need a minimum of 72 square inches of floor space and

a height of 8 inches. An aquarium 6”x12”x8” will work for a pair.• Wood shavings are ideal bedding and should be changed at least once

per week• Mice urinate in the corners of their cages. Cat litter and baking soda

can help with the strong urine odor• Water bowls will not work for mice as they quickly become

contaminated with feces and urine.

Management-Guinea Pigs • Guinea pigs like to see what is going on and aquariums make excellent

cages, while wood cages should be avoided because of the urine odor that builds up in the wood• When multiple guinea pigs are being kept, each pig will need at least

180 square inches of floor space• Keep outside after temperatures warm to 50 F • Provide 3 square feet of run using chicken wire outside pens.

Management-Chinchillas

• Chinchillas are nocturnal and need a quiet location during the day• Metal and wire cages 14”x24”x12” will work for a single chinchilla but

24”x24”x14” is better, any wood must be on the outside of the wire mesh or it will be destroyed• Need adequate ventilation and a location that is not too hot (over 90

F will cause heat prostration)• Need small mesh wire less than 1” square to prevent loosing small

chinchillas

Management-Chinchillas Cont.

• Chinchillas must be kept in individual cages or they fight and inflict serious injury. • Polygamous breeding cages use a tunnel system for the male to go to

different locations. Females are fitted with a collar that keeps them from using the tunnel.

Management-Chinchillas Cont.

• Chinchillas need a bah twice a week in finely ground powder to remove excess moisture and oil (volcanic ash available from the pet store). During hot weather, baths are needed daily in the powder• Chinchillas are not bathed in water

Management-Ferrets • Ferrets can be kept outside all year long if protected from inclement

weather, kept out of drafts, and shaded in the summer• Need larger water bottles like those used by guinea pigs and rabbits (16

or 32 Ounce) • Ferrets are escape artist and doors need to be locked• Food bowls need to be heavy earthenware so they will not be turned

over• Rubber balls, squeak toys, and plastic pipes provide ferrets with tunnel

and fun for hours.

Feeding-Hamsters • Easiest to use commercially prepared hard, pellets• Mixed rations should contain seed, lettuce, dried peas, beans and

nuts• Avoid sudden changes in diet and don’t overfeed greens and fruits

that may cause diarrhea• Don’t leave soft type foods in the cage to spoil and be cautious

because they feed may get stuck in hamster’s pouch• Special treats include sunflower seeds, crickets, and grasshoppers

Feeding-Gerbils

• Same as hamsters except: • Gerbils like bird seed which adds variety to their diet, but care must

be taken when feeding oilseed like sunflower, because it may lead to obesity• Gerbils do not drink much water, an 8 ounce drip type bottle is best

Feeding-Rats

• Same as previous except: • Rats consume about 1 ounce of water per day and vitamins and

minerals can be added to the water

Feeding-Mice

• Same as previous except: • Mice will NOT overeat

Feeding-Guinea Pigs

• Guinea Pigs are vegetarians• GP’s cannot synthesize vitamin C in their body and need vitamin C

enhanced pellets to supplement their diet and prevent scurvy. Vitamin C pellets must be used within 30 days of opening. • Fresh greens, lettuce, fruits, herbs, green vegetables, root veggies,

potatoes, clover and dandelion greens are favorite foods.

Feeding-Guinea Pigs Cont.

• Guinea pigs drink with their mouth full of feed, so water bottle tubes must be cleaned regular to prevent built up bacteria. • GP’s consume a lot of water and need a 16 to 32 ounce water bottle

Feeding-Chinchillas

• Raisins are a favorite treat of chinchillas • Best to use commercially prepared hard pellets for chinchillas

Feeding-Ferrets • Ferrets need a feed containing at least 35% animal protein• Best to use commercial dry food to maintain gum and teeth health,

but plenty of water needs to be available • Young ferrets should be fed all they will eat twice a day• Add ½ teaspoon of vegetable oil to older ferret’s diet to aid in

digestion, bowel movement, and help maintain a healthy coat• Treats include meat scraps, cracklings, fruits, red licorice, and ice

cream in limited amounts.