Small Mammal Husbandry
Common species
Identifying sex
Nutrition
Husbandry
Health care
Rabbits-need companionship, prey animals
Rabbits-vulva visible in females under slight pressure
Rodents
Hystricomorphs-guniea pigs, chinchillas + degus
Scuiromorphs-chipmunks + prairie dogs
Myomorphs-mice, rats, hamsters + gerbils
Syrian hamster solitary, dwarf hamster + gerbil social
All social
Rabbits
Indoor-closer observation + more interaction with owner, heat stress + risk of chewing/ingesting dangerous foreign bodies
Outdoor-more natural + more exercise, higher risk of predation + escape
Lack of exercise=obesity
Lack of companionship + enrichment leads to depression
Time on unnatural substrate can lead to pododermatitis-pressure sores
Rodents
Supervised time outside cage at appropriate time of day
Dust bath for chinchillas + degus
Ferrets smell so kept outdoors normally, can be trained to harness + lead
Herbivores
Rats, mice, hamsters, gerbils-omnivores
Ferrets-obligate carnivores
Guinea pigs require vitamin C
Chinchillas-small, thin pellets to pick up + vitamin C
Rabbits-Mainly hay/grass with 1 spoon of pellets daily (prevent selective feeding), dental disease common
Use pellets to prevent selective feeding + obesity
High fat + protein, low carbohydrate + fibre
Whole prey/pellet/cat food
Short GI transit time so need constant feeding
Rabbits-vaccinations against myxomatosis + viral haemorrhage disease, neutering, parasite treatment
Ferrets-vaccinations against distemper, reproductive control, parasite treatment