1. Pocket Pet Breeds, Uses, Management, and Feeding
Evan Faison
Heritage High School
Animal Science 2: Small Animals

2. 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.

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

4. 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.

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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.

18. 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

19. 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

21. 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.

22. 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

23. 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.

24. 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.

25. 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

26. 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.

27. 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

28. 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.

30. 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

32. 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

33. 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

34. Feeding-Mice
Same as previous except:
Mice will NOT overeat

35. 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.

36. 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

37. Feeding-Chinchillas Raisins are a favorite treat of chinchillas
Best to use commercially prepared hard pellets for chinchillas

38. 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.