Many dream of pets, but are afraid to get them because of the possibility of certain troubles. The dog needs to be walked daily, to play with her in the fresh air, to train. The cat will have to be accustomed to the tray for a long time, and then constantly make sure that it does not spoil furniture and other personal items in the house.
All these difficulties make the modern person who spends most of the day at work postpone the acquisition of a domestic animal. However, for those who still cannot imagine their life without an animal, there is a way out of a difficult situation. It consists in the acquisition of a rodent pet. Fortunately, there are a lot of varieties of these decorative animals. You can choose a pet for every taste and temperament. Caring for it will be as simple as possible. It will only be necessary from time to time to clean the cage and indulge the animal with toys so that he does not get bored in it.
Buying a pet for a child
Quite often, buying a domestic rodent is done for the sake of the child. Children really like different animals, and many parents are not able to refuse their child. However, to take such a step is necessary with all responsibility. After all, even the smallest rodents are not toys. And therefore you can’t buy them solely for entertainment. Therefore, one should take into account the age of the child, as well as the seriousness of his intentions. It is better not to get an animal in the house until the child reaches school age. Going to school, he will become more serious and responsible, and caring for a pet will help him become more disciplined.
Children under preschool age will not understand how to care, clean the cage, feed, drink, and also take into account all the features of the content of a rodent pet. Instead, they can inadvertently harm him and hurt him, not realizing their actions and not feeling compassion. There is also a risk that the baby will get animal feed in his mouth, which will not affect him favorably. Adults should not wholly indulge him in requests to have a pet. Only by explaining to your child the full degree of responsibility for the animal, you can acquire it and instill in this child a love of animals.
The most popular rodent is the hamster
When you think about a rodent pet, an animal like a hamster immediately comes to mind. It is on him that most often the look falls in the pet store. The animal is a small rodent of dense physique with short legs and tail, as well as small ears. Depending on the variety of the hamster, its body can be 5 to 35 cm long. The fur of these animals is thick, dense, characterized by a huge variety of colors. The most popular for home maintenance are the Dzungarian and Syrian species of rodents.
Hamster pets are modest in size, so you don’t have to give them too much space in the house. A small cage is suitable for the habitat. However, it must be borne in mind that Syrian hamsters need a house more spacious than Dzungar hamsters. It is quite simple to look after such a pet, and he needs a little bit of food. However, deciding to purchase a hamster, it is worth remembering that some animals can be very aggressive.
Especially those sold at pet stores. There animals are kept in poor conditions. The hamsters there can be seen imprisoned in one large cell, which in no case should be done. By their nature, they prefer a solitary lifestyle. And in a forced company with other animals, they become evil and constantly fight among themselves. Therefore, it is better to buy a rodent from a nursery, where the psyche of animals is carefully monitored and created for this all the necessary conditions. Only from the breeder can you get a guarantee that the animal will be tame and kind.
Features of the content and care of the hamster
When choosing a hamster, it is better to opt for the Syrian. Although they are larger than the Dzungarian in size, they are very friendly and tame. Their little brothers, unlike them, do not like to communicate with a person. During the day, hamsters always sleep, but in the evening they begin active life. Therefore, during the day it is better not to touch them, the animal will obviously not be in the mood to play. Also, you cannot buy two hamsters at once. They will definitely fight and fight, up to the death.
To provide the animal with a comfortable life, it is necessary to purchase a spacious cage, as well as fill it with all kinds of accessories. The cage should have tunnels, houses, slides and a wheel. The hamster will constantly run and frolic among these items, and the wheel will become his favorite pastime. You can also buy a special transparent ball for a hamster to walk around the room. He joyfully runs in it, without causing himself the slightest harm. It is impossible to let a rodent walk around the apartment without him. Otherwise, he will quickly find where to get stuck, get hurt, and also surely gnaw some of the things.
As for the nutrition of the hamster, then in it it is extremely unpretentious. The animal will gladly enjoy a special grain feed for rodents from the pet store, and also can not resist vegetables and fruits. Most hamsters love carrots, cucumbers, apples, celery and raw corn.
Calm and friendly guinea pigs
They are in second place on the list of the most popular domestic rodents. Guinea pigs are much larger than hamsters. Their body length is from 25 to 35 cm. The body of these animals has a rounded shape, and a short tail is almost invisible, so the fluffy pig looks like a round ball of wool. Depending on the sex and variety of animals, their weight can be from 800 g to 1.5 kg. The most popular colors of guinea pigs are brown, gray and red. Quite often, these colors mix, forming a tricolor on the body of the animal.
Mumps are known for their cleanliness. Therefore, acquiring this rodent, you can not be afraid of an unpleasant odor. Also, they are not allergenic animals, which is extremely important when a child or adults with a predisposition to allergies live in the house.
These pets have a very friendly and peaceful character, as well as a gentle nature and good health, in contrast to hamsters, who are often sick and live no more than three years. If you take good care of the guinea pig and carefully monitor its condition, it can live up to eight years. These pets make good contact with people because of their developed intelligence. They can even be taught to some teams, while at the same time treating them with some delicacy. It is for the calm, friendliness and mind of guinea pigs that both children and adults love.
The advantages of this cute animal as a pet are clear. They have absolutely no flaws. Although some may be confused by the size of the guinea pig, which is strikingly different from the modest dimensions of the hamster. Of course, a small cage for a pig will not work. She should have a spacious, bright dwelling with a minimum length of 80 cm. The larger the size of the house, the happier the furry pet will feel. Also, one should not forget that even with the provision of spacious housing, the animal will need daily walks in the free territory. In summer, you can take the pig with you for a walk, putting a harness on it. However, you need to make sure that there are no other animals nearby that can attack the baby and harm him.
Pig maintenance and care
The cage of this animal must be well equipped so that the pet is as comfortable as possible in it. There must necessarily be a house made of wood or plastic, so that the pig could hide in it and sleep. The bottom of the cell must be covered with sawdust. As a filler, an ordinary cat filler from sawdust is perfect. He will well absorb pet excrement and eliminate the unpleasant odor that will come from them. The filler from granules is prohibited to use, since the legs of guinea pigs are very delicate and have thin skin that is easy to scratch about it.
The diet of the animal consists of grain feed, vegetables, hay, tree branches and fresh grass. Feed in the form of a finished mixture can be bought at any pet store. As for grass, it can be grown on a windowsill from oat grains or torn in a nearby ravine. It is important to remember that you need to collect weed alone only in nature, away from roads, places for walking dogs and industrial plants.
The most favorite delicacy of this good-natured rodent is hay. In addition to its nutritional component, hay helps animals grind their teeth, which they grow throughout life. It also perfectly stimulates the metabolism of the animal. Regardless of which pig food is the main, hay must be present in the daily diet. It must be given even during the summer season, when the animal has constant access to fresh grass.
Decorative mice
If there is very little space in the apartment, but you really want to get a pet, you can pay attention to such a rodent as a decorative mouse. These babies have very modest sizes, and therefore even a very small cage will suit them. Decorative mice can get along well in glass containers, the main thing is to prevent a possible escape of the animal. Because of their small size, they can squeeze almost anywhere.
The length of the body of a domestic mouse is from six to nine cm. The colors of decorative mice are mostly plain, most often they breed animals with white, black, gray-blue and brown fur. They have a narrow muzzle, expressive large eyes that look like beads, as well as round and large ears. The small size of the mice, as well as the high level of intelligence and the lack of demanding food make them one of the most popular types of rodent pets.
They quickly get used to the person, and being tame, they become more interesting for observation. After getting used to the person, the home mouse will recognize it by smell, respond to its nickname and joyfully climb on the arm. You can also purchase immediately a couple of pets to make them more fun. It is only important to consider the fact that if you put together a heterosexual couple, it will soon begin to multiply actively.
Content of decorative mice
After acquiring a new pet, you need to take care of its safe maintenance. A small domestic rodent will need its own home in the form of a shallow terrarium or cage. Since the mouse is a herd animal, it will need to pay enough attention so that it does not get bored. Therefore, the cage needs to be equipped with a large number of various accessories.
It should have a ball, toys, a wooden wheel for running, various tunnels and decorative houses. When choosing these items, you must carefully ensure that they are not painted with varnish or paint. It is common for a mouse to gnaw everything that surrounds it, and these substances will be extremely harmful to it. Also, you do not need to put cages of thin rods in a cage. The animal can catch on her foot and get stuck in it.
In nature, mice eat various grains. Decorative breeds do not differ in diversity in these addictions. Therefore, you can give a new resident raw grains of oats, sunflowers, wheat, millet. The pet will not refuse such delicacies as fruits, crushed eggshells, nuts and vegetables. Also, do not forget about animal feed, which should be in the diet of mice. This is primarily crickets, worms, caterpillars. Such food can be purchased at the pet store. In addition, the mouse must be fed and green plants: dandelion and grass.
Chinchillas - luxurious and energetic handsome
If you want to get not just a rodent, which will spend most of the time to the cage, but a real pet friend who loves communication and games, you need to pay attention to the chinchilla. As pets, they are the most contact and friendly of the entire rodent squad. Chinchilla will not remain indifferent to any living creature in the house. She will be friends with a cat and a dog, and even with other small pets in the form of hamsters or mice. The activity and kindness of this furry creature will make him the darling of the whole family.
Description, maintenance and care of chinchilla
In choosing a chinchilla as a pet, it is also important that it has a luxurious appearance. This was partly what made her so popular among people. The chinchilla has a huge fluffy tail, as well as a long mustache, which helps the animal to navigate well in the dark. When you look at her, attention immediately becomes focused on the eyes of the animal - they are very beautiful and expressive.
Chinchilla is very similar to the Chilean degu squirrel by the features of home content. They have the same size, and therefore they need a spacious and large cage with shelves and houses.
The fur of these animals is thick, long. Such a fur coat helps protect against drafts, so animals rarely catch a cold, living at home. In order for their fur to always be neat, clean and beautiful, it is necessary to put in a cage a bowl with a mixture of volcanic ash and sand. There, the chinchilla will bathe and clean, as being in the water is contraindicated for them.
In addition to the bath in a cage, for it you need to put a bowl with hay and a special ready-made feed. You can feed your pet sprouted cereals, dried dandelions, clover, plantain, nettle and pumpkin seeds. Also, juicy weed and vegetables should be connected to the diet from time to time. But they need to be given little by little, since chinchilla can develop indigestion from such food. Of the goodies, these animals prefer carrots, apples, pears and rose hips.
Decorative rats
Despite the fact that many rats are associated with something unpleasant and dirty, many people prefer these rodent pets to everyone else. And there is a clear explanation for this. Rats are significantly superior in intelligence to mice, hamsters, guinea pigs and all other rodents. They are superbly oriented on any terrain, are easy to train and can even perform various tricks. This makes them the best choice for those who have enough free time to devote to his activities with the animal.
Such a rodent pet will be an excellent acquisition for an inquisitive child who will teach him difficult tricks and train him. However, one should take into account the nuance: you can buy a rat only from a conscientious breeder who will provide all the necessary documents about her health.
As pets, rats become very attached to their owners. Therefore, it is better not to leave them alone for a long time. From boredom and lack of communication, they can become aggressive. These animals love to be in the hands of a person, so they can not get off his shoulder and sit there for a long period of time. Unlike a hamster, it will never get stuck between the wall and the sofa, and will also not hide in hard-to-reach places. Therefore, you can safely let her out for a walk around the room. She will still stay close to the owner.
Rats are omnivores and cannot tolerate hunger. Therefore, you should always update the bowl with food and do not forget about the drinker. It should always have fresh and clean water. In addition to special food for rodents, the pet needs to be given raw and boiled vegetables, as well as apples, cheese, bread and boiled eggs.
Exotic rodents
Having examined the most popular rodent pets, it is worth mentioning about the most exotic animals, which are increasingly becoming pets: dormouse, ground squirrels, jerboas, groundhogs. The content of such animals will be difficult, since they need conditions that are as similar as possible to natural ones. For example, a gopher at home will feel locked, as this animal needs a lot of free space. Although if it is supposed to place the animal in a heated stable, then you can think about purchasing it.
Some people buy jerboa or chipmunks for home. This can only be done if space allows. Of course, we are talking about those animals that did not grow in the wild, but from breeders involved in the study and breeding of these animals at home. Owners' reviews of the chipmunks indicate that these pets are very sociable and friendly.
They look like squirrels in their appearance. Chipmunks have a yellow-brown coat color with black-brown stripes on the back, as well as a gray abdomen. These animals feed on grassy plants, berries, nuts and seedlings of grain. It is necessary to keep them at home in a spacious cage with a large number of ladders, tunnels and perches.
Regardless of the choice of an exotic animal, whether it be a groundhog or jerboa, you must understand that their maintenance will be extremely costly. The pet will need spacious conditions, as well as special care and nutrition. You can buy an animal only after considering all the possible worries.