Exotics Flashcards
What age is rabbit puberty?
5-8 months
Which months do rabbits breed?
Jan-Sept
What kind of oestrous do rabbits show?
Seasonally polyoestrous induced ovulators
Why do you always take the doe to the buck?
Doe territorial
How fast is rabbit copulation?
Very
What happens to a litter if the doe encounters a better buck?
Resorption
What age can you PD a rabbit?
14 days
How long is rabbit gestation?
28-32 days
What is gestation like in wild or small rabbits?
Shorters (28 days)
How quickly does the doe give birth?
Less than 30 mins
How often does the doe visit the litter?
Once every 24 hours
From which age do rabbits take solids?
3 weeks
What age is rabbit socialisation?
3-7 weeks
How do you wean a litter of rabbits?
Take doe out but leave everything else the same
What are accessory gland like in guinea pigs?
Complicated
What are vesicular glands like in guinea pigs?
Large
What is vestibule like in female guinea pig?
Absent
What age is puberty in guinea pigs?
5 weeks females, 8-12 weeks males
When should first litter be in guinea pigs?
6 months
How long is guinea pig gestation?
59-73 days
How many young do guinea pigs have?
2-5
What do large litters trigger in guinea pigs?
Early parturition/late abortion
At what age do you wean guinea pigs?
3 weeks
From what age do guinea pigs nibble grass?
3-4 days
How many teats do guinea pigs have?
Two
How soon is post partum oestrus in rodents?
12-24 hours
Which months do Chinchillas breed?
Nov-May
How long is Chinchilla gestation?
111-114 days
What time of day do chinchillas give birth?
Early morning
How many offspring do chinchillas have?
Two (as two teats)
What age do you wean a chinchilla?
8 weeks
What so you provide in the cage for young chinchilla?
Solid floor
What kind of breeders are myomorphs?
Seasonal depending on photoperiod
How often are hamsters in season?
Every 4 days
How can you tell if a hamster is in oestrus?
Smell, discharge, lordosis
What is the main reason for eating young in hamsters?
Poor diet
How long is hamster gestation?
15-18 days
Which parents rear the litter in gerbils?
Both
Which kind of oestrous do ferrets show?
Seasonally polyoestrous induced ovulators
When is the ferret breeding season?
Jan/Feb-Sept/Oct
What is ferret courtship behaviour like?
Violent
What happens to Jill if not mated?
Oestrogen-induced bone marrow suppression
How long is ferret gestation?
42 days
How many kits in a ferret litter?
2-7
Do canaries form pairs in the breeding season?
Yes - but not exclusive
How do male canaries compete?
Sing
Why do you keep male canaries together during mating season?
They will produce better sperm
How many eggs do canaries lay?
4
How long is canary incubation times?
13-14 days
What the advantage of taking canary eggs out and putting them back in together?
They will hatch together
How can you identify a male budgie?
Blue cere
How can you spot an immature budgie?
Clear cere and black stripes go across the forehead
Which choices must budgie hens have when mating?2
Nest box and male
How long is budgie incubation period?
19 days
What do all parrot family feed young on?
Crop milk then regurgitated food
Where do lovebirds nest in the wild?
Inside a hole in a riverbank or tree
What must lovebirds be given when breeding?
A box, willow branches, water
What happens if lovebirds don’t get willow?
Will rip off feathers/legs
How long do big parrots take to reach puberty?
Several years
Which groups do big parrots live in?
Family
Where do big parrots nest?
In holes in trees but a few dig or build nests
What will make cockatoos do to their mates?
Kill
How many parrots are sexually dimorphic?
Very few
How do you tell apart male and female eclectus parrots?
Male is green, female is red/blue/purple
Why might you “pull” a first parrot clutch?
To increase production of young
What happens if you take parrots out of the box before they are ready?
Splayed legs
What is tortoise uterus like?
Bicornuate like a mammal, but but multiple ovaries like a bird so all eggs passed at once
What does male tortoise have instead of a penis?
Phallus
What kind of ovulators are tortoises?
Induced
Why do you need more than one female tortoise together at oestrus?
Will take each other out of oestrous, or get pre-ovulatory folliculostasis
Where are spurs in Testudo graeca?
Thighs - spur thigh
Where are spurs in Testudo hermanni?
On tail - Med
How long after fertile mating does tortoise egg laying occur?
A month
When does egg laying occur in tortoises is no mating has occured?
Whenever
How do female tortoises test if the ground is warm enough?
Put nose to ground
In wild tortoises, how many weeks after laying does the rain soften the soil so they can hatch?
8-12 weeks
In which kind of snakes are hemipenes easy to see?
Young
How far does snake probe go in males?
9-15 subcaudals
How far does snake probe go in females?
1-3 subcaudals
What can happen if the sexing probe is not clean?
Get cloacal abscess
How long may it take for snakes to hatch?
48 hours
What must you do while snakes are hatching?
Keep moist with spray and leave them alone
How many young snakes should you house together?
Only 1
How often should you feed young snakes?
Every 5-7 days
How many feeds do young snakes shed?
5-7
How can you identify a male iguana?
Hemipenes
Why should you only keep one male lizard together?
Aggressive and territorial
How many females should you keep with each male lizard?
Several
Why do you need two male iguanas?
To stimulate testosterone production
How does temperature affect sex in lizards?
Opposite way to tortoises
What do you feed rabbits and hares if you are hand-rearing them?
Double strength cat milk replacer
What must you do if you are keeping male guinea pigs together?
No females in sight, sound or smell
How long does it take to wean parrots?
A long time
How heavy should parrots be at weaning?
Heavier than they will ever be again
Why can you only do a salpingohysterectomy in a bird?
Ovary very close to aorta
