Intro to Rodents

Question 1

order rodentia

Answer 1

largest mammalian order, about 1500 species

Question 2

order rodentia teeth

Answer 2

2 upper and 2 lower chisel-like incisors
no canines
molars for chewing

Question 3

rodent examples (6)

Answer 3

rats, mice, gerbils, hamster, cavies, chincillas

Question 4

rodent non-examples (6)

Answer 4

bats, badgers, ferrets, rabbits, sugar gliders, hedgehogs

Question 5

rodent diet

Answer 5

generally herbivorous
eat seeds, grasses, etc.
cecum that helps with fiber digestion

Question 6

rodent general characteristics

Answer 6

teeth need to be worn down
young/”pups” are mostly altricial
most have very short reproductive cycles and gestation periods

Question 7

why do people keep rodents as pets?

Answer 7

intelligent
clean
inexpensive
fairly low maintenance
shorter life span

Question 8

rats general characteristics

Answer 8

can be destructive
reproduce quickly
not indigenous to north america, from europe
nocturnal

Question 9

rat nutrition

Answer 9

commercial pellets
supplement with fruits and vegetables
can feed grass, hay, oats

Question 10

why is metal best for a rat cage

Answer 10

can’t chew on it
easy to clean

Question 11

common tumors in rats

Answer 11

mammary and pituitary

Question 12

mice general characteristics

Answer 12

similar to rats
not as easy to handle, as trainable as rats

Question 13

gerbils general characteristics

Answer 13

same family as hamsters
native to deserts of asia, africa, europe
desert animals, drink very little water
less urine=less odor
nocturnal
seizures are common (20-40%)

Question 14

hamsters general characteristics

Answer 14

similar to gerbils
don’t get along well with other hamsters
internal cheek pouches they can stuff with food
nocturnal, don’t like to be woken up

Question 15

cavy (guinea pig) male/female names

Answer 15

male: boar
female: sow

Question 16

guinea pig physical characteristics

Answer 16

no tail
heavy skull (will fall head first)

Question 17

guinea pig and chinchilla gestation period

Answer 17

much longer than other rodents

Question 18

what is different about guinea pig/chinchilla reproduction?

Answer 18

pups are precocial
smaller litters (2-3)

Question 19

guinea pig characteristics

Answer 19

can’t handle cold weather, need to be kept above 32 F
sow needs to be mated before 6 months, otherwise pubic bones fuse so they can’t give birth
raised as food animal in some countries

Question 20

guinea pig feeding

Answer 20

grass hay, fiber
well developed cecum
salt ring to lick
require vitamin C

Question 21

chinchilla characteristics

Answer 21

native to andes mountains, brought to US as fur animal
need to be kept cool
need a dust bath every few days

Question 22

chinchilla reproduction

Answer 22

small litters, average 2
young are precocial

Question 23

common issue with rodents from pet stores

Answer 23

many females will come home pregnant