Rabbits, Rats, Gerbils, Hamsters. Flashcards
How were rabbits originally classified as?
Rodents.
What Order are Rodents?
Rodentia.
What are Rabbits now classified as?
Lagomorpha.
Why cant rabbits be rodents?
They have 4 upper incisor teeth, where rodents only have two.
WHy did we not originally notice that rabbits were not rodents?
Their second pair of upper incisor is stacked behind the first pair.
Fossils of rabbit-like animals date back to when?
30-37 million years
How do these fossils of the rabbit-like animals compare to our modern day wild rabbits and hares?
They are very similar.
Where were the first recorded reports of rabbits made?
Phoenician traders that visited Spain
When were the first recorded reports of rabbits made?
3000 years ago (1100 BC.)
What were the phoenicians responsible for?
Transporting rabbits to many parts of the world.
Why were rabbits able to spread so fast? (3)
They are useful to use as a meat source.
They grow quick and reproduce rapidly.
Who first domesticated rabbits?
The french monks in the middle ages.
(about 1500 years ago)
When were rabbits introduced into autralia and new zealand?
The latter portion of the 19th century.
ABout how many breeds are recognized by rabbit breeders?
45
Of the breeds, how do we divde them into classifcations? How many?
By size and weight. there are 5
What are the five classifications?
Dwarf (miniature), small, medium, large, giant.
Termnology:
What is an adult male called?
An adult female?
The young?
A buck
A doe
Kits or bunnies.
What is the birth process called in rabbits?
Kindling.
Why do we called the birth process kindling?
When close to birth, the mama will pull fur and nest.
What can be dangerous for rabbits? Why?
Antibiotics! They are very sensitive to them.
Why might happen if you give a rabbit too many antibiotics?
May kill the bacteria in the cecum. This is very bad.
What is recommened of all female rabbits kept as pets.
Neutering!
Why should female rabbits get spayed?
High incidence of uterine cancer
Which mammal has the highest amount of uterine cancer?
Rabbits.
Averahe lifespan of a rabbit?
5-12 years.
WHen do rabbits reach puberty?
5 to 9 months.
How long is the gestation period?
30-34 days.
Describe the estrus of rabbits.
No known period. They are induced ovulatiors with no consistent estrous cycle.
What are bunny bucks? What do these show?
Jump up in the air and kick rear feet out.
This shows happiness.
Describe the grooming behavior in rabbits.
Shows affection and is important for preventing external parasites.
Describe the circling behavior in rabbits.
Hop in cicrlces around owners.
Shows happiness.
How might a rabbit show contentment?
Low grunt with rhythmic grinding of teeth.
If a rabbit is in pain, what will they do?
Scream.
What does it mean when a rabbit nips?
Somethimes its playful, other times its a warning.
If a rabbit is angry, what might it do?
bite.
What is a common rabbit behavior as a pet?
Nibbling.
What does nibbling entail?
Nibbling on electrical cords, furniture, carpets, ect.
What can rabbits be trained to do pretty successfully?
Use a litter box.
How do rabbits behave around each other socially?
They establish peak orders and typically fight to the death.
What is a trait in rabbits that is similar to cats?
They can sometimes create bonded pairs.
How might you get a rabbit to create a bond?
Drive two of them together. They will bond through fear.
Describe the digestive system of a rabbit. .
They are monogastric and have a well developed cecum.
Describe the digestive system path of a rabbit. Fully.
The food goes through the esophagus into the stomach. Goes into the right part and goes through the system.
When soft pellets are reeaten, they go to the left part of the stomach.
What do rabbits do?
Refection or coprophagy.
What is coprophagy?
Voluntarily consume their own feces.
What will rabbits eat?
Only their soft pellets (The waste that has only through the digestive system once.)
Through coprophagy, what can rabbits do?
Recycle certain nutrients, especially vitamins and minerals.
What two eras did most rodents evolved during?
The paleocene and Ecocene eras.
When did most rodents evolve?
55 to 65 millions years ago
WHat is considered to be the ancient ancestor of rodents?
Paramys.
What was the paramys like?
resembled a large, squirrel-like animal.
How have rodents likely chnaged over time?
Over the years, rodents have likely gotten much smaller.
Where is the golden hamster native too?
The desert areas of Syria.
When was the golden hamster discovered?
1930
Who discovered the golden hamster?
Professor Aharoni of the Hebrew University.
How long have hamsters and gerbils been domesticated?
only about 100 years.
What are gerbils nicknamed?
Sand rats.
Where are gerbils native too?
The dry, desert-like regions of Asia and Africa.
What did the Japanese bred?
Mongolian Gerbils.
Monogolian Gerbils were first bred in captivity by who and when?
Japanese scientists in 1935
How did the US get gerbils?
Eleven paris were sent.
When were these gerbils sent?
in 1954.
Who sent the 11 gerbils?
Dr. Victor Schwentker.
What is the life span of a hamster?
2-3 years.
How are hamsters socially?
Solitary animals in nature.
What is a hamsters prefered temperature range?
65-79 degrees.
What happens to a hamster if the temperatures are below 45 degrees?
They may hibernate.
What happens to a hamster if the temperature is above 80 degrees?
They go into a deep sleep-like state
What is this deep sleep-like state called?
estivation.
What is a hamsters preferred light cycle?
14 hr day with 10 hr dark.
When do hamsters hit puberty?
30-40
How long is a hamsters estrous ccle?
4 days.
How long is a hamsters gestation?
16 days.
How big are most hamster litters?
5 to 11
What might happen to a male hamster after 1 year?
Males become sterile after 1 year.
What kind of diet do hamsters have?
They are granivores. They eat seeds and grain.
How are hamsters similar to rabbits?
They are both coprophagous. Eat their own feces.
What is a natural behavior of hamsters? How can this be accomadated?
They are burrowers.
You should have a cage with suffcient bedding so this behavior can be expressed.
How are the cheek pouches of a hamster special?
They are immunological Privileged areas.
What does it mean to say a hamsters cheeks are “Immunological Privileged areas.”
They can put things in their cheek pouches that they would have a reaction to if they ate it.
What is the lifespan of a gerbil?
4-6 years.
How are gerbils socially?
Very friendly compared with most rodents!
What unique about gerbils socially?
They are monogamous.
What is a biological fact about gerbils?
They drink very small amounts of water and dont produce much urine.
What is the preffered temperatire of gerbils?
60-80 degrees
What is the prefered humidity of gerbils?
30%
When do gerbils hit puberty?
6 to 7 weeks.
Estrous cycle of gerbils?
4 t0 6 days.
How long is gestation in gerbils?
24-26 days.
What is the litter size of gerbils?
3 to 7
What are baby gerbils called?
pups.
Explain why we might have domesticated gerbils.
Around the time, we were doing space things! We studied them so that we might be able to send them to space.
Two species of rat have been domesticated as pets. WHich?
black rat and the brown rat
Why are our domestic rats sometimes different colors?
Mutations and selective breeding have cause a number of color patterns or combinations in both black and brown rats.
Give some examples of color patterns in rats.
Caped, albinos, masked, dalmations.
Where did the black rat originate?
In southern Asia.
When and where did the black rat become preventant?
In Europe by the 1200’s/
How did the black rat effect europe?
It was the major vector for the Black Plague in 1300’s in Europe.
Killed 25% of the population.
WHen did the black rat reach North America?
in the 1500’s
What are two nick names for brown rats?
Norway rat or Wharf rat.
Where did the brown rat originate?
Eastern Asia and Northern China.
When was the brown rat introduced into Europe and North America?
In 1500’s
Lifespan of rats?
2.5-3+ years.
How are rats sociallu?
Very interactive with humans!
When do rats bite?
Very rarely. Unless injuried.
True or false, rats are gross. Explain?
False! They are very clean and odor free. They groom regularly.
What did the greeks believe about mice?
That they were the end product of lighting bolts from thunderstorms.
Who worshipped mice?
The cretans. (2000 BC)
Why did the cretans worship mice?
After mice supposedly chewed through straps of the shields of their enimes.
How were mice used in rome and the middle ages?
They were used for medicinal purposes.
How were mice used in medicine?
Would let mice eat off peoples dead tissue. This was very effective.
WHen do we believe domestication started with mice?
Around 0 A.D
How are mice with humans?
They tend to be meaner than rats.
Describe the socialization of mice.
Live in colonies or clans that have very rigid social structures.
What is the head male called in a mice social structure?
The buck.
How does breeding work in mice?
Only the head male, the buck, is allowed to mate with females.
What is a trait of mice?
They are very gregarious!
When keeping mice, what must be done?
They must be housed with other mice.
