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Small mammals as pets
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The domestication of small mammals to keep as pets is a relatively recent development, arising only after large-scale industrialization. Historically, Western society was more agrarian than today, with rodents as a whole seen as vermin that were carriers for disease and a threat to crops. Animals that hunted such pests, such as terriers and cats, were prized.
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Many small animals kept as household pets are rodents, including: fancy mice,[1] fancy rats,[1] hamsters (golden hamsters and dwarf hamsters), gerbils (Mongolian jirds and duprasi gerbils), common degus, common chinchillas, and guinea pigs (cavies). Non-rodents, including rabbits, hedgehogs and sugar gliders are also kept.[2]
Some of these small mammals are prohibited from being kept as pets in certain jurisdictions for being invasive; California,[3] Hawaii, Alberta and New Zealand have strict regulations to protect their native environments and agricultural operations. Gerbils, degus, and domesticated rats have various prohibitions on their ownership.