Rodents as pets
Small pet mammal, possibly exotic / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The most common rodents kept as household pets are hamsters (golden hamsters and dwarf hamsters), gerbils (Mongolian jirds and duprasi gerbils), common degus, fancy mice,[1] fancy rats,[1] common chinchillas, and guinea pigs (cavies).[lower-alpha 1]
This article is written like a manual or guide. (September 2020) |
The domestication of small mammals 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 (e.g. terriers and cats) were prized.
Some of these small rodents are prohibited from being kept as pets in certain areas 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.