Which rodent is the best pet for you?

Because of their small size, rodents are popular as pets. Amongst the most well known are hamsters, mice, gerbils, and rats, but degus and chinchillas are also gaining popularity in our homes. Each rodent is unique but there are general rules to follow when it comes to diet, husbandry and general care. This is the main focus of the information below. (Guinea pigs are also rodents, but they are not covered in the specific information below.)



Choosing a rodent: The choice of rodent should be based on his species' character type as well as the amount of room needed to house him. Rats, chinchillas (right) and degus are amongst the most affectionate and intelligent rodents but need the biggest cages. Chinchillas are rather delicate whereas rats are very adaptable. Hamsters are also quite cuddly but are a little less sociable than rats, degus and chinchillas. Hamsters, chinchillas and rats are nocturnal, which means they sleep during the day. Gerbils and mice (above) tend to be a little nervous although they can be tamed easily if they are handled gently and frequently from a very young age. If you're thinking of having more than one pet, keep in mind that hamsters are territorial and will fight with one another. Gerbils are social animals and can be kept together but a female that has been living alone for some time will attack any newcomer. As for mice, it's the males that are the most likely to start a fight! Chinchillas, rats and degus are social animals and live well in groups. With all rodents, if you plan to have more than one, expect lots of babies if you've got both sexes living together! It is possible to have rodents spayed or neutered by a specialised vet, but it's even easier to keep the males and females separate!

Diet: The best diet for your rodent is a pelleted food specifically made for his species. Seed mixes are not recommended because most rodents will only eat those seeds in the mix that he favours. Veggies should be offered in small quantities and must be introduced gradually into the diet. A small piece of fruit can also be given daily to rodents with the exception of degus who cannot digest sugar. As with most animals, a sudden change in diet can cause digestive upsets in rodents. In addition, chinchillas are extremely sensitive to any changes, especially dietary ones. Any introduction of a new food should be done with extreme caution and under the supervision of a vet. Never give table food to your chinchilla. Rats on the other hand, are among the most tolerant rodents and can eat most foods without danger. Having said this, all foods high in sugar, salt or fat should be avoided. Like rabbits and guinea pigs, many rodents benefit from a good quality Timothy hay in their diet or environment. It must be fresh, dry and preferably first cut (more green than yellow). If your rodent does not like Timothy hay, oat hay is a good alternative. Alfalfa hay can be given as a last resort but be aware that it has a high calcium content, which can cause crystals in the urine of some rodents.

Environment: Rodents are active and agile creatures. It is important to offer them an environment in which they can climb, play and do lots of exercise. The cage should have several floors to allow climbing and jumping from one platform to another. The size of the cage varies from one species to another. As a general guide, the smaller species need a cage with the minimum dimensions of 40cm x 30cm x 40cm high. Rats and degus need cages measuring a minimum of 70cm x 40cm x 80cm high and chinchillas will do well in a cage measuring 75cm x 60cm x 1 metre high. There are cage calculators on the web, as pictured below, to help you determine the size of cage per number of rodents. The cage should be made mostly of metal bars with a hard plastic bottom so that it is easy to clean and allows air to circulate. Even though the cage will be your rodent's main home, it is important that he has some freedom whenever you are able to supervise him. 
Other essential elements for your rodent's living quarters are lots of safe toys, a hiding place and a cozy place to sleep. You can also give him a litter box appropriate to his size. Chinchillas and rats can be taught to use a litter box fairly easily. NEVER USE WOOD CHIPS AS LITTER OR BEDDING because these can cause liver disease and are associated with respiratory and eye infections in small animals. Instead, use newspaper, shredded paper, paper based cat litter (Yesterday's News) or Carefresh Pet Bedding. Place a old towel or a hammock in the cage to provide a comfy place to nap and nest in. Chinchillas and degus also need a sand bath, at least 5 times a week for chinchillas and 2 to 3 times a week for degus. The sand used is a special type specifically made for this purpose and is available in most pet stores. Last but not least, place your rodent's cage in a dry, cool, and sociable part of the house.


Medical problems: All species of rodents can be prone to misalligned teeth. The misallignment results in overgrown teeth, which cut into the cheeks or tongue, causing ulcers and infections in the mouth as well as hypersalivation and loss of appetite. There is no cure for the this problem but symptoms can be avoided by having the teeth trimmed regularly by a specialised vet. Rodents are also subject to gastro-intestinal upsets, which can be caused by hairballs, rapid changes in the diet or by the disruption of the animal's natural intestinal flora. With rodents, a gastro-intestinal problem is regarded as an emergency because it can cause death in a short period of time. If your pet has a loss of appetite, abnormal stools, becomes lethargic or has a sudden weight loss, contact your vet immediately. Gerbils will often have mild epileptic seizures that do not require any medical treatment. Aging female rats are prone to developing mammary gland tumors. As for degus, they are prone to diabetes.

Lifespan per species: 
Hamster  2 - 4 years
Mice 2 - 3 years
Rat   2 - 3 years
Gerbil  3 - 5 years
Degu 10 - 15 years
Chinchilla 9 - 17 years

A few rat sayings found over the years

I wrote these all down in a file whenever I read or thought of a one - they are all negative. No wonder people have a stereotype about rats - they attribute the worst of human qualities to the rat, and then blame the rat.

"I don't give a rat's ass"

Cornered like a rat
I smell a rat
you dirty rat
rat someone out
rat bastard

the Republican political dirty-trick term "rat f**king"

rat-arsed (drunk)
rat race (now neutral, fierce competition)

"despite all my rage I am still just a rat in a cage"

Whew. That's bad. Do you have any to add? Do you have any (please!) positive sayings?

The baby foster boys have grown up!

Not so long ago, I helped out the Monteregie SPCA with looking after and then rehoming a mamma rat and her litter of 5 babies. Two of the boys went back to the SPCA, but after a month of no inquiries, and after my own foster bunny being adopted, I opened my home to them again. We are still looking for a good home for them, but in the meantime, my two tough boys think they're all right and there hasn't been a skirmish yet (today is their first day living in the same cage, after several days of shared "out" time).

Because they arrived at my home the day before Hallowe'en, I thought of naming them Igor and Frankenstein. But the names haven't stuck.

Here are the before and after pics:

The boys have settled in nicely, and my former Mr. Tough Guys have not stomped on them yet - so I've opened up the trap door between their condos. They didn't mingle for long, each keeping to their condo, but also, no squabbles or screaming!

The Animal Hoarding project

Today I received the following e-mail from Erica at the Animal Planet show "Confessions: Animal Hoarding." It is an important topic that we in the pet rat community have had to deal with before. Please read on:

Animal hoarding is a serious animal welfare problem that affects every community in the country… but hardly anyone is doing anything about it. It’s only when the hoarding degenerates into criminal animal abuse that authorities can get involved. Before then, it festers, with helpless pets locked away inside the homes of people who are often suffering from serious emotional problems. Studies have shown that without psychological help the recidivism rate for animal hoarders is near 100 percent.

Although animal hoarding is not yet formally recognized as a distinct psychological disorder in the psychiatric diagnostic manual, the mental health community is trying to better understand and approach animal hoarding through a human lens. Unless this problem is addressed and understood at a human level, it will never be solved. Animal Planet's series is providing an opportunity for experts in psychology, veterinary health and leading organizations to address and unlock the problem on a national level.

Unfortunately, animal hoarding affects every different species of animals and the exotic pet community. As professionals in your industry and respected members of the Rat & Mice community, we ask that you help us put an end to animal suffering.

Most hoarders start out as dedicated pet owners or want to turn their love for animals into a legitimate business- through breeding, unfortunately they let their situation get out of hand. If you get any leads or letters about a potential hoarder, contact us so that we can provide the psychological help, professional support and find new homes for the animals.

If you are interested in making animal hoarding a topic for public recognition, discussion and therefore action, please feel free to use us as a resource. The Animal Planet show, CONFESSIONS: ANIMAL HOARDING, is currently looking for people who own more animals than they can properly care for and need help - whether they have a houseful of rabbits, reptiles, birds or common household pets.

Please watch the latest news coverage of our cause, http://www.kmov.com/news/local/Animal-PLa-104297124.html

The production team is currently seeking stories. If you or your organization knows someone who could benefit from participating on our show, call: 1-877-698-7387 or encourage them to contact us directly. You can also submit someone to be considered for the show online at www.animalplanet.com/animalhoarding. People can submit their animal hoarding story directly to http://www.animalhoardingproject.com/machform/view.php?id=1

About "expired" food donated by a research lab

From time to time, I get an e-mail from a well-respected medical research lab whenever they have an excess of food that is reaching its "expiration" date, which is 6 months after its milling. In this particular instance, the donated food has a higher protein content - 18% - rather than the usual 14%. It also has higher vitamin content, because this food was formulated to be autoclaved, for research animals in a sterile environment.

Given that food does not "go bad" after its expiration date, but that its various nutritional components will degrade over time until, eventually, it becomes like basic compost or sawdust, we take the food at its expiration date and distribute it. That food that cannot be consumed within two months goes into the recipient's freezers, to prolong the life an additional 6 months.

Regardless, the health and wellness media has done a good job of drilling into people's heads the idea that if you have expired food of any kind, you are taking a risk. I have some thoughts on competency losses and their resulting economic dependency - as well as bad supply chain management - that relate to this prevalent perception, but this post is not the place for making that argument. So I will focus on the idea of optimum nutrition of the individual in the context of how that food is delivered.

Consider the quality of laboratory blocks, even past due date, versus the quality that most pet rats are getting. Then consider that we also give our rats these blocks as a base, and add variety with table scraps and vegetables and sometimes bones. Given these, there are bigger issues to pursue than the idea of "perfect nutrition;" especially when proper exercise in a healthy life is pretty much the rule as the limiting factor for humans and their companion and livestock animals.

Now consider the metabolic and ecological argument. Rats have only been domesticated for 200 years, maybe less, and in all that time it is perhaps only the past 40 years that labs have scientifically developed "optimum" diets for any animals, *including humans.* This optimization research for humans is done to compensate for the real effort it requires to eat a varied, ecological diet. Diet research for animals is because they feed us and provide us with valuable information regarding pathways to disease for mostly our own health and well-being, or because some people fret about their pet, legitimately or not.

All manufactured food that is taken out of the human supply chain and directed towards animals increases our ecological footprint. We expend many, many more calories of energy in delivering food than the actual food contains. It is very important to me and what I see as the larger scheme of things that food never becomes waste, because waste, in all of its forms, plays a zero-sum game with food for us and other creatures. Given the arcane rules we have about quality and sourcing, both for better and worse, there is a lot of waste that goes into manufacturing. There is fish meal in these lab blocks. That fish meal - and soy and wheat, which are under cost pressure from corn and biofuel production, all of which in turn drive deforestation - could have gone to chickens for those Omega eggs that people seem to like to buy, or into fish food for fish farms because people like to eat farmed fish. In fact, I have inquired with my laboratory contact and this food, if ground, could be used for chickens, and it can certainly be used for pigs in its current form.

If my rats are not having any trouble digesting this food, then I give it to them. After all, they're omnivores. If they have a problem, I don't. That's my responsibility to the individuals who are my rats. But I also have a responsibility to the collection of organisms that have already went into or been impacted by the manufacture of this food, and to those that would go without such high-quality food without it - and be realistic, it is high quality - and finally, I have a responsibility to the process that ended up with getting this food to us.

Perhaps a lab technician needs to get better at estimating the food they will actually need so that not quite so much is at risk of being wasted, but we don't know the proportion of food they go through in a year. If there are 116 bags per year and that amounts to 5 - 10% of their food budget, that they want to give it to charity, to benefit homeless animals of the same species they study - then I am going to make sure this channel remains open and is appreciated. You do not look a gift horse in the mouth; you take that horse into your stable and you find appropriate work and companionship for it.

Shaking water off a dog

When I had a dog, I tried to teach her "shake!" when she went swimming, so that she wouldn't do it with other people in her shake radius.

Those of us who have given our pet rats a bath know that after the traumatic event (only the rare rat actually likes a bath), just like a little dog, the rat will run to the most inconvenient spot and shake itself drier - while still looking like a, ahem, drowned rat. And then you catch the reluctant creature in a towel and give it a good rubbing, which only the rare rat actually dislikes. Keep them cozy!

Enjoy the mathematical explanation of the frequency in Hertz of water being shaken. You can view it here.

The Secret Life of Field Mice

The Secret Life of Field Mice

Anyone who has had pet mice can assure you, these tiny creatures have the spark of intelligence and a lot of personality. As for charm, you need look no further than all the cultural representations we have of mice, for both adults and children as audiences. But I have never seen such photographs as have been captured by a pair of Alsatian photographers, Jean-Louis Klein and Marie-Luce Hubert. The pictures are breathtaking, and I urge you to explore the comments and all background information you can find, after first reading the article.

This picture is linked from the website of the two photographers, who specialize in wildlife photography.

The Montérégie SPCA - rats for adoption, including babies!

One little boy:

The bold black berk girl (white belly):

Momma and boys (the boys are distinguishable by their different sizes and different-coloured hands!):

Dappled back girl (Miss Cloud):

This past week, I separated the boys from momma and the girls. The girls are available with momma, as a pair, or alone if you have other girls to integrate them with. The boys should be adopted as a pair, even if you plan to integrate them with your boys (you'll have to wait until they're 10 weeks old before you do so, as they need to be able to defend themselves).

Nevertheless, they are all adorable, and they are waiting for you - or someone you know - to adopt them and love them!

Lost!

This is a repost of the original explanation of what happens, and what to do, if your rat becomes lost in transit.

Being lost in the big bad world is not good news for rodents. People react badly. They don't understand that a little rat just wants to go home and be cozy.

The first type of “lost” is when they go rambling. This has happened to me a lot; particularly with black rats. They always seem to be the biggest explorers, some sometimes those short-sighted PEW will surprise you. Also: beware the mighty hamster! I think hamsters are the biggest “lost rodent” threat based on the urge to hide.

The second type of lost is when travelling. Scary! So if this happens to your rodent while flying on an airline or other mode of transportation, here is what you do:

Don't panic! or burn bridges. Assigning blame at this point is counter-productive. You need people to help you, and your wee rodent will need a lot of help.

Rule Number One: tell everyone you know! Don’t assume you don't know anyone who knows someone who works at an airline or airport - someone came forward on the Canada Rat Adoption list because he had connections through friends and colleagues in the industry. I found that one of my petsitters has an uncle who worked 30 years for Air Canada in the baggage division.

Two: save yourself some time and call the union who's responsible for the baggage and cargo - chances are, two or three unions are! They know - or are - the people in charge of doing actual physical work, whereas the Corporate offices have too much on their plate and lack focus on what needs to be done. Moreover, some in the corporate office that you call, receiving calls as their job, don't want any disruption in the normal flow of their day. And this kind of situation is worth a lot of disruption! The managers that the union puts you through to - they are better focused and able to help.

Three: Get the word out at the airport. Call the Airport Authority, call Security, call the Canine Unit or Wildlife Unit (who keep birds away from the runways), and call the Canada Customs (or your country's equivalent) Agricultural Inspector. HOWEVER, the airport may claim they can't act until asked to by the airline, because if the airline is a tenant at the airport, it has ultimate authority over its domain. But the more people who know, the greater its priority, and they may help you get through to the appropriate airline personnel. Do not hesitate to go in person, too. You can obtain a security pass in order to conduct the search.

Finally, DON’T give up in the face of adversity in searching for a pet! Drop your ego, but uphold your convictions (a lost pet matters). It can be truly amazing what happens when you commit yourself to finding a lost pet, just as with any other worthwhile goal. Which is exactly what happened when we lost (and found) Mousie…

Flying Rodents!

This is my favourite page ever (it used to be a page, now it's a post. Same thing!). It was my favourite accomplishment in working in animal rescue. It is about a little rat named Mousie: the mouse that roared. You can read her story over here.

It is also my favourite page because a lot of readers find Mooshika when they are looking for information on how to fly with their pets.


What do you do if you have to move across the country, or are taking an extended visit and want to take your pet rat (or other rodent) along? Many people put their pets at the sitter's, or rehome them. You don't always have to!


The five items that are absolutely essential to follow should you travel with a pet are the following:

1. Check your preferred airline for its pet standards! Read policies and be prepared. If your airline doesn't cover rodents or pet travel, choose one that will. 
2. Arrange to travel during temperate weather. Not in winter, and not during hot spells. Early morning and evening is best. We found out upon Mousie's return that planes can be on the tarmac for a long time, loaded, prior to take-off - and the temperature variation can be quite wide. Plan a time of day that is not too hot!
3. Get a direct flight. No stopovers, no connections. (If you must connect, take several hours between the flights, and pick up your pet at the connection, and recheck your pet back in just prior to boarding). If your pet becomes lost, you want searches to only have to be conducted at the origin and destination.
4. Always use the sturdiest airline-certified cat carrier you can find. Make sure the carrier is normally smash-, buckle-, and escape-proof, and LABEL ALL PARTS THOROUGHLY. During transport, things can shift, fall, and break. You can put your pet in a more suitable small-animal carrier inside the cat carrier, so long as it has ample cushioning and air circulation. (I'd add a hammock, too!) Screw it down if it has a suitable bottom; drill the cat carrier and the transporter in matching places, and use small pan-head metal bolts to anchor it.
5. Give the animal enough fruit to remain hydrated for three days!

Remember, no one will care for your pet like you do. So take maximum precautions to ensure their safety, and follow the formal guidelines both here and at your airline.


Loading procedure for pets as baggage
The following is Air Canada's, and likely all airlines', procedure for checking in a pet for travel.

• When you board a plane with a pet, the Lead Station Attendant calls in to the destination airport's Weight and Balance office that there is live cargo aboard the plane. This gets logged on the Load Sheet. The animal is carried to the live cargo compartment and is installed there.
• When the plane arrives at its transit points (stopovers), the animals in the live cargo compartment are verified for the Weight and Balance office. Same thing when it arrives at the destination airport, except that the animal is then unloaded and taken in to the Baggage office for claiming. If unclaimed for very long, it goes to a vet or an animal handling company to be looked after until its owners are found.
• Every day, in North America and around the world, rats, mice, and other animals are flown by the singles to thousands. Rats and mice are flown in boxes that are specifically designed to maximize their survival in adverse conditions. They are chew-proof and they contain a gel source for hydration. (However, they are NOT suitable for hamsters. Hamsters have special requirements, and you'll need to do additional research.) The place to get a box like this would be a lab animal supply company. Check your closest university to ask them for any used boxes, or to ask their suppliers for a fresh one for your rodents.

If at all possible, call your airline and ask for Live shipping. Find a live animal cargo specialist. You want this because cargo is a whole different system than baggage, where animals are treated better. (Cargo flights are not passenger flights. They have some passengers, but we'll get to that in a minute.) I confirmed with Rob Little, one of Air Canada's animal handlers, that there are more staff people around per shipment than in regular baggage, and they also have specialized knowledge about how to handle animals of different kinds. As they handle rats a lot, they know rats! They also ship horses, tigers, elephants - you name it.


Still, I wouldn't want to fly separately from my pets, and neither would most people, so I inquired about being a passenger on a cargo plane. It can be done, but it requires special arrangements. Usually the seats on a cargo plane are occupied by "dead-heading" airline staff - staff heading home at the end of their shift, or for their time off after a week of work.


The next page to read is what to do if the unthinkable happens, and your rodent becomes LOST!

Rescuing squirrels and wild rodents

Most of the phone calls that Small Victories (our former rescue) have received over the past few years have been regarding young squirrels found outside of their nests, injured squirrels, and errant mouse-like creatures (rats are pretty easy to identify).

• If you are looking to solve a problem with an animal that’s taken up unwanted residence, contact Humane Wildlife Control. 

Here is your basic advice on what to do and how to care for wild rodents:

1. Goat milk is the universal replacement milk.
2. Soy milk comes a close second.
3. Rabbits take puppy formula, but not kitten formula. 
4. Don't take a baby rabbit (or even a bird) from the wild just because it's alone. Its mother will come back to look for it. You must be sure it's abandoned by its physical condition, or by monitoring it regularly throughout the day, without touching it.
5. What small animals in distress need is 1) warmth and 2) liquid energy.
6. Sometimes they actually need to see a vet, too.
7. But if they don't, they need a secure, warm (but not too warm), dark (away from prying eyes) space in which they can recover.
8. Babies need to be fed every few hours. Count on one overnight feeding.
9. Squirrels sleep 75% of the time.
10. Once a squirrel's tail begins to be bushy, it needs solid food (start with porridge) and climbing exercise.
11. You can't keep them and domesticate them. It's inhumane to cage a wild animal for long, and it's illegal.
12. Take the squirrel outside for walks. Introduce it to trees.
13. Handle small rodents as little as possible while you clean their cage.
14. Release mice in an environment as similar as possible to the one in which you found them. If it's a house mouse you don't want, find it a secure shelter where it won't be bothering anyone - or unlikely to be poisoned.
15. Don’t feed wildlife you don’t want to increase in population. I didn't mind having a wild rat sheltering in my backyard, but for its own safety, I removed the bird feeder. 

General shelter volunteer jobs

Are you hesitant to get involved because it seems like being involved in animal rescue is such a huge demand? If so, don't worry, it can be done in manageable enough bites that you can get involved without getting burned out. The following jobs add to your skills and networks, and are very favourable for work experience on your resume.

Positions:

Advertising liaison - creating and mailing out or posting Adoption flyers at petstores and vet clinics on a monthly basis. Anyone is welcome to approach new pet stores and vet clinics and other locations for posting our flyers; after initial contact is made, we will add them to our mailing list.

Fundraiser - shelters and rescues always need someone with events-planning experience or interest who can help get fundraising activities under way. Telephone calls are a major part of this work.

Adoption agents - mainly for organizing and staffing adoption clinics. Also involved in interviewing candidates after paperwork has come in to determine if they will be a good home, including some home visits. Bilingualism is an asset.

Written Communications - E-mail is the biggest routine job after cleaning cages and looking after the animals. Rescues need someone with writing skills and communication empathy to help with this work.

Advocate - someone (or two) with public relations and/or legal experience to raise awareness of animal welfare issues and to help make the ship watertight; this position may be key in making an organization a registered non-profit / charity. Bilingualism is an asset.

Translation - from time to time, a shelter needs fast turnaround on translation jobs.

Handyman - if you have a knack for building, maintaining, painting, shelters and rescues can always use your help. They have shelving units that need to be straightened and mounted properly, units to build, and repairs to make!

Seamstress - if you have a sewing machine and skills to make hammocks and toys for fundraising and for shelter pets!

Pet forum liaison - this is a job some of you perform already! As shelter /rescue staff don't have time to spend on the forums, they miss out on opportunities to get to know the extended small animal community. You don't have to do it officially on their behalf, though you can give the rescue or a shelter a mention when it's relevant. If a positive adoption prospect comes forward, just provide the shelter the details of who they are - lend your support to adoption agent(s) in screening homes. French or English or any language - according to forums you visit!

And finally: Cuddler.

At most animal shelters, most small animals are treated for health problems only if it's easy to treat, otherwise, they will be euthanized. For these reasons, they are not "safe." They are mostly being kept in good conditions - although they may not always be on the best bedding or have a proper diet. They aren't let out for exercise except perhaps with volunteers.

Shelters need volunteers to go in and cuddle the rodents. This keeps them well-socialized and alleviates boredom in the cage. About 3-4 volunteers are needed, and you are only asked for a consistent schedule. Also, the more small animal volunteers there are, the more weight is given when they raise concerns about illnesses and healthcare.

Spaying and neutering

Spaying and neutering larger rodents and rabbits is most cost-effective when they are young. How you measure cost-effectiveness is something we go into on this page, because cost is a factor of why people do not spay or neuter their pets.

Basic cost-effectiveness is taking the cost of the operation and dividing it up by the number of months you reasonably expect the animal to live. For example, if it is a young rat, start with 24 months. So a $120 procedure amounts to (the time value of money not included) $5 a month. Can you afford that? Probably.

If you keep only one sex, or else are completely responsible and keep males and females separate at all times, then do-nothing is a viable option for you. However, there are some health and behaviour benefits for spaying and neutering.

Females who are spayed at a young age are much less susceptible to mammary and/or uterine tumours. The cost of a tumour removal is commensurate with the cost of spaying, AND tumours often come back, so two operations can be assumed.

Sometimes neutering is required if you have a particularly aggressive or territorial male who won't get along with his cage mates, or who needs for his own good and your convenience to be integrated with other males. Or he could simply be a lucky fella because he'll have a female cage mate. (I know we like to anthropomorphize, but rats do not mate for life. Nonetheless, domestic rats do form pairs and the bond can be quite strong.)

If you think your rat is already pregnant…

Make a wise investment in yourself and your pet. If she could be pregnant, take her to the vet and see about spaying her. It is not too late until the vet tells you it is. If she is young, she will derive benefits by reducing tumour occurrences when she's older. If she's older, it could save her life from a difficult birth.

One way of telling early on if she's pregnant, well before she develops a distinctive pear-shape, is to weigh her daily on a postal scale. An increase in weight is a strong indication if you have reason to suspect she's been in contact with males.

The cost of spaying a rat, chinchilla or a rabbit varies; in Montreal, it's about $170. Remember: once a rat is spayed, you never have to worry about her getting pregnant again. All other alternatives mean it could be a repeat performance.
Rabbits have litters of 3 - 6 babies.
Chinchilla have only 1 - 2 babies, but remember - they live 15 years!
Rats have litters from 4 - 18 babies. Healthy moms usually have about 10 - 14.
The cost of a caesarian section should the birth go badly: $140 and up. Other assistance is additional, i.e. emergency hospital admission fees, because you don't get to choose the hour of birth. If a rat is in labour for more than 3 hours, she is in trouble! Do not wait!
The cost of euthanizing pinkies (termed culling), if you choose to go that route: $50 and up. Home culling is a crime. It is also very sad, as the mother will look for the babies she loses.
The cost of upgrading the cage size to accommodate Mama and 5 - 8 daughters: $100
The cost of a second cage or two to house 5 - 8 males at 5 weeks of age: $100
The cost of food and bedding for a period of six months, estimated duration to adopt all babies (except one daughter to keep Mama company): at least $75 more than before
Realistic number of rats at shelters that don't find homes because your babies found those homes first: 4 – and an excellent chance that one of your babies in turn has babies, and those babies end up in the shelter.
The average cost per rat in treating mycoplasma or removing tumours, likely and predictable diseases, over a lifetime: $200
Cost of euthanasia at a shelter - available whenever an animal needs it: $2 - 5, paid by the shelter as people do not usually offer or agree to pay or donate for this service
Some municipalities pay the shelter for this fee, and the shelter responds to this money by refusing to partner up with rescue organizations to save lives - because if they don't euthanize the animal, they don't get the fee. Shelters cannot run on rain, sunshine, and goodwill alone.
Cost of a much more humane (under sedative or anaesthetic) euthanasia at an exotic vet: $15 - 22 per small animal, paid by the client

So, if you don't spay your potentially pregnant rat, chinchilla, or rabbit, you are still spending money, and spending other people's money (or not spending money by subjecting the animal to cruelty). The chances of all babies making it into homes, where all their needs will be looked after all their lives, are not so good. Moreover, there are so many pets already living in this world, who deserve a better chance at being the pets they were supposed to be. You can help them first and foremost by not adding to their numbers.

Not ALL pet stores are evil

We have often said that pet stores are not a good source to get pets. This is from the experience that they don't always know their stuff, and they carry and often recommend products that can be harmful to our pets' health.

The real trouble is that pet stores purchase their pets from breeders who are not interested in the home the pet gets - they are interested in the income or the "cool" factor that they have such a hobby. Pet stores and their breeder suppliers want the looks that get a buyer interested, but should realize they are gambling with the animal's health and longevity. Pet stores often do not look into the living conditions or genetics/pedigree planning of the breeder's operation, and some may find it cheaper and easier to do it badly in-house. Animals are rarely born one-at-a-time, so while one or two babies in the litter are sellable, what happens to the rest?

So what's a pet store to do? Where else are people going to get pets? A store can still be involved when it:

- helps shelters place rescue animals by participating in an adoption program,
- acts as a shelter with due vet care for surrendered animals,
- posts ads for members of the public who need to rehome their pets (but not advertise to find -sires or dams, or to sell intentional litters),
-  rather than take the animals in-house, refers customers to registered breeders who have been evaluated with strong criteria
- refuses to breed or sell live "feeder" animals and educates those who ask for live feeders why this is a bad practice. The store should offer substitute products and suggestions for alternatives, and, barring that, document how its frozen feeders were killed as humanely as possible.

This is a store that helps perpetuate humane responsibility, with all its costs and rewards. It is honestly a happy place for animals.

A pet shop that doesn't carry animals can carry a wider variety of stock, which it must move to be profitable. It should be supported by its local clientele.

If, however, a store is not taking responsibility according to these guidelines, it is participating in a black-market, cruel economy that necessarily takes place hidden, behind closed doors, and whitewashed by our political system’s lack of will to regulate.

Here are some good ones:

Montreal Critters takes you shopping with your pet, which is nifty and cute. They carry quality supplies, and $10 shipping across Canada.

Global Pets - Pitou, Minou & Compagnons in
Plaza Pointe-Claire has a huge selection for all pets

In Ontario, Pet-Valu carries a full line of products suitable for small animals, and they sometimes display adoptable pets in co-operation with an animal shelter or rescue.

Comments are open for you to suggest your own!

Live Cargo shipping to move or travel with pets

A safer alternative: Live Cargo shipping
One experienced list member's advice on flying with rats

I have shipped rats a few times now and if I were you I would get a small proper carrying cage (airline approved) - even safer if people can see inside.

Animals are sent out Cargo every single day and I found them wonderful looking out for my rats on the day of the event every time I shipped them.

I nailed a little hard sided house about 1/4 the size of the required airline carrier securely in place. It had a blanket all fluffed up inside in layers in case it was too cold or they wanted to hide. I had a towel and a good quality small bottle in it well taped on, some lab blocks as well as some grapes that keep well and carrots soaked in ice water.

I made sure the carrier was well marked, "This way up small animals" and my name, address and phone number attached as well.

I also found the staff very nice, most helpful and more people saying "oh aren't they cute" or they simply did not bother to comment at all.

On one trip a while back some of my rats missed their connection and were looked after by a nice stewardess who checked their water bottle that was taped on. She assured me they would be watched and put right on the next plane.

I know one cargo guy who is a friend of our family at the Ottawa airport and he is in charge of Cargo and takes the animals and sees they are put on the plane too. I saw it happen myself and the animals were driven from inside right to the plane and carefully put on. They sent a special truck to get my rats for me too when they arrived.

The Cargo department's temperature is controlled as well and he says the airlines have to be careful and look after animals best they can, just like people. They don't want any more trouble than needed either.

I think if you see that your rat is put on and locked up carefully, and it has a warm bed inside with some grapes and soaked carrots, and the flight is not way over 13 hours like mine was, or a change of planes, you will be just fine.

I am not saying things never go wrong and others have not had some bad luck but many animals go in and out every day from our airport and do just fine. You will hear some bad experiences but hardly ever hear any good ones. I had three pretty good ones and a lot of people do care.

My good version is when travelling through customs and a 13 hour flight and 2 planes with a transfer my rats woke up and stretched and yawned and greeted me at the door saying, "Oh are we here now? Time to get up?"

Good luck to you!

Fostering pets, or surrendering them?

"It is not easy to manage young humans and animals, but when parents find solutions, rather than dispose of an animal for convenience sake, an important concept is communicated to the child. This is alive. This is valuable. You don't throw it away."
- Marinell Harriman


This page is about two sides of the same coin.

First, the good news: You - the student, the expatriate, the person here for only a short while - you are absolutely needed! Foster homes are for those animals who need a little extra help to get better (health, behaviour) prior to adoption, or find a home when their time at the shelter has run out. You may have the pet for a week or a month or a year, but you know the pet will be taken care of by you - and vice versa, after all, pets are friends! - until its forever home is found - and you get to enjoy the experience without any guilt over your inability to commit for life.

If you've never had rats, mice, gerbils, degus, hamsters, guinea pigs, or any other shelter pet before, this is a good way to see whether they are the pets for you - you will be well-supported by knowledgable people. With no other pets of the same species at home, you'll also provide a valuable service by acting as a quarantine - something much-needed to keep pets healthy. Please contact your local shelter today!

About surrendering - the right thing to do, if done right

And for you, the person in need of finding a new home for a pet: The bad news. Shelters get more calls about surrendering animals than they do for adopting animals. No-kill rescues get even fewer adoptions because people know the animals are safe there. So some new protégés are denied an opportunity for this standard of shelter, because the rescue doesn't have a high enough turnover. We only hope most pets get adopted directly from the shelter in these cases.

Even if a shelter had more adoptions than inquiries to surrender, they might still attempt to address any reasons why you want to give your animal up. This is educational, so avail yourself of it. The problem might not be the pet, but what you don't know.

Some volunteers - upon request - will send out an e-mail on your pet's behalf to networks they are familiar with, to try to find it a home. You need to do the same - research the pet forums and e-mail lists pertinent to your pet, and network with your friends and family to find a new home.

When a shelter is full, and you wish to find your pet (or a pet you found) a new home through them, you must to foster it yourself until it is adopted. For the extra help, a donation to the shelter is warranted.

If you find a home for your pet before they do, ask about sending the person to the shelter for screening. Otherwise you risk a less-than-ideal home for the pet, and they, for having advertised the pet, risk their reputation should the pet be handled in an unethical manner in the process.

In addition, while trying to rehome a pet, you are still responsible for any veterinary needs should your animal become sick. It is not a grey area - the pet is still in your care and you can't deny it what you wouldn't deny a human. Animals do not show sickness until they are truly sick, so do something!

When you take a pet to a pound or a kill shelter, put what is called a "Do Not Destroy" on its file, and leave a donation for its care! If the shelter refuses, do not leave your pet there. They simply need to improve their procedures.

If you get the call that they are ready to give you back your pet or else euthanize it, take the call and respond right away, or the pet will be euthanized shortly.

If you don't know what else to do, then take the animal to your own vet and euthanize it. Euthanasia is a heart-breaking job when the animal is healthy; but when it has no alternative but a life of cruelty or capriciousness in the hands of anyone but its own family, it is better off getting sent off to the long sleep by its family. Be with your pet, don't just say goodbye and leave it in the vet's hands. This is your job.

This is not heartless, guilt-inducing nonsense: This is the way it is. We have a moral obligation to care for our pets, and to take responsibility for them. And by "we," we mean everyone. No one is exempt. Some just want to escape responsibility.

About live feeding

Feeding live captive animals to another animal is "natural and healthy," but a serious act of cruelty. The “cycle of life” has already been broken in keeping a pet snake, and at liberty, their prey is both more varied and fortunate. We don’t require our pet dogs to scavenge and cats to hunt in order to feed them, we interact with them - just as we should with our snakes. There are many humane alternatives that veterinarians recommend. You can substitute humanely pre-killed, frozen (not frozen-to-death, as some pet stores do) prey - but I do not love this idea because it is still a waste of a life, when there are other meat by-products such as poultry necks or packaged diets. A supply of meal worms, eggs in the shell, and other supplemented alternatives is just as available as live mice and rats. You can use tongs to hold the “prey” to entice the snake with movement. Please avail people of this information!

Unfortunately, small animals are often considered convenience pets, not thoroughly researched, because they are so affordable. As it's a caged pet that can't come right up to you, they can be more easily ignored - which is unkind, and owners can become "busy," which often means disinterested. For some, a small animal's short life is actually a selling point because some people consider small animals to be of no great consequence.

An animal once rejected is lucky to arrive on the doorstep of compassionate and knowledgable people. We assess its health, rehabilitate behavioural problems, and look after it until it is adopted or until it dies of natural causes (in palliative care).

We take commitments to animals seriously, and to never have one subjected to a capricious existence is our goal.

George and the boys - Monteregie SPCA

George was dropped off at the shelter in a box with the young boys below. They are available for adoption.

You can contact Cindy by fixing the e-mail address in this link, or click the title of this post for the Monteregie SPCA's Facebook group. 

The coolest article on squirrels

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/06/science/06angi.html?src=me&ref=general

How many people do you know do this kind of repeated behaviour? And, when encountering new situations from which you want something, don't you quietly observe and follow the lead?

Dealing with wild mice - the British way

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/apr/25/lucy-siegle-not-easy-being-green-catching-mice