Do Rodents make good Pets?
Pet rodents are very popular as pets, especially as first pets for young children. They require less care than many other pets and have a shorter life span, generally 2 - 5 years depending on the species. Their small size also makes them practical pets for people who live in places where they are unable to keep larger animals.
Rodents are generally friendly, affectionate and easily tamed. They are intelligent animals and do need regular care, affection and exercise to be healthy and happy.
Rodents have front teeth (incisors) that grow continuously throughout their lives. Overgrown incisors are a common problem and can be prevented by providing a correct diet and pieces of wood, or specially designed toys for your pet rodent to chew on.
Donations
We have no set minimum donation for our rodents. Yet again rely on donation to help us, up keep our rodent room. We have many rats, mice, gerbils and hamsters looking for new homes and appreciate people adopting them. All donations go back into feeding, bedding and toys to keep these intelligent creature amused.
All Donations are always gratefully received.
Please give generously
We have gerbils looking for new homes
Two young male gerbils. These friendly boys were born in December 2007. Quite easy to handle and never bitten. Both boys are grey and we would like them to homed together.
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Todd is a single male gerbil looking for a new home. He came in with a large group of female gerbils and for obvious reasons we had to separate as all the females were pregnant. He is a friendly gerbil and can be handled. He is mainly black with a white throat stripe and is a young adult.
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We have a group of three male gerbils looking for a new home together. They came to us as their previous owner had too many to cope with. This is a lovely group of boys, friendly and can be handled. They are approx 4-5 months old. We have one black, one dove and one agouti.
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Three brothers looking for a new home together. These three gerbils came to us as the owner had too many to cope with. These gerbils have been handled regularly but a little shy with new people, they are friendly and never bitten. They are all different colours, so easy to tell apart, there is one dove, one cream and one agouti. They are young adults approx 4-5 months old.
We have no set fee for our Gerbils, we just ask for a donation
All viewings by appointment only.
Please contact the centre on 01634 681187
between 10am -
Gerbils have many features that make them excellent pets.
Probably their greatest advantage is that they are desert animals
and have a very efficient use of food and water.
The benefit of this for a pet owner is that they produce little urine
and their cages do not need to be cleaned as frequently as other rodent pets.
Another major positive to gerbils is that they are absolutely fearless.
People have speculated that this may be due to a limited number of predators in
their home environment or that nothing in their "pet" environment pushes their buttons.
Since the animals are not afraid, they are generally easier to tame, and their response
to new stimuli is generally to explore (they are very curious) or flee rather than to bite.
Could You Give a Gerbil a Home???
Hamsters
Syrian Hamster
We have a male, sable and white syrian hamster looking for new home. His was born April 2007 and a little shy.
Please contact the centre for further information
All viewings by appointment only.
Please contact the centre on 01634 681187
between 10am -
Hamsters make good pets, the more handling they get the tamer they will be. They are very easy to look after and everything you need can be brought from any pet shop. A wide selection of cages are available, from the simple plastic tray and wire top to the totally enclosed plastic type complete with tubes.
Can You Rehome One of Our Hamsters???
Mice
We have two young male mice looking for a home together. They came to us as part of an unwanted litter. They are friendly and can be handled. They were born in March 2008 and are tan/lilac and white.
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We have no set fee for our Mice we just ask for a donation
For more information or to arrange an appointment to view
Please Contact the centre on: -
01634 681187
Rats
We haven't any rats for re-homing at the moment
All viewings by Appointment Only
Please Contact the Centre
Between 10am – 12noon Monday - Saturday
On: - 01634 681187
Rats are very social animals. In order to be healthy happy animals physically,
mentally and socially they need to be kept in groups of two or more.
This is especially important for younger rats to ensure they develop
into confident and friendly animals. A rat that lives with at
least one other rat will be more confident, more enthusiastic to come out
to spend time with you and explore, and will therefore bond more closely with you.
Rats kept alone are often (but not always) nervous and timid,
sometimes developing behavioural problems. If you want to make sure you
have the best chance of having a friendly confident rat as a pet, make sure
he or she has at least one buddy of the same sex.
Could You Give a Rat a Home????
Degu's
We Currently have no Degus up for Re-Homing
We have no set fee for our degu's - we ask for a donation
Degus are very social animals and can become very tame if handled from an early age. However, they do best if kept with other degus because of their social nature. They are playful and curious. Without social interaction and opportunity for exercise, they can be aggressive and neurotic. Degus are diurnal (active during the day). In the wild they live in communities (much like prairie dogs) and dig an elaborate system of burrows to live in.
Cage: Degus need a large cage. For a couple of degus a minimum of 24 inches by 18 inches by 24 inches tall is about the minimum size. Larger is definitely better and large multilevel cages such as those made for ferrets or chinchillas are ideal. The cage should be made of wire since degus are avid chewers. However, the cage must have a solid (not wire) floor and shelves and ledges should also be made of a solid surface since degus are prone to foot problems.
Other Cage Furnishings: Degus should have a solid surface exercise wheel (11 inches is a good size) in their cage. Thick branches can be added to the cage and will offer both exercise (climbing) and chewing opportunities. Thick cotton ropes can also be used for climbing toys. Using heavy ceramic dishes is a good idea (chew proof), and a water bottle with a sipper tube can be used for water. You may need to get a chew guard for the water bottle.
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Chew Toys: Since degus are such determined chewers, it is vital to provide them with lots of opportunities to chew. A variety of wood blocks and chews as well as branches can be provided.
Feeding: The basis of a good degu diet is a combination of high quality chinchilla or guinea pig pellets, and rodent blocks. Grass hay (such as timothy hay) should be available all the time (you can get small hay racks to make this easier), and a small amount of alfalfa hay can also be offered. A variety of fresh vegetables can be given, especially sweet potato (peeled, uncooked), carrots, broccoli, leafy greens, green beans, and dandelion leaves (must be pesticide-free). These should be offered in small quantities only or they may cause diarrhoea. Vegetables that are members of the cabbage family (cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts, kale) should be fed only in very small quantities and some degu experts advise avoiding them altogether.
