Small rodents names. Rodents. Rodent in the house: is it worth getting a pet?

Do you want to have a pet, but think that having a cat or dog will be a lot of trouble? Pet rodents are an ideal solution to this problem. They don’t need daily walking, they don’t knock flowers off windowsills, they don’t chew shoes, and they don’t damage wallpaper and sofas with their claws. Domestic rodents do not require special care. All you need is cleaning the cage once or twice a week, proper nutrition and equipping the cage with various toys to entertain your pet. Which rodent is best to choose - a funny hamster, a good-natured guinea pig, a smart rat, an energetic chinchilla or a cute mouse? Each animal is good in its own way, so let's figure out which one is best for you.

Many people get pets for their children, trying to instill in their child kindness, a sense of responsibility and compassion. Before getting a pet, you need to consider the age of the child.

Under no circumstances should you buy an animal for a child under three years of age.

At this age, the child is not yet aware of his actions in relation to a living creature, so he can harm the pet, pick up some kind of infection, or put the pet or its food into his mouth.

You can get a pet for a child only after the child realizes that the pet is Living being, not a toy that might hurt. All children develop differently, but from about the age of five you can already think about purchasing a pet rodent.

So who should you choose?

Hamster

Hamsters are very popular pet rodents. But it is worth keeping in mind that this small and cute animal is a nocturnal animal and, moreover, quite aggressive. During the day, the hamster will sleep soundly and will not want to play with you. And if you decide to add a relative to it, then violent showdowns, up to the death of one of the animals, will be ensured.

The hamster will need a durable one made of wire, equipped with a house, a wheel, and tunnels of your choice. If you want to let your pet run around the apartment, then use a walking ball, otherwise the hamster may climb into a hard-to-reach place, chew wiring or other things.

This domestic rodent is not very picky when it comes to food. The main thing is to adhere to some rules. You can find out what to feed your hamster.

The hamster eats little, takes up little space, and requires minimal attention. This pet rodent will do great alone in its cage. The main thing is not to forget to feed him and change his water on time. The only drawback of these animals is their short life expectancy, on average 2-3 years.

The most common representatives of hamsters are the dzhungarik and the Syrian hamster; read about how these species differ.

Guinea pig

Guinea pigs are very good-natured and calm pets. They are easy to train and can respond to a nickname. You can keep either one individual or several animals.

Caring for them is very simple - you need to clean the cage a couple of times a week, comb the fur of representatives of long-haired breeds several times a week, trim their claws and teeth if necessary. With good care, these animals can live up to 10 years.

Guinea pigs are vegetarians and animal products are contraindicated for them. But the presence of hay in the pet’s cage is mandatory. Read what else you can feed these domestic rodents.

Guinea pigs will need a larger cage than hamsters because... these pets are much larger in size. Pigs can be freely let out to walk around the apartment without fear that they will get lost. These pets need more attention than hamsters. Pigs rarely bite and get along well in a cage with another representative of their species.

We described the main differences between a hamster and a guinea pig in.

Rat

IN Lately The rat has become a popular domestic rodent. Many people are disgusted by this animal because of the habitat of their wild relatives and also the prejudiced attitude towards them. But pet rats are safe for humans.

They are very sociable, easily tamed, understand their name, can learn some commands, and practically do not bite. When kept at home, these animals can live 2-3 years. They do not require special nutrition - they are omnivores. And you will have to clean the cage more often to get rid of the unpleasant smell. These pets can be kept in pairs. You can read more about keeping rats in. Rats need to be physically active, so they need to be allowed to roam outside their cage. But they require much more attention than other domestic rodents.

Learn more about the difference between a hamster and a domestic rat.

Mouse

But you can’t often find a mouse as a pet. Although they are well worth attention. After all, representatives of this class of rodents are unpretentious in keeping, quickly adapt and practically do not bite. In addition, these animals are very funny and playful.

These tiny animals lead predominantly night look life. With good care they can live for about two years. Mice are herd animals, so if you only have one individual, then take care of entertainment for your pet - balls, cubes or other toys.

Mice are omnivores, but you should not overfeed them with sweets, fatty and spicy foods - this can lead to diseases.

These rodents have one drawback - a specific smell that does not disappear even with very good care. In addition, they reproduce very quickly.

Gerbils are tiny, unpretentious, easily tamed domestic rodents with a long, bushy tail. At home, they are usually kept in pairs, as they are social animals that love communication. Gerbils need a spacious cage or aquarium, as they are a very active animal, or put a running wheel in the cage.

You need to pour a thick layer of bedding into the cage so that the animal has the opportunity to dig into it. These rodents need sand baths, so place a container with special sand in the cage, which needs to be changed periodically.

The lifespan of gerbils is 3-4 years. The food is the same as .

Chinchilla

Chinchillas are very active and beautiful rodents with long mustaches, a fluffy tail and a thick fur coat. These animals are very clean and tidy - they practically do not smell. Their activity peaks at night, as they are nocturnal animals. Chinchillas need a spacious cage with various shelves, climbing devices and toys.

You need to place a container with sand in the cage; the animal loves to take sand baths. Chinchillas' fur is very dense and does not harbor fleas and ticks. This animal does not shed, so people with allergies can get such a pet. Chinchillas do not bite or scratch, although they have sharp teeth.

These rodents eat little; when kept at home, they are fed once a day with dried foods - dried apples, carrots, hay, dandelion roots, as well as granules as the main food.

One of the advantages of chinchillas over other domestic rodents is their life expectancy. With proper care, these animals can live on average 15-20 years.

Degu

Degus are rare domestic rodents, very active, cute, easily tamed animals. This rodent, like a chinchilla, needs a spacious cage with a house, a drinking bowl, a wheel and other toys for active games. A degu should always have specialized food in its feeder consisting of herbs, cereals and vegetables, as well as hay and branches for grinding down teeth. But sweet fruits and dried fruits are contraindicated for these rodents due to their predisposition to diabetes.

Degus are very sociable and get used to the hands of their owner and can recognize him by smell. This pet is a social animal, so it requires constant communication either with other degus or with the owner. Therefore, if you do not have enough time for your pet, buy him a pair.

Other rodents

It is very rare to find a squirrel, dormouse, chipmunk, gopher or jerboa as a domestic rodent. For such rodents, it is necessary to observe certain conditions of maintenance and nutrition, based on their living conditions in their natural environment.

Don't think that pet rodents don't deserve the same attention as cats or dogs. If you have small animal, then he has already become a member of your family who has the right to attention, care and love. You must decide for yourself which rodent to have in your home, choosing the animal to suit your temperament. No matter who you choose, any pet is capable of making you touch and rejoice, and will reciprocate your affection and love.

Squad Rodents

The squad unites different types squirrels, beavers, mice, voles, rats and many others. They are distinguished by a number of features. One of them is the peculiar structure of the teeth, adapted to feeding on hard food. plant foods(branches of trees and shrubs, seeds, herbaceous plants). All rodents, unlike lagomorphs, have one pair of incisors in the upper jaw. They are rootless and grow continuously throughout the animal's life. In addition, they grind unevenly and have the appearance of a chisel, since their front side is covered with harder and denser enamel than the back. Molars have a wide surface and are adapted for grinding plant foods.

Most rodents are highly fertile: they bear numerous offspring several times throughout the year.

Rodents are widespread on our planet and very diverse; there are about 2 thousand species of these animals.

Common squirrel

Common squirrel- a small animal with a somewhat elongated body and a long fluffy tail. She lives mainly in old conifers and mixed forests, in trees, can climb a trunk, deftly jump from branch to branch, from one tree to another. Movement through trees is facilitated by such structural features as strong hind legs, sharp claws on the toes, and a long fluffy tail, which acts as a parachute when jumping. In summer the squirrel is red, and in winter it is light gray; the change in color has a protective value. Summer color makes it unnoticeable on trunks coniferous trees, and the winter one hides the animal against the background of snow.

The squirrel lives in hollows or makes spherical nests made of twigs and moss with a side entrance in trees, at a height of 2 to 6 m. In summer, squirrels are born in them (from 3 to 10), which after two months become independent.

In summer, the squirrel feeds on seeds of coniferous trees, mushrooms, insects, and can attack small birds and their chicks. For the winter, the squirrel collects large supplies of food, as it does not hibernate. IN very coldy she climbs into a hollow or nest and sleeps there all day long, curled up in a ball.

The squirrel is of great commercial importance; the winter fur of the Siberian squirrel is especially valued.

Beaver- one of the largest rodents (body length reaches 80 cm). It is adapted to life not only on land, but also in aquatic environment. On land it seems clumsy, but in water it moves superbly thanks to its streamlined body shape. When immersed in water, the beaver's auditory openings and nostrils close, and the lips close behind the incisors. The tail is wide and flat, covered with scales, and acts as a rudder when moving in water. Swimming is also aided by the hind limbs, the toes of which are connected by a swimming membrane. Fur with a thick undercoat that does not allow water to pass through.

Beavers live along the banks of rivers and lakes with thickets of aspen, willow, and birch. They dig holes on steep banks with an exit under water, and on low, swampy banks they build huts from thick branches, twigs and earth, which are well cemented with silt, durable and also have an exit under water. To maintain the water level in the river, dams are built from sticks and branches held together with silt and earth. In summer, beavers feed on succulent parts aquatic plants, in autumn and winter they eat young bark and shoots of various deciduous trees. Beavers breed once in the warm season. The cubs are born sighted, covered with thick dark brown hair, swim well, but cannot dive. The beaver has many enemies; wolves, wolverines, lynxes and foxes are especially dangerous for it.

The beaver was once a valuable game animal; its beautiful fur has long been valued. Currently, beaver hunting is prohibited everywhere.

Wood mouse

Rodents also include the gray rat, mice, voles, etc. In the European part of our country, in Central Asia And Western Siberia there lives a small animal - wood mouse By appearance it is similar to a field mouse, but somewhat larger, it has a different color: the back is red, the belly is white, and there is a yellow spot on the chest between the front legs.

The wood mouse lives in mixed and deciduous forests, in places with well-developed undergrowth and an abundance of dead wood. Active at night, during the day it is found in burrows under tree roots or in hollows.

It feeds mainly on seeds of deciduous trees, hazelnuts, berries and even insects, and eats tree seedlings. Forest mice are considered forest pests, as they destroy large quantities tree seeds, preventing their regeneration.

Bank vole

In the forest and forest-steppe zones lives in our country bank vole.

It is also small, but unlike a mouse it has a less blunt muzzle, not a long tail, covered with short sparse hair.

The color of the fur is dominated by red tones.

In winter, the vole lives in haystacks or in buildings, in summer - under the roots of uprooted stumps, hollows, and piles of brushwood. Here she makes nests with branched passages. The vole feeds mainly on green parts of plants, seeds, berries, and mushrooms. Many people feed on it beasts of prey and birds. During the years of mass reproduction, the vole destroys a huge number of seeds forest trees, as well as stocks of vegetables in warehouses. Therefore, it is considered a pest of forestry and agriculture.

Gray rat

Most major representative mouse-like rodents - gray rat. It is widespread throughout our country and lives in a wide variety of conditions, in residential and outbuildings, in basements, and in barnyards. In summer it is often found in vegetable gardens, wastelands and fields. The rat is very dexterous, agile and fearless. At the same time, she is very careful and skillfully avoids various obstacles.

Gray rats are omnivorous rodents, as they feed on small animals, such as voles, small birds, eat human food supplies, carrion, grain, etc. They are agricultural pests and carriers of many diseases.

Jerboas

Very peculiar rodents live in the steppes, semi-deserts and deserts - jerboas. They have short front and very long hind legs, a tail with a flat tuft of hair at the end. Jerboas move by jumping, with the tail serving as both a rudder and a support (see textbook illustration, p. 231).

Jerboas are nocturnal, live in burrows, and hibernate during the winter. They feed on seeds, leaves, stems of cereals, tubers and bulbs of wild plants. In turn, they are prey for desert predatory animals, birds, and reptiles.

Porcupine

Porcupine- the largest rodent, body length from 60 to 90 cm, and weight about 27 kg. He has small eyes and ears. The front part of the body is covered with bristles, and the back with needles. The tail is covered with short spines (see textbook illustration, p. 231).

The porcupine is distributed in the south of Central Asia and Azerbaijan, living in desert foothills and hilly areas. Spends the day in a hole or cave, and at night leads an active lifestyle. It feeds on plants: green parts, roots, bulbs and tubers, fruits and seeds of trees and shrubs. Causes damage in places agriculture, eating potatoes, corn and melons.

Rodents in the house I first got a hazel dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) while still living in a private apartment. Then I had too little experience in handling these animals, and I placed her together with the forest dormouse (Dryomys nitedula) that lived with me. All night I watched them

author Popovsky Alexander Danilovich

From the book Animal Life Volume I Mammals author Bram Alfred Edmund

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From the book An Ancestor's Tale [Journey to the Dawn of Life] author Dawkins Clinton Richard

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From the book Animal World. Volume 6 [Pet Tales] author Akimushkin Igor Ivanovich

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From the book Animal World. Volume 2 [Stories about winged, armored, pinnipeds, aardvarks, lagomorphs, cetaceans and anthropoids] author Akimushkin Igor Ivanovich

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From book Animal world Dagestan author Shakhmardanov Ziyaudin Abdulganievich

Lagomorphs and rodents Domestic animals in the class of mammals gave rise to two more orders: lagomorphs and rodents (each with one representative). These are a rabbit and a guinea pig. The time of domestication of the rabbit has not even been approximately established. It is only known that in

From the book Mammals author Sivoglazov Vladislav Ivanovich

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From the book An Ancestor's Story [Pilgrimage to the Origins of Life] author Dawkins Clinton Richard

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From the book Anthropology and Concepts of Biology author Kurchanov Nikolay Anatolievich

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Order Chiroptera This order includes the bats and fruit bats. The only group of mammals capable of long-term active flight. The forelimbs are transformed into wings. They are formed by a thin elastic leathery flight membrane, which is stretched between

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Order Lagomorpha These are small and medium-sized mammals. They have two pairs of incisors in the upper jaw, located one after the other so that behind the large front ones there is a second pair of small and short ones. IN lower jaw only one pair of incisors. There are no fangs, and incisors

From the author's book

Order Primates This order includes the most diverse appearance and lifestyle of mammals. However they have a number common features: relatively large skull, eye sockets almost always directed forward, thumb opposed

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Many families with children prefer to have small animals. In this article we will look at what kind of pets people prefer to have in apartments. Did you know that the three-toed jerboa is on the ground. Its weight is only 3 grams. Due to their small size, rodents are often chosen for home keeping. What other types of small rodents are there, read below in this article!

The smallest pet rodents: care features

The rodent order includes many species:

hamsters

gerbils

rats

mice

chinchillas

jerboas

decorative rabbits

Guinea pigs

chipmunks

marmots.

The world of rodents is diverse: animals differ in size, species, and habitat. Many representatives of the order are domesticated.

Hamsters contacts and playful. Popular Djungarian hamster- the smallest representative of his family. Dwarf hamsters have developed social skills. Some individuals are aggressive towards humans and can bite if handled poorly.
Hamster

Gerbils- small rodents whose body sizes reach 10-12 cm. They differ from mice in that they have a fluffy tail. Animals are active, for this reason there should be a pet wheel in the cage. The optimal size of the home for a gerbil to feel comfortable is 30x30x60 cm. Gerbils live up to 3 years, and with good maintenance they can live 4 years. The body reaches a length of 10-11 cm. Gerbils are collective animals, it is recommended to keep them in groups. It would be better if they were same-sex.

They live 2.5 - 3 years, some individuals live up to 4 years. The body size of an adult rat is 20 cm. Distinctive feature rodents - a long tail, devoid of hair. Rats are sociable animals. It is recommended to take a couple of the same gender. Small rodents make contact with humans and, with proper attention, can become loyal friends. The rat cage should be spacious (minimum 30x90 cm). Pets should be allowed out of their cage for a walk.

Decorative rat

They are the smallest representatives of rodents. The body length is about 8 cm. Mice are white in color, and there are individuals with colored fur. Animals should be kept separately to prevent them from breeding. It is necessary to take animals of the same sex, preferably females, since males behave aggressively and sometimes fight.

Decorative mouse

Chinchillas They attract buyers with their expensive, thick fur, pleasant to the touch. An adult reaches a length of 30-35 cm, its weight ranges from 400 to 700 grams. Chinchillas live longer than other rodents, life expectancy is 20 years. Short-tailed and long-tailed chinchillas are kept as pets. Both species are distinguished by a beautiful gray-blue coat color.

Chinchilla

Lifespan guinea pigs is 6-7 years, sometimes 10 years. Rodents have a calm character, rarely bite, and are in demand in families with children. The basis of a guinea pig's diet is fresh hay. Your pet's diet should include vegetables containing vitamin C. They are affectionate, sociable, and capable of becoming loyal friends.

Guinea pig

Jerboas difficult in content. Even the most small rodent requires special care. For dwarf breeds, an aquarium filled with gravel or sand is suitable as a home. Conditions of detention should be close to natural. It is recommended to place a cardboard house in the aquarium where the animal can hide. Jerboas are friendly, non-aggressive animals. They should be kept in groups of similar sizes. The most difficult to keep are comb-toed jerboas. They do not tolerate temperature changes and humidity well. Representatives of this breed survive the worst in captivity.

Jerboa

Rodents have their own habits, character, needs social interaction. Most representatives of the order prefer to be nocturnal, which should be taken into account when purchasing a rodent as a pet.

RODENTS (Rodentia), order of the class Mammals. Fossil remains have been known since the Paleocene. Small and medium-sized animals; body length from 5 (mouserfish) to 130 (capybara) cm; weight from 6 g to 50 kg. Externally, rodents are very diverse; among them there are various life forms: underground (diggers, gophers, zokor, mole rats), arboreal (squirrels, flying squirrels), aquatic (beavers, nutria, muskrats), adapted to fast running (jerboas, maras, agouti). Hairline rodents are represented by soft, uniform fur (mole rats, zokor), fur, well divided into guard hairs and underfur (beavers, nutria), quills (porcupines) or completely absent (naked mole rats). The forelimbs are 5-4-toed, the hind limbs are 5-3-toed. What is common to the order is the structure of the dental system. All rodents have highly developed incisors (1 pair in each jaw), which do not have roots and grow throughout the life of the animal; their cutting edge self-sharpens when worn (due to the different hardness of enamel and dentin). In some rodents ( gray voles) constant growth is also characteristic of molars. There are no fangs, resulting in a large gap (diastema) between the incisors and cheek teeth - premolars or molars. The brain is relatively large, the surface of the hemispheres is smooth.

Rodents are the largest (about 355 genera, more than 1,600 species) and diverse order of mammals. It contains 30-35 modern families, 3 of which are the most numerous and include up to 2/3 of modern species: squirrels (about 40 genera and 230 species), hamsters (6-8 subfamilies, up to 100 genera, about 500 species) and mice ( up to 17 subfamilies, about 120 genera, more than 400 species). A number of families consist of a single genus of the same name with 1-2 species (beavers, longlegs, capybaras, pacarnaceae).

Rodents are distributed everywhere except Antarctica; inhabit all natural zones - from the tundra to the desert, from lowland swamps to highlands. The sharp incisors of rodents serve not only for gnawing solid food, but also for digging. Most rodents are active around the clock; There are species that are active only at night or only during daylight hours. A number of species hibernate for varying durations, accompanied by a decrease in metabolic rate and body temperature (marmots, ground squirrels, dormouse, etc.). The shelters of rodents are very diverse: deep, complex burrows (viscachas, mole rats, tukotuks), above-ground nests, on the ground or in soil voids (black rat, house mice, mouse mice), huts with an underwater entrance made of branches (beavers) or grass (muskrats) , hanging nests made of grass (baby mouse) or in trees (squirrels). Rodents feed on plant foods (seeds, fruits, juicy green parts of plants, bark and wood), many include small vertebrates and invertebrates in their diet, some are exclusively insectivorous (grasshopper hamsters), piscivorous (fish-eating hamsters) or carnivorous (a number of species of large rats) . They can lead a solitary or colonial lifestyle, including division of functions, like social insects (naked mole rats).

In all natural areas Rodents predominate in numbers among mammals. As a rule, rodents are highly fertile: several litters per year (usually 2-4), up to 8-15 cubs each. Many people tend to have early puberty(at 2-3 months of life). The number of small rodents (mice, voles) can increase 100 times or more in some years, often giving way to years of almost complete extinction over large areas.

Great everywhere ecological role rodents For example, in the tundra, changes in lemming numbers largely determine the dynamics of the entire ecosystem; in deserts, the burrowing activity of rodents supports the existence of many animals, promotes soil mixing, determines the moisture regime and species composition vegetation; By creating dams and swamping vast areas, beavers form a specific landscape.

Some rodents (including chinchilla, beaver, nutria, muskrat) are valuable objects fur trade. Many rodents ( forest voles, lemmings, gray voles, etc.) serve as the main food for valuable fur-bearing predators (arctic fox, sable, marten, etc.). Among rodents there are species that cause great damage to crop production, agriculture and forestry, as well as stocks food products(rats, mice, ground squirrels, hamsters). Many species of rodents are distributors infectious diseases humans (including plague, tularemia, rickettsiosis, leptospirosis, leishmaniasis, tick-borne encephalitis, hemorrhagic fevers, etc.). Gray and black rat and house mice have spread throughout the world along with humans, forming populations that are entirely dependent on human activity. Some rodents can cause significant damage to various technical devices and structures.

Among rodents there are species with a small range, adapted to unique regional ecosystems (viscacha, Patagonian mara, pacarna). Many species of rodents have become rare or have a steady downward trend in numbers. About 700 species of rodents are listed in the IUCN Red Book, 7 species are in the Red Book Russian Federation. There are examples of successful population restoration (beavers).

Lit.: Sokolov V. E. Systematics of mammals. M., 1977. Part 2: Orders: lagomorphs, rodents; Gromov I.M., Erbaeva M.A. Lagomorphs and rodents. St. Petersburg, 1995.