Indoor rodents

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Hey hey it's ya boi Nuri here, back with another #takeover post of mine! I'm certainly glad that you could me today so let's not wait any longer and get right into my topic.

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✼　 Which animals are considered indoor rodents? ✼

These are just examples

The house mice

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The rodent you are likely most familiar with is the "house mouse.” House mice are one of the most common species of rodent found in the home. In fact, this is the number one rodent pest in the world, found on nearly every single continent except Antarctica.

House mices have a pointed nose, large ears, and short hair. Their feet are broad and hairless and a tail that looks very scaly.

House mice behavior

House mice stick close to the walls because they’re extremely nearsighted, which is why you can often find dirty smudges low on the walls as a sign you have a mouse problem.

House mice are also very athletic and are known to be great climbers. They will climb up walls, pipes, wires and can jump up to a foot in height and safely land after jumping from as high as 8 feet up.

A house mouse is most likely to be found in dark, secluded spaces where they can hide. They will build nests there using paper and insulation and other soft things they can find around your home. Sometimes multiple mouse families can share nesting areas.

House mouse droppings

House mice often leave a lot of droppings around, which is another sign you have an infestation. You’ll find them behind places like stoves and refrigerators. Their droppings are between 3-6mm in length and shaped like rods with pointed ends.

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Norway rats

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When you think about big rats, it’s most likely the Norway rat you’re thinking of. Although they are not from Norway, they get their name from where they were first identified and classified by people who do that sort of thing for a living. Norway rats are big rats, brown or gray in color, with bi-colored tails, tiny ears, and small eyes.

Norway rats have very large teeth which keep growing all the time. In order to prevent this becoming a problem for the rodents, they have to chew on things. Hard things that help them keep those chompers at bay. For property owners, this is bad news because this can include the sides of houses. They can chew through thin metal, soft concrete and stone.

Norway rat behavior

Norway rats can compress their bodies, like other rodents, to sneak into the tiniest of spaces. Norway rats like to dig burrows to find places to stay home, give birth to their young, raise their young and store food.

What do Norway rats eat?

They love food and will eat just about anything they can get their paws and teeth on. This includes meats, fish, and dry stuff like dog food. Storing your food away won't help if you have a Norway rat infestation either, because they can chew right through whatever it’s being stored in and devour it anyway.

Norway rats like to hide, but they are big and hard to miss when they are out and about foraging for food. One of the first signs you’ll have if you have a problem with them is seeing them running around. They move fast but you'll likely see them.

Norway rat droppings

Norway rats will leave a lot of droppings around, too. In fact, they leave large droppings. Approximately 20mm long and shaped like capsules, they will be all over kitchens, inside cabinets, under sinks, behind appliances, in wall crevices and spaces and anywhere the rats themselves might be hiding.

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Hamster

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No list of small pets would be complete without hamsters. There are several popular hamster breeds that make cute pets.

General Hamster Appearance

Domesticated Syrian hamsters are most commonly kept as pets. According to the Southern Hamster Club, theyub are stocky little creatures that measure about five inches long on average. They have fairly large eyes for their size, and their ears are erect. They also have very stubby tails.

Hamster Personality

Syrian hamsters make reasonably good pets, but they don't especially like to be held and are prone to nipping unless they are handled a lot when they're young. Since they're nocturnal, you won't be able to interact much with them during the day, but they do become quite active at night. They love running in exercise wheels and through tunnels, and they are also avid chewers that need plenty of safe chew toys to keep their teeth in good shape.

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Guinea Pigs

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Guinea pigs and guinea pig like animals are popular pets due to their calm demeanor and cute faces.

General Guinea Pig Appearance

Guinea pigs, more accurately called cavies, are plump little tailless creatures that weigh approximately two pounds when fully grown. They have blunt, Roman noses and round eyes, and their ears look similar to rose petals.

These cute, domesticated pets can have long or short hair, depending on their breed, and there are 13 guinea pig breeds currently recognized by the American Cavy Breeders Association. Some have hair that grows in rosettes all over their bodies, and there are even curly-haired Guinea pigs called Texels. One of the rarest types of all is the "skinny pig," which is largely naked except for a small amount of fine down. Guinea pigs come in a wide variety of color combinations and patterns.

Guinea Pig Personality

Guinea pigs make excellent pets that rarely, if ever, try to bite. They are very good-natured and social, and they seem to enjoy being cuddled as long as you hold them securely and don't attempt to turn them on their backs. They also learn to recognize their caregivers and will whistle at them in greeting when they approach.

These are active creatures that like to have a lot of space, and require roomy, well-ventilated habitats. They have an endearing habit of "pop-corning," which is a joyful little hop and kick combination. To provide some extra enrichment and mental stimulation, you can let them run around in a Guinea pig play pen while you're there to make sure they stay safe.

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Roof rats

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If you hear tiny scampering feet above your head in your home, it might be squirrels – but it might also be roof rats. As you can tell by their name, roof rats are climbers. They prefer to be up high and will climb trees, trellises, wires or pipes. The pests will use their paws and teeth to pry their way into attics and spaces between the walls to get warm, raise their young, nest and find food. However, climbing great heights is not their only method of getting inside as they are opportunistic and will make do with basements and sewers, too.

Roof rat behavior

Roof rats are brown or black, but their stomachs are usually lighter – almost white. Like a lot of rodents, roof rats are not very picky about what they eat. They will eat just about anything in the trash, on counters, or left unsealed. However, they are particularly fond of fruits, vegetables, and cereals. Roof rats are gluttons. They will eat a lot of food at once, then sleep it off or store the food as fat for a while. They will return to the same spot where they found food the last time, again and again.

Roof rat droppings

Looking for the telltale droppings? Well, to determine if you have a roof rat problem, look for them in the usual hiding places, such as behind appliances, but also include searches in attics and behind any walls you can access. The droppings are usually about 12.5mm long and tapered at the ends, resembling a spindle.

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Chinchillas

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With their soft fur, bushy tails, and adorable ears, chinchillas are cute and fun pets in the rodent family list.

General Chinchilla Appearance

Chinchillas are very attractive rodents that have lush coats and furry tails. Their eyes are large and round, and their large, erect ears operate as their cooling system. They are similar in size to a Guinea pig, and typically reach about ten inches in length, with about an additional five inches worth of tail. They are mainly colored grey or beige with a darker coat on top and a lighter shade beneath.

Chinchilla Personality

Domesticated chinchillas can make good pets for adults and older children who understand these animals need to be handled gently. Chins are easily stressed if there is too much noise and activity around their living space. Most chins find it difficult to tolerate loud noises, so the noise level should be kept to a minimum as much as possible. This doesn't mean you have to keep your home as silent as a library, but do use common sense and avoid yelling, blasting the TV or radio, etc.

According to the Chinchilla Club, chins are mainly nocturnal, and they tend to be most active around dawn, and then again around dusk. They do need time out of their cage, but keep a close eye on them because they love to chew.

Taming a Chinchilla

Taming a chinchilla is a matter of gaining the animal's trust, and this takes a good deal of time and patience. Tame chins can be fairly affectionate, and will readily come to you when you open the cage door. However, they do like to nibble things in order to check them out, and this can include your fingers. Tamed chins learn to nibble gently, so frequent handling is necessary for them to get used to their caregivers.

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✼　 How to own an indoor rodent/What's important to know ✼

Here I will mainly focus on the mice since it's impossible to really write something useful for all the animals shown above.

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A quick glimpse of a group of pet mice playing and you'll realize they can be quite entertaining pets. They are a bit skittish and harder to handle than some of the larger rodents such as rats, but they can become quite tame, and will learn to take food from the hand and allow themselves to be handled if started at a young age.

Mice are quite ideal as small pets that are entertaining to watch, easy to care for, and make very few demands on their owners.

Mouse Temperament

Mice are nocturnal and very social, and they are best kept in groups. A pair of females is the easiest arrangement, although larger groups are fine if you provide the cage space.

Pairs of males should be avoided unless they are litter mates, never separated, and given a large enough cage that they can have their own space; unfamiliar males are very likely to fight. Keeping males and females together should be avoided unless you want lots of mice in a short amount of time.

Most mice will become quite tame given time, patience, and perhaps a little bribery. At first, allow the mice time to become accustomed to their new environment. Once the mice are calm, start spending more time near their cage and quietly talk to the mice to get them used to your voice.

As the mice become comfortable or curious with your presence, start offering some favorite tidbits (try millet or sunflower seeds) by hand, and once the mice are taking treats from your hands, they may start walking on your hands, or you can start trying to pick them up.

Take care!

When picking up a mouse, it is best to try scooping it up by cupping your hand under the mouse, but do not squeeze or tightly grasp the mouse's body. If holding a skittish mouse, you can try holding the base of the tail with one hand while ing the mouse's body in the palm of your other hand to prevent the mouse from jumping off your hand and possibly injuring itself.

If you hold further down toward the tip of the tail, you may break the tail off or the skin may come off the tail.

Be careful when holding mice, as a relatively short fall can cause injuries. It is best to hold the mouse just above your lap or some other soft surface in case it falls or jumps.

If you are going to allow your mouse time outside the cage, you will need to mouse-proof the room. Ideally, keeping them contained in a large, shallow plastic storage box, small wading pool, or some other confined space is the best option for keeping the mice safe and sound.

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Housing the Mouse

The size of the cage you will need depends on how many mice you will keep together. For a pair or small group of females, a 2-foot square cage is an ample space. Mice will appreciate a cage with multiple levels, as they do like to climb, and it should be fairly tall.

The modular plastic cages meant for hamsters are actually well suited to the mouse size and activity level but are difficult to clean, are sometimes poorly ventilated, and a determined mouse could chew right through the plastic.

The cage should be placed where the mice will have lots of human  to make taming easier. It should be out of drafts, away from direct sunlight and out of reach of other household pets.

Mice need lots of opportunities to play and exercise. Mice seem to universally love running on wheels, so add a wheel or some tunnels made from plastic plumbing pipes sections or paper towel/toilet paper tubes. Other toys mice enjoy include:

- Wood blocks and houses

- Small cardboard boxes

- Ladders

- Cotton ropes

- Egg cartons (paper only)

- Small willow balls

Depending on the size of the cage, it may need to be cleaned quite frequently, especially glass or plastic sided cages that allow ammonia and odors to build up more quickly. It is best not to wait until you can smell a problem because it will be quite overwhelming to the mice by then.

The mice do, however, need to mark their territory, and if their cage is completely disinfected too frequently, they may be distressed. A good compromise is to leave a bit of the old shavings or litter in the cage at each cleaning so their scent remains, and only do a thorough scrubbing and disinfecting when absolutely necessary.

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Food and Water

Mice can be fed a commercially prepared complete diet; a rodent mix or hamster diet is acceptable. Pellets are available for mice and are completely balanced, but this is a monotonous diet. Grain and seed-based loose mixes provide more interest to the mice and will probably be more readily eaten. Your mice may just pick out their favorite bits and leave the rest, leading to an imbalanced diet.

The basic diet can be supplemented with small quantities of fresh fruits and vegetable such as greens, apples, and carrots. Watch for diarrhea, though, and if a particular food item does cause diarrhea, discontinue feeding it. Sunflower seeds are a favorite treat of many mice but are quite fatty so should be limited.

Cooked pasta and whole grain bread or crackers can also be given, maybe with a tiny amount of peanut butter as a special treat. Commercial treat sticks make a good treat, but only very occasionally, as they are often quite sweet. Avoid feeding junk foods such as candy and potato chips, and never feed chocolate, as it is toxic to mice and other small pets. For water, a gravity fed water bottle with a dispenser is preferred, as it can't tip and keeps the water clean. A shallow food bowl of ceramic or porcelain is the best choice, as they are difficult to tip, won't get chewed up, and they are easy to clean.

Common Health Problems

Tumors are common in mice, and unfortunately are usually malignant. If you notice a lump or swelling or other symptoms such as lethargy or weight loss, these are signs of a tumor. Most tumors can be surgically removed, but are likely to recur.

Perhaps the most serious health condition in mice, as well as other rodents, is wet tail. This is a gastrointestinal ailment caused by bacteria in the digestive tract. It can progress quickly and may be fatal if left untreated. Symptoms include diarrhea, lethargy, lack of appetite, and difficulty walking. Wet tail must be treated with antibiotics from a veterinarian.

Purchasing Your Mouse

When picking out your mouse, look for an alert animal with smooth, clean coats and pink, clean skin on the ears and tail. The eyes and nose should be free of discharge, and the mouth and anal areas should be clean and dry. Their breathing will be relatively fast, but should not be labored or noisy. Check the cage as well; it should be clean and the droppings should be formed.

Look for a pet store that separates males and females at a young age (good breeders will do this). Mice can reproduce by about 6 to 8 weeks of age, although this is very stressful on the female and should be avoided.

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So that's it for the post! I hope you learned something new about these precious creatures and maybe you even have one yourself. Don't forget to take a look at the other post. g off for now.

~ Nuri

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