Lecture 19

Question 1

What are the five freedoms from the farm animal welfare council?

Answer 1

-freedom from hunger and thirst
-freedom from discomfort
-freedom from pain, injury, or disease
-freedom to express normal behavior
-freedom from fear and distress

Question 2

What are the general characteristics of rabbits?

Answer 2

-limited vocalizations; can scream and thump
-want to restrain gently but firmly in a football or c-shape hold
-average lifespan of 8 to 10 years

Question 3

What are hypselodont teeth?

Answer 3

teeth with a long clinical crown and short open “root”

Question 4

What are brachydont teeth?

Answer 4

teeth with a short crown and long true root

Question 5

What are radicular teeth?

Answer 5

rooted teeth

Question 6

What are aradicular teeth?

Answer 6

open-rooted, continuously growing teeth

Question 7

Which species have hypselodont + aradicular teeth?

Answer 7

-rabbits
-guinea pigs
-chinchillas

Question 8

Which species have hypselodont + radicular teeth with aradicular incisors?

Answer 8

murid rodents

Question 9

Which species have brachydont teeth?

Answer 9

-ferrets
-hedge hogs
-sugar gliders

Question 10

What is an appropriate diet for hindgut fermenters (rabbits, guinea pigs, chinchillas)?

Answer 10

-ad lib grass (timothy hay) for 60-70% of diet
-fresh greens for 20-30% of diet
-commercial timothy pellets for 5-10% of diet
-fresh water at all times
-avoid legume hay with too high of calcium and protein
-avoid fruits

Question 11

What are the characteristics of cecotrophy?

Answer 11

-hindgut is ineffective for vitamin absorption
-cecotrophs are clusters of nutrient-rich feces expelled from the cecum that must be ingested for a nutritionally complete diet
-occurs in rabbits and likely all hystricomorphs

Question 12

What are the characteristics of vitamin C in guinea pigs?

Answer 12

-do not produce naturally
-must supplement in diet through pellets, treats, and certain veggies
-light sensitive

Question 13

What are the characteristics of appropriate rabbit housing?

Answer 13

-must rabbit-proof house to prevent electrocution and plant toxicity
-do NOT house on wire-bottom floors
-want substrate that is pliable and able to be gripped by rabbit nails
-want thick layers of soft substrates like straw, grass hay, sheets, fleece, or sheepskin
-change bedding regularly
-need lots of places to run and hide
-provide a litter box

Question 14

What are the characteristics of rabbit social life?

Answer 14

-social animals that often can be housed in pairs or groups
-can form very strong pair bonds
-significant amount of time spent grooming and allo-grooming
-monitor intros carefully; can cause severe trauma
-may do well in multi-species households
-owner-directed aggression more common in intact females

Question 15

What are the general characteristics of guinea pigs?

Answer 15

-usually docile
-restrain gently with hand on rump
-support body similar to rabbits
-average lifespan of 5 to 7 years

Question 16

What are the characteristics of guinea pig housing?

Answer 16

-very social; do not house alone
-be aware of sexual maturity around 2-3 months; can have accidental litters
-use well-ventilated, solid-bottom cages
-similar substrate as rabbits
-produce large volumes of feces/urine; change bedding regularly
-possible risk of spread of Bordetella bronchiseptica if rabbits are in the same household

Question 17

What are the general characteristics of long-tailed chinchillas?

Answer 17

-do not scruff; prone to fur slip
-support similar to rabbits and guinea pigs
-prone to jumping
-average lifespan of 10 to 20 years

Question 18

What are the characteristics of chinchilla housing?

Answer 18

-crepuscular to nocturnal
-social; house in pairs or groups
-active and acrobatic; need multi-level enclosure and a running wheel
-intolerant of heat and moisture due to thick fur
-recommended temps of 50 to 68 deg. F
-dust bathe several times weekly with commercial chinchilla dust
-excessive dust bathing can lead to conjunctivitis

Question 19

What are the general characteristics of murid rodents?

Answer 19

-rats are larger and tend to be more docile
-hamster breeds include golden/syrian (largest), russian dwarf, roborovskii, and chinese
-small animals that tend to bite
-may be difficult to handle; use towels and gloves
-hamsters are prone to exophthalmos when scruffed
-average lifespan of 1 to 2 years

Question 20

What are the characteristics of murid rodent diet?

Answer 20

-rats and mice are granivores (seed, grain)
-hamsters and gerbils are generalized
-baseline diet is a commercial rodent pellet
-supplement with small amounts of fresh veggies, fruits, seeds, and animal protein
-do NOT offer a primarily seed-based diet; leads to obesity and deficiencies

Question 21

What is the appropriate housing for murid rodents?

Answer 21

-escape-proof
-easy to clean
-well ventilated
-recycled or shredded paper or wood shavings for bedding
-cedar and pine can cause skin or resp. disease
-deeply bedded for hamsters to burrow

Question 22

What are the social dynamics of murid rodents?

Answer 22

-female mice are okay together; males fight
-rats are highly social
-hamsters will vary with species
-gerbils are naturally social but also territorial

Question 23

What are the general characteristics of ferrets?

Answer 23

-friendly but wiggly
-restrain for rectal temps and injections
-may bite without warning
-when scruffing, suspending all four legs off the ground
-use yawning periods for oral exam
-average lifespan of 5 to 7 years

Question 24

What are the characteristics of the ferret diet?

Answer 24

-obligate carnivores
-need highly digestible diet
-diet high in protein and fat, low in carbs
-be careful with fresh, raw, or freeze-dried whole prey; risk of contamination
-offer a variety of food options, including daily kibble, small amounts of canned cat food, and whole prey

Question 25

What are the characteristics of ferret housing?

Answer 25

-highly social; house in groups -high prey drive; caution with other pets -diurnal but sleep 12-16+ hours -multi-level wire cages with waterproof liners -soft, dark, enclosed hiding/sleeping places; 1+ per ferret -litter box in corner

Question 26

What are the potential concerns with free-roaming ferrets?

Answer 26

-injury -escape -electrocution -foreign body -accidental poisoning

Question 27

What are the general characteristics of african pygmy hedge hogs?

Answer 27

-spines can make it difficult to handle -use a thin protective glove and have patience when handling -average lifespan of 4 to 6 years

Question 28

What are the characteristics of hedge hog diet?

Answer 28

-insectivores -eat invertebrates, plant material, eggs, vertebrate prey, and carrion -have a higher dietary fiber requirement -diet base is commercial hedge hog or insectivore diet -supplement with small amounts of moist foods -provide invertebrate prey as enrichment/treats; gut load prior to feeding

Question 29

What are the characteristics of hedge hog housing?

Answer 29

-solitary -nocturnal but very active/athletic -want at least a 2 ft x 3 ft cage with smooth sides and a solid-bottomed wheel -want a soft substrate changed regularly -at risk for limb/digit constriction -want temps of 72-90 deg. F

Question 30

What are the general characteristics of sugar gliders?

Answer 30

-small, nocturnal, arboreal marsupials -easy to handle but difficult to restrain -may try to bite -do not scruff -scent glands on head/chest in males and paracloacal; appear as bald patches -average lifespan of 10 to 12 years

Question 31

What are the characteristics of sugar glider diet?

Answer 31

-omnivorous insectivorous sap/nectar feeders -mandibular incisors designed to gouge tree bark -can eat ~ 17% of body weight daily in wild -no commercial glider diet -want 50% sap/nectar -50% balanced insectivore diet or gel, gut-loaded insects and other proteins -limited fruits and veggies

Question 32

What are the characteristics of sugar glider social life?

Answer 32

-highly social, do not house alone -very vocal with lots of sounds/calls -sexually mature at 8-12 months in males, 12-15 months in females -may fight around beginning of breeding season -can be territorial

Question 33

What are the characteristics of sugar glider housing?

Answer 33

-large cage for running/jumping/climbing -place cage in environment good for nocturnal behavior -wire cage is good for ventilation; ensure small enough to not allow escape -nest box for sleeping and hiding; clean regularly -can include fleece pouches -multiple food and water dishes to reduce competition -watch for fibers that can cause constriction or catch toenails