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RE: Which rodent is your favorite?

urofan — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 17:12:13 GMT

Dogs and cats are the most common pets in America, and people generally understand how to care for them. I do understand that rabbits and guinea pigs are different.

I have owned reptiles, and they can be similar to look at, but they may have very different requirements. For instance, there are some who eat only insects, and there are some that are omnivores. In the wild, the plants that the omnivores eat can be very different, depending on the natural environment of each type of reptile.

RE: Which rodent is your favorite?

BlancDeHotot — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 16:55:46 GMT

VERY well said swirly87! I've memorized the rabbit anatomy since I was 8 and whenever I've had a rabbit get sick it has been useful.

I actually think a shelter pet is a better deal. They are usually spay/neutered, litter trained, and have received more socializing than an animal from a breeder or store.

RE: Which rodent is your favorite?

swirly87 — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 00:01:57 GMT

Knowing an animal's anatomy is useful, and something you should know if you ever plan to have that animal as a pet. You don't need to want or be in the veterinary field to know or want to know. And while it's true that animals in similar environments, or those that perform similar tasks, evolve in similar ways, it's always a good idea to know more than just the anatomy. Knowing an animal's history/background and behavior is useful as well, as it helps build a better picture of what to expect from an animal that you're considering to get as a pet.

For example, while guinea pigs are definitely more closely related to hamsters than rabbits, the two are still very different. Hamsters have only been recently domesticated, since the early 1900s, and all pet hamsters can be traced back to 3 hamsters. Guinea pigs, on the other hand, have been domesticated for thousands of years in South America since they were originally bred to be eaten. They are then far less likely to bite than a hamster (though they will still bite, given enough incentive). That's not to say that hamsters can't make great pets, they can be given enough time and socialization (I've seen one trained to run through a miniature agility course). However, hamsters are considerably smaller and more delicate than guinea pigs. And because they are so small, it's very important that they have constant access to food since their metabolism/nutritional need for food is so high. They are also nocturnal, unlike guinea pigs who only sleep for short periods of time throughout the day and night (they nap at most 6 minutes at a time). The two also differ in other ways as well, but I don't want to go into that given that this should have been a brief example.

Anyway, the point is that these are all important factors to know before you get a pet, or even when you're just considering that animal as a pet. And while guinea pigs and rabbits are very similar (both have teeth that are constantly growing, both need a constant supply of hay to feed on, and both perform coprophagy, or the eating of their feces), the two are also very different. Guinea pigs require vitamin C in their diet, unlike rabbits. Guinea pigs are also herd animals, and it's always recommended to have at least two. By saying guinea pigs and rabbits are both rodents, it's almost like saying dogs and cats are about the same as well (which they aren't, dogs are omnivorous canines while cats are obligate carnivore felines).

And I would have to agree with BlancDeHotot, in that I greatly dislike the misconception that all shelter animals are sick, old, and/or abused. A lot of times, the animals in shelters are perfectly fine themselves, it was just the situation that brought them there (owner doesn't have time to spare for them anymore, owner is moving to a no-pets-allowed home, the animal is more troublesome or bigger than the owner thought they would be, etc.). Granted, there are not always good reasons, but shelter animals do not always have problems. If anything, I would say that pet store animals would have more problems than shelter ones.

RE: Which rodent is your favorite?

urofan — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 06:06:06 GMT

It makes sense to me for you to have knowledge of animal anatomy, because you want to be part of the veterinary field. I don't have any knowledge of animal anatomy. It does not bother me to adopt animals from a shelter. hermit crabs have pinchers like scorpions but live in different environments. the anatomy of hermit crabs and scorpions are alike in ways.

RE: Which rodent is your favorite?

BlancDeHotot — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 17:24:04 GMT

Not all shelter pets are sick... and that is one more thing I hate about the common world... everybody thinks all animals from the shelter are sick, abused, and old.

RE: Which rodent is your favorite?

urofan — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 00:43:19 GMT

I like rabbits as much as I like guinea pigs but there wasn't any rabbits for sale when I went shopping for a pet. I don't feel I'm qualified for adopting small animals yet because I haven't spent enough time learning how to care for small animals that have problems.

RE: Which rodent is your favorite?

BlancDeHotot — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 19:53:42 GMT

urofan (12/8/2010)

To classify an animal comes down to someone's opinion over another's. I think that guinea pigs and rabbits are very similar in what they eat, and it's hard for me to consider that guinea pigs are categorized as rodents and rabbits aren't.

Rabbits aren't rodents - they are lagomorphs.

Rabbits are actually more closely related to horses than they are to mice. Rabbits and horses share similarities in their diet and in their method of digesting food. For more info on rabbit digetion, check out this article on how the rabbit digestive system works.

If you learn about the anatomy of rabbits and the anatomy as guinea pigs, you would be shocked how different they are. However, the anatomy of horses and rabbits are VERY similar. Their digestive system works the same way. The skeleton of rodents is also very different than a rabbit.

So look at a skeleton of a hamster and one of a guinea pig. And then you can easily tell why guinea pigs are rodents and rabbits aren't. It always makes me angry when guinea pig people complain about this. Do some research and then see if you have a reason to complain!

Article: http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/exploring-a-rabbits-unique-digestive-system.html

RE: Which rodent is your favorite?

urofan — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 01:15:33 GMT

RE: Which rodent is your favorite?

BlancDeHotot — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 20:43:00 GMT

BlancDeHotot (12/3/2010)

Rabbits are NOT rodents. They are lagomorphs, which are closely related to horses. They are closer to monkeys and humans than to rodents!

And again neither are ferrets or hedgehogs!

RE: Which rodent is your favorite?

BlancDeHotot — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 20:39:16 GMT

Rabbits are NOT rodents. They are lagomorphs, which are closely related to horses. They are closer to monkeys and humans than to rodents!

RE: Which rodent is your favorite?

cupcake1 — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 18:25:41 GMT

i already have a hamster so i choose a chinchilla because they are so cute, friendly, furry,
and adorable !!!!! Got to love hamsters and chinchillas !!!!!!!!

RE: Which rodent is your favorite?

sk8ter chick — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 18:52:55 GMT

i voted g pig i have a hamster and rabbit ps rabbits are not rodents!!

razzy and beanz

RE: Which rodent is your favorite?

Muffin — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 10:09:30 GMT

I picked sugar glider, because they are awesome!

Which rodent is your favorite?

hamsterzrox123 — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 12:25:00 GMT

Once more, don't choose a rodent you already have! By the way, my hamster is Chili, so please come and vote for her! She'd appreciate it!