Part C: Specific

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Part C Specific Animal Basics
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NOT dogs cats

• NOT wildlife
• Wild animals may be tamed, but they are
  _______________ (skunks, bobcats, raccoons,
  etc.)
  
• Wild animal ownership is usually illegal or
  highly restricted for good reason (zoonoses,
  ________, diseases, ________, welfare)
  

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NOT dogs cats

• Companion birds
• Reptiles, etc.
• Frogs
• Lizards
• Snakes
• Turtles

• Pocket pets
• Chinchillas
• Gerbils
• Guinea pigs
• Hamsters
• Ferrets
• Rabbits
• Mice rats

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General topics

• For each type of animal or species
• Native habitat ? captive environment
• Diet overview ? captive nutrition
• Biology behavior ? captive considerations
• limited to textbook species by time

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Companion BIRDS

• 17 million (U.S.), __ in popularity
• _____and active cage space, perches, climbing
  structures, toys
  
• Diet variety fresh, clean, appropriate to avoid
  nutrition deficiency, addictions and illness
  
• Biology
• Beaks, feathers, bones, lungs, guts
• _______, water, toxicities
• Social structure imprinting

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FROGS

• Amphibians, many species endangered, buy
  captive-bred
  
• Terrestrial, semi-aquatic, aquatic water quality
  critical no chlorine!
  
• Tadpolevegetarian, adult________, live food,
  visualize prey, gut load prey to ?
  deficiencies
  
• Biology glandular permeable skin, __________,
  need places to hide/climb
  

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Frogs
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LIZARDS

• Reptiles, growing popularity!
• Native habitat warm climates, most dry (some
  tropical)
  
• Range of diets, need UVB light for vitamin D
• Ectotherms, clean water critical, phenols toxic
  (pine, cleansers)
  
• Example ___________

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Iguanas

• Animal factors
• Ectotherms
• Hind-gut fermenters
• Popular pets, little feeding information
• poster child for metabolic bone disease and
  consequences!
  
• IF IT HAS A SKELETON,
• ENSURE SOURCES OF DIETARY ___________

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Iguanas

• Food and feeding factors
• Diet should be 80 digestible iguana pellets
  w/D3
  
• Light source is part of nutrition UV__ required
  to make vitamin D3 (glass filters out UV__)
  
• Prefeed mealworms crickets with minerals,
  vitamins to provide more complete nutrition
  
• Diet high in mealworms, crickets can provide too
  much fat or lead to chitin impaction

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Iguanas

• Food and feeding factors (cont.)
• Feeding meat only - calcium deficiency gout
• Iguanas can get _______ from feeding too much
  cabbage, kale
  
• ZINC and vitamin A deficiency cause ______
  problems
  

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Iguanas

• Environment owner factors
• Night feeding common
• No wood chips - ___________________
• Room to move (can grow to 6 ft 20 lb)
• Provide both basking and cool areas
• NO hot rocks - can get severe burns!
• Quality UVB light source (10-14h/day)
• Daily clean water (urinate in water dishes)
• Regular veterinary care!

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Snakes

• Snakes lizards Reptiles (squamates)
• Variety of substrates climbing material
• __________. Different eating schedules
  preferences (live, inert)
  
• Ectotherms, shed skin (whole, lizardspatches),
  water critical (soaking) - _________ toxic
  
• Tongue for olfactory communication
• Need warmth to eat, to _________

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Snakes
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Turtles Tortoises

• Reptiles (chelonians)
• Variety, secretive Retreats, water (soak), haul
  out area for aquatics
  
• Variety research. Water critical phenols
  toxic.
  
• Shell ____ fused to vertebrae ribs, (carapace,
  plastron), some hinged. Ectotherms. UVB light for
  vitamin D.
  
• All lay eggs and _________.

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Turtles Tortoises
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Chinchillas

• Animal
• From the Andes cool dry
• Social, nocturnal, clean
• Very high requirement
• ___________ fermenters
• Food feeding
• Wild grass, bark, leaves
• Housed timothy hay, few pellets
• Low fat, fruits greens treats only

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Chinchillas

• Environment
• Dry and Cool (
• Happier in pairs or groups
• baths (not sand, NOT water)
• Larger spaces/levels to jump, climb, hide
  sleeping area
  
• Provide soft chews (wood, cardboard)
• Teeth _____________ growth
• Human ear research

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Gerbil

• Mongolian gerbil most popular
• Desert rat from China Warm/dry OK, low water
  requirement, ? urine (? smell)
  
• Dietseeds, grains, nuts (sunflower addiction)
• ____________ from 10-12 wk old, aggressive to new
  cage mates
  
• _____________, no coprophagy

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Guinea Pigs

• Animal
• Herbivores, simple stomach
• Open-root teeth, gnaw chew
• Long GI tract, ______________
• Dietary vitamin is essential
• Food Feeding
• Vegetation and hay - moderate fiber diet (like
  rabbits)
  
• Sources of vitamin ____ (foods, add to water,
  snacks)
  
• Sipper water bottles cleaner than dish

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Guinea Pigs

• Environment
• Low stress (anorexia, dehydration, wt loss), dry
  clean (can be very messy pets!)
  
• Fussy eaters careful with diet changes
• Temp 65-75 F, humidity 40-70 (heat stroke,
  URIs)
  
• Attention room to move around, hiding places

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Hamster

• Middle East (Syria) dry, warm, several species
• 1930 ONE female, 11 littermates 4 raised to
  adults ? todays golden hamsters (labs)
  
• Diet seeds, grains. _________pouches!
• Live in single burrows, escape artists
  t_________ !
  
• Pine cedar are toxic

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Ferrets

• Animal factors
• Very popular 12 million in U.S. and legal in
  most states
  
• Carnivores (mink, skunk, cats, foxes, polar
  bears)
  
• _______ gut length, fast GI transit need highly
  digestible foods
  
• _______ metabolic rate, very active!

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Ferrets

• Food and feeding factors
• Carnivores ferret food, ______ foods
• Protein, fat high 30-35
• Fiber, carbohydrates low
• Snacks fruits, veggies 1 tsp/day

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Ferrets

• Environment Owner factors
• Avoid obesity and boredom
• Exercise, physical activity
• Mental/visual stimulation
• Environmental enrichment
• No live prey (mice, etc.), no bones as treats

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Ferrets
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Rabbits

• Animal Factors
• Popular pets
• ____________ long GI tract
• __________ fermenters (like horses) - simple
  stomach, huge cecum 10 x stomach capacity
  
• Higher energy requirement vs. dogs, cats

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Rabbits

• Food and feeding factors
• HIGH _________ requirement
• Moderate Protein
• low fat, low in simple carbs
• Teeth continuous growth
• Circulation atherosclerosis (hardening of
  arteries)
  
• Copraphagy required for ? digestion of forage
  proteins (cecotropes or night feces) protein,
  B vitamins

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Rabbits

• Environment and
• owner factors
• Housing activity, ? _________
• Clean, temperature control 40
• Hiding places, platforms
• Materials to CHEW and GNAW!
• Litter box training (owner observations)
• Fresh water at all times _____-desert rodents
  dehydrate easily

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Mice Rats

• Variety of habitats, mostly ________
• Diets herbivores? omnivores
• Teeth continuous growth
• Pets or vermin? www.rmca.org

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SUMMARY

• Wildlife ________ make good pets
• Research housing, feeding, social needs
• Birds
• Reptiles, snakes, frogs
• Pocket pets
• Consider life spans, costs, zoonoses other
  hazards