  
Exotic Small Mammal Care and Husbandry
March 2010, ©2010, Wiley-Blackwell
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Comparison between larger species; peculiarities of these species.
II. General Husbandry Recommendations.
For each species and even sex or age of the species, there are preferred housing and care recommendations. For example, male rats are highly social; male mice are often adversarial toward other mice; hamsters are monogamous and prefer lots of wall space [thigmotactic] as opposed to open floor space.
III. Occupational Health and Small Mammals: Keeping the Pet Owner Healthy!.
This section will focus on pet selection and the potential for human injury or disease. For example, having a rodent as a pet is a very bad idea for asthmatics due to the high antigen load of rats and mice and the effect upon human allergies. Another example is the effect of allowing animal bedding or cage litter to become damp in a bedroom which can foster mold / ammonia build-up/ etc and exacerbate existing human health conditions. A third example is use of products that may harm animals or humans [e.g. cedar bedding has ‘cedrols,’ which are organic hydrocarbons that absorb through the skin or mucus membranes of the mouth and nose and can elevate liver enzyme function – not a good thing for animals or humans.].
IV. Species.
Each chapter below will include: basic anatomy; unique features of importance; feed / water / caging needs; special care requirements; common diseases (bacteria, virus, traumatic, etc) and potential preventions or treatments; and well being issues for each species.
a. Mice.
b. Rats.
c. Hamsters.
d. Gerbils.
e. Chinchillas.
f. Degus.
g. Ferrets.
h. Hedge hogs.
i. Guinea pigs.
j. Rabbits.
k. Sugar Gliders.
l. Opossums.
V. Psychological enrichment (Environmental Enrichment).
VI. Human-animal bond.
VII. Additional Reference Resource List.
VIII. Normal Profile Values by species
Julie M. Sharp, DVM, is a veterinarian at the Office of Animal Welfare at Duke University.
Sonia D. Doss, M.Ed., RLATG, is a veterinary technologist at the Office of Animal Welfare at Duke University.
Deborah A. Vanderford, DVM, is a veterinarian at the Office of Animal Welfare at Duke University.
"Overall, this book is a great source of information for veterinary technicians and assistants who frequently work with small mammals. The text is very easy to use, and could also be used to provide information to clients who need help with husbandry. It is small, concise, and to the point without a bunch of statistics or unnecessary text to muddle through. This text would be a great addition to any general or exotic practice, or for the veterinary technician's library. Veterinarians and other staff members may also benefit from having this book on their shelf of easy-to-reach reference material." (VSPN, June 2010)
"There is certainly something for anyone with an interest in exotics to be found within these pages, and it will be most useful for veterinary nurses and pet owners. It should be judged as an excellent starter guide for exotic veterinarians, with good coverage of basic procedures and disease processes, thus meriting its place on most veterinary practice bookshelves." (Veterinary Record, November 2010)
This is a useful book for those in the veterinary field. It provides a great deal of information for various species in a well-organized manner." (Doody's, October 2010)
"Exotic Small Mammal Care and Husbandry is a fine basic reference for handling and treating small animals in the vet clinic. It covers everything from mice and hamsters to ferrets and focuses on housing, nutrition and diseases. Basic anatomy and preventative care are included in a fine easy approach many a pet owner will also appreciate." (The Midwest Book Review, June 2010)
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