Small mammals as pets

"Small pet" redirects here. For the keeping of fish, see Fishkeeping. For the keeping of birds, see Bird § Economic importance. For the keeping of reptiles, see Herpetoculture.
Pet mice enjoy company and a hiding place.

The domestication of small mammals to keep as pets is a relatively recent development, arising only after large-scale industrialization. Historically, Western society was more agrarian than today, with rodents as a whole seen as vermin that were carriers for disease and a threat to crops. Animals that hunted such pests, such as terriers and cats, were prized.

Many small animals kept as household pets are rodents, including: fancy mice,[1] fancy rats,[1] hamsters (golden hamsters and dwarf hamsters), gerbils (Mongolian jirds and duprasi gerbils), common degus, common chinchillas, and guinea pigs (cavies). Non-rodents, including rabbits, hedgehogs and sugar gliders are also kept.[2]

Some of these small mammals are prohibited from being kept as pets in certain jurisdictions for being invasive; California,[3] Hawaii, Alberta and New Zealand have strict regulations to protect their native environments and agricultural operations. Gerbils, degus, and domesticated rats have various prohibitions on their ownership.

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Morrone was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Small Mammals". Healthy Pets, Healthy People. CDC. 2024. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
  3. ^ CDFW, California Department of Fish and Wildlife (2018). "Why can't I have a [...] in California?". www.wildlife.ca.gov. Retrieved 2019-04-11.