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Rodents - my favorite pet category
Rodents come in a great variety of sizes, colors and types, some of
them making great pets with a little love and care.
Most rodents are small; the tiny African pygmy mouse is only 6 cm in
length and 7 grams in weight. On the other hand, the capybara can
weigh up to 45 kg (100 pounds) and the extinct Phoberomys pattersoni
is believed to have weighed 700 kg!
Rodents have two incisors in the upper as well as in the lower jaw
which grow continuously and must be kept worn down by gnawing; this
is the origin of the name, from the Latin rodere, to gnaw, and dens,
dentis, tooth. These teeth are used for cutting wood, biting through
the skin of fruit, or for defense. The teeth have enamel on the
outside and exposed dentine on the inside, so they self-sharpen
during gnawing. Rodents lack canines, and have a space between their
incisors and premolars. Nearly all rodents feed on plants, seeds in
particular, but there are a few exceptions which eat insects or
fish. Some squirrels are known to eat passerine birds like cardinals
and blue jays.
Misc. Rodent Related Pages
Orphaned babies
Tricks you can teach your pet
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