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Gambian Pouched Rat
Gambian pouched rats can be as large as a house cat, which is
intimidating enough on it's own. They are definitely not for the
casual pet owner, and require la great amount of attention to keep
them gentle.
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Adult Male Gambian Rat |
Gambian Rat
(Cricetomys gambianus)
Description
They can be two feet or more in length from nose to tail tip, and
weigh upwards of three to five pounds, with some individuals getting
even larger! They are generally "rat-like" in appearance, with a
powerfully muscled body and long, hairless tail. Sometimes called
"Pouched Rats" due to their ability to expand their cheek pouches to
horde food or bedding, in much the same manner that hamsters might.
Diet
Because of their larger size, small rat grain mixes are too small
for a Gambian to properly shell and eat. They should be fed a daily
diet of high quality rodent block, nuts, fancy parrot mix (the kind
with the dried fruits and nuts), and fresh fruits (mine LOVE
bananas).
Crickets, mealworms or high quality dog food will give them a little
extra protein. Do NOT feed chocolate, fried foods, salted foods,
candy or junk food!
Vitamins like Nutri-Cal are a good addition to their diet, and added
calcium during nursing and growth due to demands on their systems at
those times, but take care not to overdo it.
They can use the large water bottle designed for rabbits and other
larger rodents, but the kind sold for domestic rats are too small
for them to properly work the ball inside the tube. Not to mention
the fact that it doesn't really hold that much water for a adult
sized Gambian.
Ceramic or stoneware food dishes work well, but they will usually
stuff their cheeks full of the food and stash it in their nests,
leaving the bowl empty.
Habitat
A single male can be safely housed with a single female so long as
the male is large enough to defend himself against her. The females
are the dominant sex, and may abuse the male if he is weaker then
they are.
They seem to go after the tail first, so you can visibly see if your
female is hurting your male.
A single Gambian would require a cage at least 3 feet tall by 3 feet
wide by 2 feet deep, with at the very least an extra foot to each
the depth and width for each additional Gambian.
The largest multi-level cages, designed for ferrets or for prairie
dogs are okay for a single Gambian so long as they can't chew their
way out via a plastic tunnel.
They are also very smart, and may learn to open their cage doors if
they don't have complex mechanisms or locks on them.
Floors must be solid, as wire floors can damage the delicate soles
of their feet.
Mine love to chew up cardboard boxes to make their nests, but they
don't seem interested in chewing apart the huge PVC piping tubes I
let them play in. Wooden boxes or hanging toys can give them
something to play with as well as hours of chewing fun.
High quality horse hay is a great inexpensive, edible, and safe
bedding material. One bale lasts for around three or four months and
only cost about $5-8, although the price may very according to where
you live.
If you can't find good hay, then try to use a paper based, or aspen
litter if possible. It's more expensive, but not as dangerous as
pine or cedar appear to be.
They require a humid environment or they may get ringtail. A
humidifier in the room will prevent this if you live in a dry area.
These rats are very intelligent and should be given some form of
entertainment while they are restricted to their cages.
Multi-levels, rope ladders, PVC pipe tunnels, and cardboard houses
to shred will keep your rat from getting board during the hours when
you are sleeping or can't be with it.
Special needs
Gambians should be handled daily to keep them gentle and tame.
They are very intelligent, and can learn to come to their names and
even to walk on a harness and leash.
Rats which will be working in educational programs should be
encouraged to meet many new people as often as possible when they
are young, so they will continue to accept new people as they
mature.
Gambians are very clean animals which rarely, if ever, require a
bath. They will groom themselves and stay clean as long as they have
proper bedding and are in good health.
If your Gambian' hair is ruffled, dull or excessively smelly you've
probably got a sick rat that should be taken to the vet immediately.
Personality
Attitude - Friendly if handed from an early age, curious,
protective of their cage
Tame-ability - Fair to good if purchased very young, bad to poor if
purchased as adult
Trainability - Good
Activity level - Fair, seem to be more active in the evenings and
mornings
Vocal - Very vocal, neighbors will swear that you're housing a
colony of parrots!
Minimum owner's age - 16, these are not animals that can be taken
lightly
Reproduction
Lifespan - 6-8 years
Maturity 8 weeks
Sexual maturity 6-8 months
Receptive - only if female is dominant and male large enough to
protect himself
Gestation 30-32 days
Infants show color pigment at 1 week
Infants can be handled at 2 weeks if mother is very tame. If you
choose to bottle feed, you can take them as early as 1 week, the
only reason you might want to take them earlier would be if the
mother shows signs of destroying them. She'll start with the tails.
Babies should be left with mother at least three days so they can
receive colostrum.
Infant eyes open at 22 days
Ready to wean at 6-7 weeks, weaning on to a bottle can be earlier.
If you wish to leave babies with the mother, but still have very
sweet babies, you can take them at 4-5 weeks and just finish them
off with a bottle.
Mutations
As far as I know there haven't been any color mutations occurring in
pet Gambians. They do have white spots on their chest, belly, tip of
tail, feet, and occasionally the head.
Pet Status
Very rare. They can be difficult to breed in captivity because of
caging requirements and their personality difficulties.
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