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No More Homeless Pets Forum
March 14, 2005 Pocket Pets |
Rats, guinea pigs, sugar gliders and other small creatures sometimes need rescue, too. But would you know how to help them? Do hamsters and gerbils use the same type of bedding? What temperatures are ideal for chinchillas? And what are the benefits of having our tiniest companions spayed or neutered? Small exotic animal specialist Dr. Mark Burgess of Southwest Animal Hospital helps us look out for the little guys.
Introduction from Dr. Mark Burgess:
In nearly 20 years of treating exotic pets (ferrets, rabbits, rodents, reptiles and amphibians, hedgehogs, skunks, some wildlife), there have been a few lessons to learn. First, I've learned to never stop learning; many of the exotic pet species have not been in the pet trade long enough for their care and medical problems to be fully understood.Second, I've learned that with many pets we see, their illness is at least partially a result of how they are housed or fed. Much misinformation about exotic pets is distributed by pet stores, Internet pet sites, and breeders. My job is to treat (and hopefully cure) an illness when I diagnose it, but also to educate people who have these pets to help them prevent further illness in their pets in the future.
Many of these small species can be very affectionate and enjoyable pets when well cared for by a dedicated person. Working together, exotic pet lovers and veterinarians can help ensure long, healthy and happy lives for these engaging animals.
Questions
What about spaying and neutering pocket pets?
Spaying female guinea pigs
Did that second chinchilla have to come from a breeder?
What about pets in the classroom?
Do mice get mites or lice?
Why are certain types of wood shavings dangerous?
But are pine shavings really dangerous?
Ideal habitats for happy turtles
Socializing baby and biting rats
How to get a hamster to love you more
Resources for pocket pet care
What about spaying and neutering pocket pets?
Question from Susan:
I'm a big believer in spaying and neutering for companion animals. However, I know that it's not considered too safe to spay and neuter birds and some large animals. What about pocket pets?Response from Dr. Mark:
Well, your question is a good one. Many small pets, especially females, would benefit from spay/neuter procedures.Up to 80% of rabbits may develop uterine cancer if not spayed; cavies (guinea pigs) commonly develop cystic ovaries and hormonal problems if not spayed; rats commonly get uterine infections and tumors, the list goes on.
It has become commonplace to spay & neuter rabbits. Cavies and smaller rodents aren't spayed & neutered as often. Part of the reason is increased risk with small body size, and part is that the small rodents with shorter life spans often are thought of as short-term pets by their owners; they simply don't want to invest the money in a surgery. The pets we think are routinely safe to spay and neuter include rabbits, ferrets, rats, cavies, sugar gliders, hedgehogs, skunks, prairie dogs, degus, and chinchillas.
Very small pets like mice and hamsters are higher risk, and we don't usually recommend routine spay/neuter procedures on these. As with all surgery, the safety margin is greater with a vet who is quite experienced with the species in question. Many species have a delicate gut (rabbits, chinchillas, cavies, for example) and must be managed carefully to prevent gut upset (minimal preoperative fasting, for one). All these species have a relatively poor immune response compared to, say, a cat, so sterile surgical technique is very important. Vets who aren't extremely careful about technique (because they don't have to be with dogs & cats) will find that their pocket pet patients may develop severe postoperative infections. All in all, many of these species will benefit from surgery while young and healthy; they will live longer, healthier lives. Hope this answers your question!
Spaying female guinea pigs
Question from Shannon:
Our organization works with three of the top vets certified to treat guinea pigs in Colorado. None of them will spay a female, because of the very high mortality rate when it is attempted. In fact on our site we list a very large number of exotic certified vets who will not spay for that reason. Why are you recommending it?Response from Dr. Mark:
Well, your question is a complicated one. The simple answer is I spay cavies because I don't have problems with it. The overall answer is more complex.First of all, realize that exotic pet medicine and surgery is still mostly in its infancy. Therefore most vets treating these animals, even if experienced with them, have little formal education relating specifically to these pets. And the formal education that is available isn't as complete as we would like, because knowledge of these pets isn't complete. A vet is often thought of as "expert" in exotic species simply because he/she is willing to treat them, especially if he/she has done it for quite awhile.
But simply seeing these pets, even for a long time, doesn't make one a leading medicine/surgery expert. If that were the case, every M.D. in the U.S. would be a "leading expert" in human medicine (they have extensive experience with humans, right?) and every regular dog/cat vet in the U.S. would be an "expert:" in canine/feline medicine (they see a ton of cases).
Obviously that's not really the case, as most practitioners are simply "average Joes", but there is such a lack of exotic pet expertise in the vet community that anyone with experience in these animals often is thought of as an expert. Many of the exotic pet vets are self-taught and their opinions are based much on their personal experiences, which vary from vet to vet.
Contrary to what you mentioned in your email, there exists no formal certification process in any veterinary association in the U.S. for "exotic pets" in general that I'm aware of. That's shows how early the development of exotic pet medicine/surgery is in the U.S. One can become board certified in avian medicine (which doesn't apply to cavies!), or in laboratory animal medicine (which could apply to some species such as rabbits, rats & cavies)... but how much practical information is learned in these courses (such as spaying) is questionable. If any vet is board certified in one of these fields, there will be additional letters after their name (besides DVM), such as DABVP. Otherwise there is no "certification" available that means a whole lot.
If any vet (no matter how well known or well thought of) has problems with high mortality rates with a routine surgery, such as a spay, then it may be time for them to look at their methods and materials and make a change. I've spayed a very large number of cavies over nearly 20 years, and I can't recall the last time I had a mortality directly linked to the surgery. This, despite many of my spays being on older cavies who already have ovarian or uterine disease. If these sick pets can be spayed safely, why not the young, healthy ones?
Many of the problems that practitioners report in cavy surgery come from using methods appropriate for dogs and cats, but which can cause problems in cavies. Complications that may be seen include post-op infections. This can happen if the sterile technique isn't perfect, something you can get away with routinely in the dog or cat, but not in rodents. Infections are preventable if excellent sterile technique is performed!
Other complications include gut upsets, if the cavy isn't being fed properly at home, or if the wrong drugs are used, etc. There are many ways to do it "wrong" and only a few ways of doing it "right"... but if it is done properly, the risk of complications is very low.
To practice the best medicine and surgery on these little guys, you have to have a good attention to detail... we always discuss diet, for instance. A cavy surgery candidate is less stable if the owners are feeding a lot of fruits or inappropriate veggies that stress the gut and put the cavy at greater risk for post-op gut upsets... also true if no hay (or the wrong hay) is being fed. We have our clients feed mostly grass hay (70 % or more of the diet), a moderate amount of high fiber cavy pellets, a few veggies (10-15% of the diet), little or no fruit, and vitamin C daily. The diet needs to be addressed, and (if needed) corrected prior to surgery, or the surgery shouldn't be done.
Then the surgical methods and materials need to be appropriate for cavies. No pre-op drugs such as atropine or glycopyrollate should be used as they may slow the gut. Fasting should be only for 3-4 hours pre-op, as an overnight fast can cause gut problems. Anesthesia should be gas only, not injectable, to minimize impact on the gut and speed recovery... the sooner a cavy eats post-op, the better! Many of our patients are eating within 20 minutes postoperatively.
Again, there are a lot of variables, but if done PROPERLY, spaying a cavy is definitely less risky than not spaying. There is simply no other way I can state this! Best wishes, and I hope this is helpful!
Did that second chinchilla have to come from a breeder?
Question from Thea:
I work at a very rescue-oriented vet clinic, where we encourage our clients to adopt rather than purchase their companions, etc. One of our co-workers rescued a male chinchilla, whom she, of course, promptly had neutered. But, he seemed lonely and she wanted a companion for him. Her research told her that 1) she should find a male, rather than female, companion for him, 2) she would need to bring home a juvenile male, or they'd fight.So, she reluctantly purchased a baby male chinchilla from a breeder, since she couldn't find any available for adoption. They're both neutered now and get along great. A few months ago, we saw a blurb from our local humane society; they had a male, adult chinchilla up for adoption! We're all wondering if this is one of those, "I could have hadda V-8" kind of moments, or if the advice she received was correct and the only option was to introduce an immature male.
Response from Dr. Mark:
There are no absolute rules here; some (neutered) adult males get along okay when introduced, others may not. Some neutered males and females can cohabitate, and others not. An immature animal is less threatening and more likely to submit to another animal, so probably maximizes the chances of a successful pairing. A newcomer adult male might fight with the established pet and if so, you'd end up with 2 solitary males instead of one.Of course, that's where an adoption policy that makes allowances for such possibilities is a good thing. Retail pet stores will pretty much never take an animal back and find it another good home when it comes back for compatibility issues. Another appealing option: foster-to-adopt. If it doesn't work out, you'll have the option of finding a suitable adopter without the guilt of a 'failed' adoption.
I wish your co-worker best of luck with the little guys!
What about pets in the classroom?
Question from Tim:
What do you think about small animals being kept in the classroom? Have you seen a lot of these as patients and if so, do they seem any more or less healthy and cared for than the average 'captive critter?'On the pro side, I've heard that kids really enjoy having animals in the classroom and that if it's done right, they come away with a greater respect for animals in general, as well as specific skills to help feed, house, and care for an animal companion.
On the con side, I've seen animals living lonely or, conversely, harassed lives of misery in a dirty cage or aquarium. It can also be dangerous if no one person is the primary, responsible and accountable caretaker for an animal, especially for a possibly misunderstood exotic with unique dietary and care needs.
What do you see as the pros and cons?
Response from Dr. Mark:
Classroom pets can work out well if the animal is fed and housed well and has adequate attention in a non-stressful manner.Ferrets and rabbits are big enough to require larger areas, and should have a big cage with plenty of exercise time out of the cage daily. Cavies (Guinea Pigs) and pet rats may be better choices for a class setting, due to their smaller sizes.
Hamsters, gerbils and mice are more high strung and very small, so are more easily injured if not handled carefully. Some hamsters and gerbils are prone to biting as well. Golden hamsters (the common type sold) are very cold sensitive and may become unconscious at temperatures in the mid 60's; this could be a problem in classrooms where the heat is turned down at night. Rabbits, cavies and hamsters have a delicate digestive tract, and can become severely ill if fed too little roughage or if they are given sweet treats such as fruit; care must be taken with feeding these animals in a classroom setting. Reptiles are an easily stressed group due to their more exacting temperature and lighting requirements; I often see classroom turtles who have poor health due to inadequate heat, lighting, or diet. Reptiles, like birds, can also carry Salmonella, a bacterial infection that occasionally can infect humans.
Probably the best classroom pet is the domestic rat; they are universally friendly and sociable; they like being handled, and are intelligent and interesting to watch. They are small enough to be easily housed, but large enough to not be easily injured. Rats have a sturdy gut so getting treats won't kill them. Hedgehogs are similar in size and very interesting also; they aren't aggressive but some can be quite shy.
Classroom pets can be great for kids if the right type of animal is selected and they receive proper care and handling. Otherwise problems can occur, but these problems are the same we encounter in these animals when kept in a home without proper care. Whether at home or school, having a happy and healthy small "exotic" pet requires a good understanding of that pet's needs, both medical and social. Then both the pet and the people interacting with it can be enriched by the experience.
Do mice get mites or lice? It's a tongue twister!
Question from April:
Can you talk a little bit about lice or mites in small creatures such as mice? I've seen this in mice and I'm wondering if hamsters, etc also get lice/mites. Are they different kind of parasite than those that plague larger species, such as cats, dogs, or humans? Is it possible for a human to 'catch' them? I've seen mice acting so miserable and scratching their backs raw with their little hind feet. Is there any treatment that's truly strong enough to kill the pests without hurting a mouse's tiny and delicate system?Response from Dr. Mark:
Hi April, we see mites and/or lice in many rodent species and rabbits. Rabbits get Cheyletiella mites, but not lice. Cavies get Trixacarus mites, and biting lice. Rats get mites of several types, and sucking lice. Mice get mites but rarely lice. Each parasite is species specific; rats and mice may share mites, but none of these other parasites will infest any but its preferred host species. These parasites won't infest humans, either... an occasional brief skin rash has been reported with cavy mites (mostly in children) but this is uncommon. Note: wild rodents and other wildlife can carry Sarcoptes mites (scabies) that can infest many different species including humans; this mite is rare in captive raised pocket pets.Lice:
These are visible to the naked eye, as are their eggs, which look like pinpoint silvery beads stuck to the host's hairs. Lice are easily killed; their eggs are not. Therefore treatment should be weekly for 6-8 weeks, to allow all eggs to hatch and the resulting lice to be killed. Ivermectin orally or injected can be used weekly; it works well with sucking lice which attach and suck blood (the type rats have). It may work less quickly on biting lice, which chew on the skin and hair but don't suck blood (the lice that cavies have). Lime sulfur dip is nontoxic but smelly, and must be applied over the entire body surface; it kills any type of lice on contact; again it must be used weekly for 6-8 weeks to allow all eggs to hatch. Lastly, bird mite and lice spray is mild and could be used with all lice, applied weekly for 6-8 weeks.
Mites:
They are microscopic and usually not visible; they may burrow deep in the skin and can cause intense itching, worse than with lice. If we suspect mites we can try to verify their presence via skin scrapings and microscopic exam of the skin debris to see the mites; but these can be hard to find even if present. So often we start treatment based on symptoms. Ivermectin can be given orally once to twice a week. It is a potent mite killer with good safety... treatment must be for 6-8 weeks minimum. Lime sulfur dip can also work, used weekly for 6-8 weeks minimum; severe mite cases may begin with both Ivermectin and lime sulfur dip until improving, then finish treatment with Ivermectin alone. Bird mite and lice spray does not work well with mites, as they burrow in the skin and are not killed well with mild sprays; the one exception is rabbit Cheyletiella mites which are large and live on the skin surface and hair shafts (causing flaky dandruff); these can be killed with the bird sprays.
Regarding mice specifically, they have several severe skin conditions that can cause intense itching and self-mutilation, often to the point of creating deep skin wounds and removing most of their external ears. Mites are one possible cause, but some of the most severe cases aren't mites at all. They have other diseases such as Staph hypersensitivity, basically sort of an allergic reaction to normal Staph bacteria living on the skin... these cases may respond better to antibiotics, or antibiotics plus cortisone. Mice also have autoimmune diseases wherein the immune system attacks the skin, or attacks the blood vessels supplying the skin, causing severe inflammation and itching... these cases often self-mutilate severely and are difficult to control. Mice with severe skin lesions who do not respond to Ivermectin within 2 to 3 doses, and do not improve on antibiotics, should have trial therapy with high dose cortisone to suppress a possible autoimmune disease. Ideally a skin biopsy should be done first to confirm the diagnosis. If no biopsy is done, treat and rule out mites or infections first, as cortisones will worsen those 2 diseases.
Best of luck with all your little fuzzies!
Why are certain types of wood shavings dangerous?
Question from Karey:
Last week, the forum guest talked about different types of litter for cats, and one of the members mentioned in a question that pine/cedar litter or bedding is not good for rabbits and pocket pets.Can you explain why that is? And is it safe for cats, for that matter? Or humans? What if we rescue a pocket pet from a situation and they had been previously exposed to pine/cedar bedding? Should we be on the lookout for any symptoms?
Response from Dr. Mark:
Softwoods such as pine, fir, redwood, and especially cedar, are high in aromatic wood oils; that's what makes cedar smell like cedar, for instance. These oils are pleasant smelling, making these woods popular for use as bedding (they're also cheap). The problem is, the oils released from the woods can be toxic if inhaled for long periods of time, or if absorbed through the skin and/or licked off the skin when grooming. For cat litter box use, these oils are a minimal concern; the cat isn't living in the box (well, we hope not anyway!) and isn't in constant contact with the material. Some paper litters are even scented with cedar oil, and this is ok.But a rodent living in the litter material, contacting it constantly, and breathing the aromatic oil fumes at close range constantly, can have medical problems as a result. One problem can be skin irritation, especially if the pet develops an allergic reaction to the oils. I've seen mice housed on cedar who lost all the hair on their faces and were extremely red and itchy, until the cedar chips were removed. Studies with rats showed that when housed on pine, fir or cedar chips, they all had enlarged livers (due to constant detoxifying of the absorbed oils by the liver), and mild to moderate lung damage. When housed on recycled paper bedding (non scented) or hardwood bedding (birch, aspen, alder) there were no signs of toxicity.
So if it's a house cat or house rabbit who occasionally uses a litter box, exposure to litter materials is brief and probably of minimal concern. Cage bedding, on the other hand, poses a threat of long-term heavy exposure to toxic oils if the wrong materials are used.
Animals previously housed on cedar, etc, may have minimal outward signs of problems. If they do show lung or skin problems, these could be other diseases as well, i.e. respiratory infections, mites on the skin, etc. The bedding may contribute to lung or skin problems, but is rarely the whole answer; other disease is often present if obvious symptoms are seen. Simply prevent further exposure to the wrong beddings, and treat whatever illness may be present. Nothing else can be easily done; the body hopefully will eliminate any wood oils once exposure is halted.
Hope this is helpful!
But are pine shavings really dangerous?
Question from a member:
Please present research that proves that wood shavings are harmful.I've done a lot of research into softwood bedding and rabbits and there just isn't any credible evidence that it causes problems with rabbits, at least. People talk about liver problems, but all non-heated treated softwood bedding does is induce Hepatic Micorsomal Enzymes (HME) as do many things such as grapefruit juice, and is a natural function of the body and not a sign of damage. As far as causing respiratory problems, people are basing that on studies done on sawmill workers, which would not be the same environment that a pet is living in. You can have a rabbit with an allergy to softwood bedding. I ended up writing an article about pine shavings and the myth they are dangerous.
Response from Dr. Mark:
Well, I don't know where the study was published that I recall reading; it was in a university setting, that's all I remember. It involved rats, which are easy study candidates to use, and the study found that all softwoods tested (pine, cedar, fir) caused significant changes in the liver, not just activation of microsomal enzyme systems, but significant increase in liver size and weight, indicating a heavy load placed on the liver to detoxify and metabolize these oils.Cedar oil, in particular, is widely recognized as potentially toxic, and even is a moderate flea repellent... as hardy as fleas are, it is even noxious to them to some degree. The rats in the study also showed exacerbation of lung diseases (they tend to carry long-term respiratory infections such as mycoplasma; the rats housed on softwoods had more advanced lung disease lesions).
Remember, activation of microsomal enzyme systems in the liver is "normal" in response to chemical exposure, but does not mean that such chemicals are harmless... the same changes occur in human livers with exposure to alcohol, but with long-term exposure the person can end up with cirrhosis and a failing liver. Activation of liver enzyme systems also indicates that there IS significant absorption of these oils into the body, not just on the skin surface. I don't think anyone knows just what the extent of the effects of these can be with long-term exposure.
How thorough was the study you conducted in order to find softwood harmless? Was it just literature searches, or was there independent research to show new information? If so, how many animals were used, and for how long was the study conducted? Ideally a study with rabbits should be for at least 5 years...they age slower than rats, with a slower metabolism, therefore changes would take longer to show up.
Thorough blood workups should have been done regularly, at least every few months, and a control group on non-softwood bedding would need to be used to compare results. At the end of the study histopathology should have been done on all internal organs of the animals. Was this done? And where were the results published? Unless the study was done on significant numbers of animals, to allow for statistical comparison, and unless methodology was meticulous and thorough, it would be very premature based on one piece of work to proclaim that there is absolutely no risk with these aromatic oils.
There is enough evidence that softwoods are questionable at best. The real question is, why use them if there is any doubt at all, when paper or hardwood beddings are agreed by all to be safe? The only reason softwoods have been abundantly used is that they smell pleasant and are cheap, hardly reasons to promote them if some studies have indicated potential long-term toxicity problems. You've noted the studies in humans linking these wood oils to human lung disease; yes the exposure route is different, but still the same wood oils.
You have brought up another point: rabbits or other animals can have true allergic response to these woods, which is more likely with woods giving off high levels of oils compared to inert bedding materials that don't. Other aromatic oils, such as pennyroyal, have been promoted by some as natural flea repellents, etc, but I've seen information on significant toxicity effects with some of these as well.
As with many areas of exotic animal medicine, there are still things to be learned (and hopefully they will be!), and much is not set in stone... but when giving advice professionally, the responsible choice is to err on the side of safety, if one must err at all. And the safest approach is to not use woods with high aromatic oil content; no one I know in exotic pet medicine disagrees with that at this time.
Comment from a rabbit breeder:
If one can't cite the reference it doesn't help. If you don't have it in front of you or easily accessible, no disrespect meant, how are you absolutely sure about what it said and what the conclusions were?I've also come across pet owners who said they had rabbits with liver problems, but they had never been exposed to softwood shavings. I disagree, so far I've seen no evidence that they cause health problems and you have not listed references for evidence that they do.
The reason I began reading the articles and obtaining the studies to read for myself was because I've always used pine shavings with my rabbits. In over 20 years of owning rabbits I've never had any problems with using pine shavings nor do I know of anyone else who has had problems other than the occasional rabbit with an allergy. I strongly believe there is no evidence that softwood shavings pose any health danger and I don't think it is right for people to continue the myth that there are problems. I don't know if it's currently true, but when I first researched my article, I read that pine and cedar were the number one selling bedding. If it really caused problems we'd have seen it.
Response from Dr Mark:
Here are a few papers dealing w/ the subject of softwood oils etc, not all inclusive by any means. There really is no "debate", scientifically speaking. The main debate comes from those with little or no understanding of medicine or science, who will make statements like "softwoods are harmless; I've bedded rabbits on them for years and seen no problems". That type of anecdotal "evidence" by untrained observers is, of course, completely useless and means little. I'd bet good money that when those rabbits got sick and died (and all of them do, eventually) that the owner didn't pay to have a thorough autopsy done on each pet, with pathology samples of the various organs analyzed by an experienced exotics pathologist, to determine whether or not any disease present may have been linked to aromatic oil exposure. The untrained observer simply assumed all was ok, because the pet didn't keel over or break out in boils the first time the bedding was used. Toxicities take time; saccharin was used for years to sweeten human products; my family certainly used it, and I "saw no problems" with them at the time.... of course, my dad died of liver cancer 30 years later, and now we know saccharin is a carcinogen (cancer causing)... could it have helped cause the liver cancer? Possibly. Lack of scientific and medical education also allows people to make comments like "elevated liver enzymes are normal" while still keeping a straight face! Yes, the liver's "normal" response to toxins is to show an enzyme elevation, but that hardly makes it a healthy, normal thing to see in one's body. This sort of "play on words" thinking is a great example of how non-trained people can go astray when trying to think logically – and failing.That old saying "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing" applies perfectly here. If someone wants to render a USEFUL opinion, he/she should go to college, complete at least a biology degree, and learn about the fundamentals of research and data collection (such as what constitutes valid conclusions, what constitutes unsubstantiated assumptions that can't be backed up with hard data, what constitutes statistically significant data versus random variation or coincidence, what constitutes real hard data versus unverified "impressions", what constitutes research bias and how to avoid it, etc.). After completing such an education, he/she probably won't be thinking the same way anymore... but if he/she still wants to maintain the same opinion, then at least he/she can do so intelligently and may seek some hard data to back up their point of view. Science, at its essence, is a set of rules designed to force us to reason logically, to remove or minimize personal bias, inaccurate assumptions, and all the other things that the average person usually does wrong when trying to think about a problem.
Most people simply aren't logical or rational to the degree that science demands, unless trained extensively to think that way... so incorrect conclusions are commonplace, often based on little or no evidence other than what that person wants to think is important. THAT is the essential problem behind many "debates" about subjects such as bedding toxicity, when the scientific evidence (so far) all points to one conclusion: there is high toxicity potential with long-term exposure to many softwoods. Those knowledgeable enough to look at the research data and truly understand what it means, all agree on this. Those who have inadequate training and knowledge to understand it, will easily discount the research as wrong, and instead rely on their own personal experiences, however unreliable those are.
Some papers, which have been published on softwood toxicity, in various species, are the following: (in standard reference format):
1) Odynets, A. et al. (1991) Beddings for laboratory animals: criteria of biological evaluation. Lab.Zyhvotyne, 1 (3) p. 70-76. This study showed, among other things, that pine shavings inhibited growth of microorganisms (i.e. was toxic to them), which is no surprise, as pine oil is the major ingredient in Pine-Sol disinfectant... if it kills bacteria on contact so well due to its toxicity, what does pine oil do to the body's cells when it contacts them? This study also showed altered immune response in mice housed on pine, and enlarged livers in these mice. These mice housed on pine had decreased reproductive rates compared to those on other beddings, and when given a choice, they would choose any other bedding over cedar or pine bedding... instinctively they shied away from it. No wonder! Do you want to drink PineSol? It's the same stuff as in the pine bedding.
2) Ferguson, H.C. (1966) Effect of red cedar bedding on hexobarbital and pentobarbital sleep time. Journal of Pharm. Science, 55 p. 1142-1148 This study showed that liver enzymes elevated consistently with animals housed on cedar bedding... this shows that the liver is having to detoxify and remove cedar oil from the body, demonstrating that the oils are absorbing into the body at alarming levels. This also affected the liver's ability to metabolize other drugs such as pentobarbital, showing that liver function was negatively affected by the cedar oils.
3) Jori, A. et al. (1969) Effect of essential oils on drug metabolism. Biochemical Pharmacology, 18 p.2081-2085. This paper also showed evidence of altered liver enzymes and liver function of animals housed on softwood beddings.
4) Vesell, Elliot S. (1967) Induction of drug-metabolizing enzymes in liver microsomes of mice and rats by softwood bedding. Science, 157 P. 1057-1058. Similar findings to the last paper. Note the dates of these papers... this evidence has been known for a long time! Nothing done since has contradicted these findings, only reinforced them. Why is softwood used by people? Because it's cheap and smells good, that's all.
5) Weichbrod, Robert H. et al, (1988) Effects of cage beddings on microsomal oxidative enzymes in rat liver. Laboratory animal science, 38 (3) p. 296-298. Similar findings to studies 3 & 4. Note that research facilities do NOT use softwood beddings for their rodents unless it is to study toxicity effects; they take better care of their rodents than many layperson pet owners do, despite the higher cost of housing hundreds of research animals on more expensive beddings.
6) Vaughn, T.L. and S. Davis, (1991) Wood Dust exposure and squamous cell cancers of the upper respiratory tract. American Journal of Epidemiology 133 (6), p. 560-564. This human study showed cancer causing effects of exposure to wood dust (specifically softwoods).
7) Seegar, K.C.; Tomhave, A.E.; Lucas, W.C. (1951) A comparison of litters used for broiler production. Delaware Agric. Exp. Stn. Bulletin, 289. This study showed chickens housed on softwoods had significantly more respiratory infections than those housed on other types of bedding. Enough said.
8) Harriman, Marinell (1989) Litterboxes and liver disease. House rabbit journal, I (12) p. 8-9. This article documented the elevation of rabbit liver enzymes simply from using softwood shavings in their litter boxes, not as bedding in a cage. Using other litter caused liver tests to return to normal. Two of these rabbits had liver disease when later autopsied.
9) Shoental R. Carcinogeniticy of wood shavings. Lab. Anim. (1973) vol. 7, P 47-49. This study showed that softwood aromatic oils found in cedar shavings were carcinogenic (cancer causing). Enough said!
10) Torronen R., Pelkonen K., Karenlampi S. Enzyme inducing and cytotoxic effects of woodbased materials used as bedding for laboratory animals. Comparison by a cell culture study. Life Sci. (1989) Vol. 45, P. 559-565. This study showed not only enzyme elevations, but also cell toxicity/death when mammal tissue cell cultures were exposed to softwood oils... in other words, these oils kill bodily cells, not just microorganisms! Enough said.
This is a SMALL sampling of literally dozens of research articles published in scientific journals over the past 40 years... they are from different universities, in many cases different countries, and different times, and with different animal species... yet all of them agree that softwood beddings are toxic. No one with any knowledge of this overwhelming body of evidence would even begin to question the conclusions reached, unless he/she is unable to comprehend the meaning of the data, or is too irrational to believe what the evidence forces us to conclude. There simply is no rational decision here other than concluding that the beddings are toxic. That is why it is difficult for me to take seriously anyone claiming otherwise; life is too short to worry about those opinions (and there will always be some...). I hope this is helpful!
Ideal habitats for happy turtles
Question from Vikke:
Thanks again for this excellent forum. We have a Reeves turtle, a species originally from the shallow marshes & paddies of southern China/Korea region of Asia. We adopted him from a kid who was going off to college & couldn't/didn't want to take Turtle. I don't know for sure how s/he got to the US, but I doubt it was pleasant.Turtle's habitat is a black rubber tub (about 4 feet long, 3 feet wide and 1 foot high) with about 5-7 inches of water. We've had years of difficulty getting a proper filtration system to work. We were told plants growing in the top would uptake nutrients & help naturally filter the water but no plants survived very long.
Can you please recommend an ideal filtration system for a large, shallow tub-style habitat? What should we put our efforts into making work? Also, what kind of temperature is ideal for this turtle? S/he's pretty active in the warm months, but mellower during the winter.
Are there any additional environmental elements we could add that would help make it more natural? Turtle likes to scrabble around and live plants likely wouldn't last long, but I'd be willing to try if you could suggest some. There's a sizeable rock island in the middle of the tub for Turtle to sunbathe on but otherwise it's kind of stark.
Response from Dr. Mark:
Turtle care and husbandry is a long, complicated discussion. We won't even go into diet here. But in general, with semi-aquatic turtles, you should provide an environment that is approximately half water and half land; this will encourage the turtle to spend a lot of time out of the water basking. This is important both to dry risk of shell infections) as well as to allow the body temperature to warm after bathing. Heating the water can help minimize the body temperature dropping while bathing; but heated water grows bacteria even faster when soiled.A simple setup is to have about half the enclosure be a large water container, such as a wide Tupperware container at least 6 inches deep... the water is filled close to the rim. The other half of the enclosure can be filled with dirt or large gravel (too big to swallow)... which is raised to the level of the rim of the water container. A wood or rubber ramp can help the turtle climb out of the water container if needed.
If desired, a wood or plastic retaining wall can be put in to hold the dirt or gravel in place, allowing the water container to be easily removed for water changes and cleaning. Keeping water clean is usually done in one of two ways: 1) change the water every day or 2 – much easier with a removable water container as described above, 2) A large aquarium filter system as used in big fish tanks.
Many reptile owners have been successful with either one of these methods. Air temperature should be in the low 80's in the day, low 70's is ok at night. The temperature needs to be measured with a good thermometer (not a color strip) at various points in the cage. The most accurate temperatures are taken in the shade, or as far away from any heat sources as possible. Temperatures taken under or near a heat light will give falsely high readings. The only way to get an enclosure warm enough is to 1) heat the surrounding room to 80 F or higher, or 2) have an enclosed cage. You can't heat your house with the windows open and roof missing; you also can't heat a cage much above room temperature with the cage wide open. You need some air
ventilation, but not a lot. If you live in a drier area of the country, enclosing the cage also helps increase humidity. Obviously if you live in Florida, or many parts of the deep South, heating and humidity may be lesser concerns. But in cooler or drier areas, such as the Northwest where I practice, we see turtles every Winter and early Spring who are lethargic, or not eating well, or have respiratory infections, mainly due to seasonal stresses such as low temperatures, low UV levels, short day length, etc.
Besides heat, lighting also plays a role in keeping a turtle active and eating through the winter. Even turtles who may hibernate in the wild are often kept active year around in captivity, due to the difficulty many owners have in performing proper hibernation techniques for their pet (it typically can't be done well indoors, for one thing). It's often safer just to keep the pet active all year.
Be sure the light levels stay high; this means provide at least 12 hours of bright light daily even in the winter. Also ideally provide ultraviolet light, specifically UV-B, which requires a specialty reptile fluorescent light (such as Reptisun by Zoomed) kept close to the pet (usually within 18 inches) and replaced every 6-8 months. UV light helps stimulate good appetite, and assists in activating Vitamin D3, which is important in absorbing dietary calcium. Alternatively, you can use a mercury vapor bulb, which gets hot but covers a pretty good area (out to 2-5 feet depending on bulb size, brand, etc. No one knows exactly what the limits on these bulbs are as yet).
Managing heat and light properly keeps reptiles from becoming too passive or even ill in the winter, and stimulates good appetite and good immune function. The environmental setup and diet are the first things we look at with any reptile who isn't behaving normally or is ill. Diet is another discussion; suffice it to say we see even more problems with many reptile diets than we do with their environment. This is due partially to propagation of much dietary misinformation by pet stores, and on the Internet, and even in reptile enthusiast magazines.
I hope this is useful to you. Good luck with your shelled friend!
Socializing baby and biting rats
Question from Kelly:
I am a rescuer of small animals. I recently rescued mama and son rats who were housed together. I immediately separated them, but the damage had already been done. Babies arrived on March 10th. Both rats came from a very abusive situation and were in poor physical condition when I got them. Physically, they are both doing well. Mentally, mama rat (who I have named Lana) is not doing so well. She is friendly when allowed to run free, but will try to bite every time you place your hand into the cage (for feeding or to change her water). Speaking from experience, she is very accurate.My question is about how to socialize her babies. I am hoping if I can handle and make them people friendly, I will be able to find them loving homes. Lana loves to run free, and I think she will leave the babies unattended for a time if given the opportunity (which I have not yet allowed, much to her dismay), so that I can begin touching and handling. I do not want her to abandon the nest, but would love to begin the weaning and socialization process as soon as possible, place the babies in a public place in my home and begin handling. My question is when is it safe for the babies to begin doing this and how should I proceed?
Thanks for all of your help.
Response from Dr. Mark:
Most babies are weaned around 3 weeks old; minimal handling or disturbance should occur before then. Aggression in rats (male or female) is very uncommon; this mother may simply be protecting her young, as she behaves differently outside the cage. I wouldn't worry about the babies being sociable; unless they inherited some unusual aggressive tendencies, they should be fine.You can begin handling them when they are weaned and running around (fully furred, eyes open, etc) after 3-4 weeks old. Disturbing the nest prior to this may make the mother abandon her young, or even attack them. The mother may also settle down once her babies aren't in the nest; if she doesn't, then she just has a behavioral problem, whether it be hereditary or learned. Handling her often when she's not in her cage will encourage familiarity with people and help socialize her as well as can be done.
Historically, pet rats are rarely aggressive with humans. But in recent years we have seen a few more aggressive individuals; this appears to be hereditary and seems to be most frequent in the "newer" breeds of rats, such as "blue" rats, rex rats, nude rats, and dumbo rats... these have likely been heavily inbred to reproduce the new mutations, which may result in behavioral problems. Also, when new breeds are developed, breeder rats are often selected for physical traits only, with little attention paid to their behaviors. So some antisocial personality traits may get propagated.
The traditional "hooded" rats still tend to be as friendly and stable as always (provided they aren't a hooded rex, hooded dumbo, hooded blue rat, etc); these rats were originally bred for good disposition and have not been recently inbred to produce new colors or other physical characteristics. So they are probably your best choice for a consistently friendly pet... but with that said, most rats are still friendly and sociable regardless of which "type" they are – biters are still very uncommon. With luck your mother rat will lose her cage defense behaviors when the babies are gone.
Comment from Jean:
Bunnies Urgently Needing Shelter (BUNS) is using clicker training (operant conditioning) at the Santa Barbara (CA) County Stray Animal shelter to address a variety of behavioral and management issues and for environmental enrichment. We have found that a rabbit that is used to accepting food rewards for a variety of behaviors will accept oral medications and pills voluntarily when they are offered in a training setting. We have also found that a rabbit, just starting to go into gastrointestinal stasis, can be induced to eat in a training setting (this is NOT a substitute for normal veterinary care, just an adjunct).We have also been successful in training rabbits not to bite using the clicker. Although the biting mama rat may just be guarding her babies, if the behavior persists after the babies are weaned, clicker training should be able to change that behavior.
Two of our trainers changed a rabbit who pounced and bit any hand that came near, to one who took food treats from the hand and accepted (or demanded) petting. It went very fast. We trained on Thursdays and Saturdays, as those were the days we were at the shelter. It took about 4 days to get some good, solid results. We probably did two to three sessions consisting of 15 treats per session.
How to get a hamster to love you more
Question from Anne:
I write a pet advice column called Dear Tabby for my local paper. I got a letter from a 10-year-old girl who wants to know how to make her hamster love her more. Any advice would be greatly appreciated, and of course, acknowledged in the column. Thanks!!Response from Dr. Mark:
Well... hamsters aren't always the most sociable animals. That's just their nature. But as with any species, socialization and regular handling helps create more sociable and friendly tendencies in the pet. If the hamster likes to bite, sometimes handling must be done with a small towel instead of bare hands at first.Most hamsters wake up cranky. It is wise to not try to pick a hamster up if it's been sleeping, but rather wait until he/she is up and active.
A little bribery can help: offering a small treat such as half a raisin or a piece of unsalted nut will sometimes make the hamster start to associate the owner with good things and become more sociable. Remember, hamsters have a delicate gut and may develop diarrhea and severe illness if fed too many sweet treats such as fruit. Too many seeds or nuts tend to cause obesity.
So, for the main diet use a pelleted hamster diet (not a seed/nut/ fruit mix diet), and offer some grass hay such as timothy. Some hamsters will eat it, and the fiber helps stabilize the gut function. Treats should be limited, but again may help motivate a hamster to make an effort to be friendly. Good luck!
Resources for pocket pet care
Question from Annette:
I know that at this time, companion animals of every species and type are in need of being rescued and adopted, rather than being bred and purchased. For example, I have seen all sorts of critters needing homes on Petfinder (www.petfinder.org). I am thinking about adopting a guinea pig (or two) because they seem friendly, healthy, quiet, and I like the fact that they are vegetarian! I would only want to provide the best home available to them, of course.I'm wondering: Are they easy keepers (do they make good pets, or are they unhappy/sick most of the time)? Would they be happiest with adequate human companionship, or do they strongly prefer a same-species friend, the same way rabbits do? What is the ideal living situation for these little guys, in terms of habitat set-up? Are there any care books or websites that you can recommend for a novice to explore before adopting?
Response from Dr. Mark:
Hi Annette, cavies can make great pets if handled and interacted with regularly. Like many animals, they will act more aloof if rarely played with and left in their cage all the time. They should have a spacious cage, one-level usually, with thick straw or paper bedding (or hardwood bedding) to minimize soiling; keep the bedding clean and dry! Open-air cages allow better ventilation than aquarium type of enclosures.They can bond to another cavy, especially if introduced while young; males should be neutered if housed with another cavy. (They may fight with other males, or breed the females repeatedly, if not neutered.) Females should be spayed, due to their high incidence of ovarian problems as they age.
The main challenge in managing them is providing a proper diet. They should have grass hay (not alfalfa) such as timothy, fed free choice always. Also provide a good quality cavy food (pellets only, not a seed/nut/fruit mix). One of the best is Oxbow cavy cuisine; they don't market through large vendors, so their food is always pretty fresh, and the vitamin C in their diet is stabilized to last 6 months; most brands have no expiration date on their food bags and the Vit C is expired within 90 days of manufacture.
All cavies need vitamin C daily; regardless of food brand, the safest thing to do is provide extra vitamin C in addition to the pellets. Some can be provided via fresh veggies and fruits... parsley is a good choice due to its good vitamin C content and low sugar content. The problem is, cavies require a lot of vitamin C daily (10-30 mg minimum depending on age, health status, etc), and many sources such as fruits are too high in sugar content to be safe in large quantities. Recent information suggests, for instance, that it takes nearly half an orange daily to meet their vitamin C needs; this is too much sugar intake and can cause gut upsets which could be fatal.
Cavies are grazing animals, not fruit eaters by nature. Leafy greens are generally the safest veggies to feed and may contain some vitamin C; minimize veggies in the cabbage family (bok choi, cabbage, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, kale) as these can sometimes cause indigestion too... kale seems to be tolerable if not overfed.
Vitamin C in the water bottle isn't the most reliable way to provide it, and must be changed daily. The best way to provide good vitamin C is probably by giving a chewable tablet daily, so we know how much they're getting. Oxbow makes 50 mg tablets; give 1/2 to 1 tablet daily (we don't worry about overdosing, it's very safe). Or a children's chewable vitamin C tablet could be used; break off a piece roughly equivalent to 25-50mg daily. The cavy digestive tract does best on a diet of mostly hay, a measured amount of pellets, and a few veggies (10-15 % of the total diet). Remember, veggies we buy in the store often bear little resemblance to what cavies eat in the wild (grasses & tough, leafy plants), so much of what humans like is too rich for them to eat in quantity (beans, corn, oats, baby carrots, & fruit for instance).
There are cavy enthusiast sites online, and books for cavy owners... as I recall Barrons publishing has a decent cavy book (it's been awhile since I've seen a copy). Bestfriends.org has just unrolled my exotics care sheets at http://www.bestfriends.org/theanimals/petcare/exotics.cfm, which give you the basic husbandry and disease info in a succinct, easy to read format. There are articles on not just cavies, but also sugar gliders, hedgehogs, rats and chinchillas. Check the link often as they plan to add even more species care sheets in the near future. I hope you find them helpful!
Note from Forum moderator:
Thank you to the many members who sent in questions for this week's forum! Transcripts from this and all other forum weeks are archived for easy reference and are made available to all at http://www.bestfriends.com/nomorehomelesspets/weeklyforum/forumarchives.cfm.For more information and advice related to this past week's topic, please visit the No More Homeless Pets Forum Archives (see link above). The section on Helping Birds, Rabbits and Ferrets (http://www.bestfriends.com/archives/forums/birdsrabbitsferrets.html) may be of particular interest.
And, we have just begun to post care sheets on various exotics, authored by Dr. Mark Burgess, at: http://www.bestfriends.org/theanimals/petcare/exotics.cfm. Remember, March is adopt-a-guinea-pig month!
As always, thank you for being part of the Forum, and for all you do for the animals!
