Socialization

With People

Generally, rodents are sociable creatures with their own kind — and with people. But they do have to have a level of comfort with people before they can relax and have fun. Be sure to acclimate your small animals to anyone who will handle them. Give them time to become familiar with each person’s scent and get comfortable with being handled by each individual. Try not to have too many people hovering around the cage and watching your rodent pets, because this can be stressful to them as well. Be sure that young children are always supervised when handling pet rodents to make sure their touch is appropriate and their voices remain soft. It is not recommended that these small animals interact with infants or babies because of their susceptibility to infections.

With Other Pets

As easily stressed creatures, small animals cannot compete with most other animals. They will not interact with other house pets, but will simply be too frightened to function. In fact, if you do have a cat, dog or other house pet, do not allow them in the room with your rodents. The scent and proximity of these larger animals alone can cause enough stress to kill your rodents.

Please note: Never put two different species of rodents together in a one environment. One species will invariably kill the other.