Rodents are very interesting and funny animals. But many people think that it’s not worth starting them as pets, because you cannot make contact with them like a cat or a dog. Of course, the chinchilla will not bring you slippers or purring on your knees, but does this mean that you cannot communicate with her? Rodents are very contacty and inquisitive, some of them are strongly attached to their owners and love to spend time with them. The main thing is to find the right approach.
In nature, there are many species of rodents, and each of them has its own way of life, temperament and character. Getting a rodent, you need to clearly understand your goals. If you are interested in their habits and you are ready to observe them from the side, decorative mice, hamsters, and degu will ideally suit you. If the priority for you is two-way communication, choose chinchillas and guinea pigs. Well, for innate trainers, decorative rats will be a real gift, because they can be taught so many interesting tricks!
Guinea pigs, chinchillas, and ornamental rats are the most social rodents. You can and should communicate with them, they need it! Rodents, like cats and dogs, suffer from lack of attention and lack of games with the owner. They are very smart and talented, and their abilities need to be developed. For example, did you know that rodents even know how to parse individual words of human speech?
From the owners of rodents it is often possible to hear that their pet responds to the name, fondly likes, loves to sit on the shoulder or palm, performs amazing tricks on the whistle … And this is not necessarily an exaggeration! Indeed, at home in the pet you can develop a huge amount of skills that were not characteristic of nature. So flexible is the intelligence of these animals!
Rodent content is always a unique experience. If we are used to humanizing cats and dogs and their needs and behavior are intuitive to us, then the world of rodents is a constant discovery. The laws by which they live are very different from ours. Studying the habits of rodents, watching them and making contact with them – we learn more about nature and its creations, develop and grow personally.
Some believe that rodents are not as interesting as with cats or dogs. Others believe that taming the “non-social” at first glance rodent is much more interesting and more pleasant than making friends with a dog, which by default is oriented towards humans. As they say, to each his own.
But if you did not dare to start a rodent just because you were afraid of his indifference, feel free to drop doubts. Believe me, you will soon see in practice what kind of kind, contact and quick-witted these tiny pets can be!