Transcript Major Uses of Pocket Pets

Major uses of rabbits,
ferrets, and pocket pets
Rabbits
Meat-New Zealand is the most
used rabbit for commercial
meat production
High in protein, but low in
cholesterol, fat, and sodium
Very palatable
Rabbits
Research and laboratory use.
Florida White was developed as a
small meat rabbit and small
laboratory animal
Used to produce disease fighting
antibodies, to study reproduction,
and to research several human
diseases
Rabbits- research
Skin irritation tests to test the
reaction of chemicals on the
skin
Rabbits
Fur/wool-divided into four types
Normal- regular rabbit
Rex- short
Angora- rabbit wool (Giant Angora is
the major breed used for wool
production)
Satin is a mutation fur that is smaller
in diameter and has a transparent
outer shell
Rabbits
Compared to sheep’s wool,
rabbit’s wool is finer, lighter,
warmer, and softer. Does not
cause irritation to skin or as
scratchy
Used in the manufacturing of
clothing, toys, coats, hats, gloves
Rabbits
Pets- with diversity in size they
can fit into different home
situations
Trainable to use litter box
Require little special care
Clean, gentle, and lovable pets
Hamsters
Used in medical research since 1931
Found that they could be tamed and
made into a pet
Golden hamster is the most abundant
hamster used for research and pets
Dwarf/small desert hamsters make good
pets, but because of their smaller size,
children have more problems handling
them.
http://user.tninet.se/~uhe658x/gfx/hamster.jpg
Gerbils
Japanese scientists were the first to
breed in captivity because they were
easy to work with. They are gentle,
active during the day, have no special
food or housing requirements, drink little
water, virtually odorless, and would
seldom bite
These qualities also led to their
popularity as pets http://www.petoffice.co.jp/mbl/ph/zukan/mini300jp
g/gerbil.jpg
Rats
The white albino rats have been
of major importance in medical,
biological, and psychological
research
Used in developing drugs,
studying diseases, nutrition,
aging, and other topics
Rats
Albinos
They are intelligent and have the
ability to learn so have been
used in behavioral studies
Colored rats especially have
been accepted as pets
Mice
Used for medical and biological
research, especially with
hereditary studies
Pet mice are relatively free of
disease, and when handled
frequently, show little tendency
to bite or escape
Guinea pigs
Bred originally for meat
production and still used by the
native people of Ecuador, Peru
and Bolivia as a food source
http://www.lvma.org/images/gpig.jpg
Guinea pigs
Used in laboratories for
research on pathology,
nutrition, genetics, toxicology,
and serum development
Used also as a pet
http://www.streetfarmcottages.co.uk/images/Photos/Guniea%20pig.JPG
Chinchillas
Used as a source of fur for
thousands of years
Brought to California from South
America to breed for their fur
Many furs are sold as a group
Requires 120 to 150 pelts to make a
full-length coat
Used as pets since the 1950s
http://www.distrivictoria.com.ar/images/otras_mascotas/chinchilla.jpg
Ferrets
Recently been found to be
wonderful pets, but have a musky
smell and need to be descented.
Males also need to be castrated
Used in the 1800s for rodent
control. The ferrets would run into
holds and run the rodents out and
leave a scent behind that would
trigger fear
http://www.soaringeagle.org/images2/ferret.jpg
Ferrets
Used to help wire airplanes in hard
to reach places
Used in scientific research because
they catch the same colds as
humans
http://www.noahs-ark.org/photos/ferret.jpg
THE END