GAMBIAN RATS


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African Gambian Pouched Rat:

Watch Stormy Dance!


Background Information:
Pouched African Gambian rats, are known by a few names:
Pouched Rats, Giant Rats, Gambian Rats & African Rats.
There scientific name is: Cricetomys Gambianus
Gambian Rats originate from Africa.


Pet Gambian Rats General Care Information:

Wild Gambians are exactly that -wild animals and are very hard to keep as pets or train.

Gambian rats are best to be kept as pets if they are handled when they are very young.

Gambians can be quite friendly after they get used to you and their surroundings but it takes time and patience.

Always approach Gambians with caution. Try putting your hand out slowly in front of the rat's nose so they can smell you. (as i advise you do with any animal) This helps so the animal will not be as afraid when you grab or touch them.

Female Gambians are much easier to care for than males, Males tend to never loose their outdoor wild instincts and are very hard to keep as pets.

Males if housed together can fight to the death for dominance -Most suggest males should never be housed together.

Females are hard to keep together but some get along as long as there are not babies around, if females are housed together and one is pregnant it is best to separate them, as the non mother female very likely will injury or kill the babies as she will see them as competition.

These rats can be put into a harness leash (ferret leash) and walked, but beware they are very strong so you will need to have a good grip on the leash and the leash will need to be very tight fitting and need to be tested indoors to make sure the rat can not escape the harness.
It may take some time before you can find a leash or harness that your rat can not get out of. Be aware that if the leash is very thin fabric, the rat will take one chomp and have chewed through the leash and be free.

Gambian rats should be owned by adults, Gambians are very large and strong animals. Kids should not be left unsupervised around these animals.

Gambians will adjust to your schedule, especially if you have a set time that you take them out each day.

Gambians tend to be more active at night, especially morning hours when the sun is just coming up.

Try to take your rat out of the cage for at least an hour a day so they can properly get exercised.

These Rats grow to be very large (Much larger than domestic rats) so providing a large cage & room to play is necessary.

Gambians are good about bathing themselves and rarely need baths.

I suggest giving all new rats (Gambian or Domestic) a bath within 3 days of bringing them home, to wash off all the old odors of their past cage/home smells. (since bedding, cage mates and food may change)
However Gambians are very hard to hang on to, so the best way to give them a bath is to put them in a dry shower or tub and than use the sprayer to spray them off -that's probably the most you will be able to do with a Gambian -as they hate being held.

Gambian's have cheek pouches they can fill up with food and other finds. (Much like Chipmunks, Squirrels & Hamsters.)

Gambian's love to climb Trees in the wild.

In houses they tend to climb shelves, windows, doors, closet shelves & curtain rods. They like to scurry up the sides of shelves to the top acting much like a squirrel.
Stormy climbing the clothes on the closet shelf.

Indoor tree's or climbing posts are great for this type of rat.

Gambian's can jump very long distances (roughly 4 feet or so i have seen)

Domestic rats only jump about a foot and a half.

Providing some sort of house for your rat to hide in is important.
Plastic igloo houses tend to work the best, as Gambians especially when under a year old love to chew on things and on occasion love to chew their cardboard houses to shreds.
Cardboard boxes still work well, just be prepared you may have to replace them every couple of days.
*I have a cardboard box with the bottom cut out, a cardboard box with a bottom and a plastic igloo for my Gambian to play in. I cover all the cardboard boxes with shipping tape so they last a little bit longer and can be wiped clean if necessary.

Gambian's can make little chirping, teeth grinding sounds when frustrated, such as when trying to get through or under things. These noises are also referred to as churbling. (Mine makes these noises when trying to get under a closed door.)

Gambians can have rat dandruff (I am told all Gambian's have this.) It looks like white skin flakes. It can cause temporary human skin irritation. It can also cause excessive sneezing when cage cleaning. I refer to the dust as "Gambian dust." The "dust" is created by the rat urinating on food and sleeping in it and occurs naturally on their skin which in turn when they bath themselves will fall onto the bedding. The "Gambian dust" can also on occasion irritate your skin causing you skin to be red and itchy. Washing with soap and water and putting on lotion can help the irritation disappear.

When cleaning Gambians cages you might want to wear a mask or bandanna over your nose and mouth to prevent from having a sneezing and/or allergy attack.
Gambians are pretty clean animals -My Gambian Stormy, has a hammock in her cage and i only have change it every 3-4 months. She never urinates in her hammock, she usually only sits in there when she wants to come out and play. (now for those of you with regular rats, you know you could never leave a hammock in for a month as they get them dirty within minutes of you putting in a new one. Gambians cages tend to be fairly clean except for inside their boxes or houses.
I give Stormy old shirts for blankets, as she likes large blankets rather than small ones. When she doesn't want to be bugged she will push the shirt into the doorway of her houses and block off the door and block out the light.

Gambian's ears can turn and rotate around, well domestic rats can not do this.

Gambian's have very long whiskers, much longer then domestic rats.

Gambians (and all rats) do shed their whiskers from time to time.
*I occasionally find Stormy's whiskers when cleaning her cage, i collect the discarded whiskers and keep them in a scrapbook.

Gambian rats are all muscle, hardly any fat, when you pick them up, they are very solid and strong.

They have very big sharp nails, they do trim their nails themselves for the most part.
(Lucky for me because trying to hold my rat Stormy still long enough to trim her nails would be impossible.)

You can put a rock in your rats cage, so they can stand and walk over it, which will help file their nails.
I have a rock in Stormy's cage and she uses it to stand on and then goes to the bathroom behind it.

Gambian rats teeth are very, very strong and they can chew through wires in the blink of a second!
They can chew through any size wire large or small, Rats do not have nerves in their teeth so they do not feel the electricity unless it comes in contact with their skin.

Keep your toilet lids down to prevent rats from jumping in.
*Stormy got curious once and fell in - she was very shocked! haha

Gambians wag their tails when they are happy, they usually slide it back and forth across the ground which makes their tails look much like a slithering snake.

Gambian's will clean themselves (just like domestic rats) with their tongues.

They have very long tongues & very large teeth.

Gambians yawn when they are tired. (giving you the opportunity to fully see just how big their teeth really are!)
*My Gambian Stormy when she first wakes up has sleep/sand on her eyes keeping her eyes half closed, until she fully wakes up and cleans herself.
*My Gambian gets along with my regular rats, but i had to introduce them all to her slowly. The regular rats at first were a bit scared squeaking and getting big hair but after i assured them that it was O.K. for her to be in the house they calmed down. Stormy is very fast so it is quite hard for my regular rats to keep up. Most of the regular rats can fit under Stormy and try to hide under her, just so they can be close to her.

Size, Weight & Description:
These large rats can grow up to 3 feet long with their tail making up about half the size.
Gambian rats have an all white tail when born and eventually the tail gets dirty turning black and the rat only cleans the tip 3 to 4 inches of its tail so the tail appears to be black with a white tip.
Looking for the rats tail characteristics is known for determining that they are indeed Gambians.
Gambians tend to weight anywhere from 1-5 pounds throughout their lifetime.
All Gambians have "wild" hair colors, Brown, black, gray and sometimes a slight reddish tint.
Most (Almost all) Gambians have a white belly & chin.
Gambians tend to stand at a slant with their back legs up higher than the rest of their bodies.
*My domestic rats love to take advantage of this and hide under her.


Food & Water:
I have seen on some websites that you should not feed your Gambians small seeds because they have a hard time eating them, but my rat picks out all the small seeds and always eats those first and then comes back and eats the larger food.
(While my domestic rats eat all the big stuff first)
*The only downfall i have found to small seeds for Gambians is occasionally i will spot "Stormy" with a little seed stuck on her nostril when she is digging in her food, but she just brushes it away with her hand.
*I feed all my rats "Reggie Rat" & "Harry Hamster" Dry food. (I buy both the rat & the hamster food and then mix both bags together)
*I also feed all my rats a little of what i have eaten for dinner, Stormy my Gambian at first did not like tomato sauce (On Spaghetti, Ravioli, Pizza etc.) But has now starting eating it, although she still prefers plain spaghetti noodles over ones with sauce.
*I also feed her cooked & frozen vegetables, but if we give her frozen ones she will wait until they have thawed before eating them.
These rats enjoy chewing on small dog bones and wood.
They like chewing on wood with some green still left in it, over dried wood.
*My Rat Stormy loves sticks, i gave her a very long stick and she has chewed it down to a stub, every time i would clean her cage i would leave the stick outside her house and the first thing she would to do is drag her stick in with her, she is very attached to it.
Food dishes are not necessary for these rats, if you do try to use one they will usually empty out all the food and stash the food & the dish in their nests.
You can simply throw a handful of food in the corner and they will retrieve it.
Do not use thin plastic water bottles! These giant rats will chew them up, my rat chewed several water bottles until we finally found a heavy duty plastic one she could not chew through.
The water bottles i have found that work the best are usually in the bird water bottle section and are hard plastic.
Some people insist you must have a large water bottle for Gambians, but this is not necessarily true.
I use a small water bottle (smaller than average) and it works just fine, my Gambian tends to get 3-4 drinks of water a day, typically drinking for 5-7 minutes filling up with plenty of water. I refill the bottle every couple of days.
My Female Gambian Stormy, makes sure to scatter her food away from where she is going to go to the bathroom.
If you feed your rat lots of snacks, or "people food", it won't take long before their teeth turn orange.

Housing:
Gambian's grow to be quite large, 3 feet at the largest with tail, so it is important to have a cage at least 3 1/2 feet in length.
Having a large cage is important, for Gambians cage length is more important and necessary than cage height.

Should you get an aquarium or a wire cage?
Both aquariums and wire cages will work.
Aquariums tend to be not as well ventilated as wire cages.
Make sure the aquarium cover is sturdy and strong enough so they can not chew through it & make sure it is well ventilated material.
In Aquariums it can be quite difficult to attach toys and hammocks.
Aquariums are usually made of glass, so when cleaning and transporting the cages their is always a risk of the cage getting cracked or broken.
Aquariums need the whole cage cleaned, sides & bottom, while with wire cages you can just clean the bottom and then occasionally when needed clean the wire sides.
Cages with wire sides and plastic bottoms tend to work quite well. They are well ventilated, and you can attach toys, hammocks, different levels, stairs etc. to the sides to make their house more entertaining.
Wire bottom cages do not work well with these rats, as their feet can get stuck, wire is uncomfortable to sleep on, and these rats walk at a slant, so they put a bit of pressure on their back legs, and walking on wire can cause medical issues for the rats spine, and feet. You can however cover wire flooring with plastic, tile, vinyl or another floor covering, so the wire bottom won't be an issue.

Here is a picture of Stormy's house.


Bedding: Store bought bedding can contain lots of dust & bugs which can be harmful to your pets. Look for bedding that is dust free. I suggest using newspaper. I lay out flat newspaper and then shred lots of newspaper pieces for her litter, to sleep on, and to make a nest. Using newspaper is much easier to clean up then bedding. You simply fold over the newspaper, take it out and throw it away. Most of the food, urine and used bedding stays on the newspaper, so you just wash down the bottom and lay down new stuff. Now if you use bedding you have to dump out the bedding, scrub out the bottom, sides, toys and take the bedding out of their food and then finally you can replace the bedding.

Training your Rat:
We have started training our rat with a water bottle. When we let her out to play she insists on trying to chew under and around our basement door which we keep closed so she won't get down there. (Since once she got down there and crawled up into the ceiling panels and would not come down for 4-5 hours!)
When she starts chewing we spray her with water from a water spray bottle, it usually takes three sprays before she learns to leave the door alone.
She does not like getting wet very much. She is slowly learning, when she gets too wet she gets upset and jumps back in her cage on her own.
Rats are fairly easy to train, it just takes a bit of time - as with any animal.
Another way to help train your rat is to use a firm "No" and spank them lightly (Lightly! DO NOT hurt them!!)
If your rat has a strong personality and does not listen well, it may be impossible to train them, it's just like with humans, sometimes they just don't listen.
Most commonly animals in general will have to be trained continually, if they have learned not to go in a certain area and then don't go near that area for a long period, they may forget that they are not supposed to go there.
Also, If you teach your rat not to go in a certain area and then later on it becomes O.K. for them to go in that area, they will get confused and not be able to accept learning new things, thinking you may change your mind again.




Breeding:
The Pouched Rat is sexually mature at about five months old.
Breeding these rats is recommended when they are 8 months to a year old.
Gambian Rats are pregnant for 27-36 days.
Most rats have 1 to 5 babies.
Babies do not open their eyes until they are 3 weeks old.
The babies stay with their mother in the wild usually until they are seven to eight weeks old.
Gambian rats can not breed with domestic rats, as they are different species.
When Females rats are in heat, they tend to stick their behinds up in the air in front of the male rats.

Wild Gambian Pouched Rats:
Gambians originate from Africa. In Africa some people eat Gambian rats as a food delicacy. In the wild Gambians live in forests and wooded areas. They are mainly nocturnal but are also slightly active during the day (Mainly looking for food and water). Their sight is much better in the dark, then in the daylight. They can climb trees very well, and use their tails to help balance. These rats can swim but try not to if possible. They live in Crevices and holes in the ground. They will use holes left by other animals or will dig new ones. They close off their holes with leaves and plants. Sometimes their holes will have several different chambers to hide food and sleep in, sometimes there will only be one chamber.

U.S.A Federal Ban on Gambian rats:
In 2003 Some Gambian rats were imported from Africa and housed with some Prairie dogs, the Prairie dogs happened to have Monkey pox and it spread to almost all the other animals housed in the same facility. The Government had to track down all of the animals and test every person that came in contact with any animals coming from that facility, most of the animals had to be euthanised. Thus causing the Government much worry about a Monkey pox outbreak that they put a ban on the import of several African animals, Gambian Rats, Jerboa's and other animals as well.
Gambian Rats are illegal to import, export, buy, sell and even gift to anyone in the United states.
The Gambian Rats were not the cause of the Monkey pox, they were innocent victims that got infected with the disease.
If you already owned a Gambian rat previous to the ban going into effect (In 2003), it is legal to own one until it lives out it's lifespan.
Their are state laws saying it is O.K. to own them, but a federal law has been put into effect issuing a ban on them, which overrules state laws.
If the Federal Ban ever gets lifted -Some states and some cities have laws prohibiting Exotic animals or requiring permits so you will need to contact your city hall or State animal health organization to find out if it is legal in your state and city to own one.

Gambian Rats used for Land mine detection:
A giant rat Named Mr. Bean is one of several Gambian rats being trained to sniff out land mines in Tanzania. The Giant African pouched rat has a dog-like sense of smell and is easy to train. The Belgian government is funding the research in the hope of perfecting a cheap and effective way of mine detection. Trainers spray the ground with diluted high explosive and if the rats find the correct spot they are each given a banana.
Experts say the rodents aren't in much danger because they are too small and light in weight to set off the mines. The main biologists working on this project, told the BBC: "Rats are cheap, they are easy to train and maintain, they sniff very well and we can condition them very easily."
The trainers are now trying to overcome the nocturnal rodent's biggest obstacle - heatstroke.
Check out my rat links page for links to articles about Gambian used for Land mine/TNT detection.
Mine Clearing rats in Africa You Tube video.

Willard Movie:
The 1971 Willard Movie was remade in 2003. The Movie features many rats, the main Characters being a domestic white rat Named "Socrates" and a Giant African Gambian rat Named "Ben." Check out the Willard movie website for pictures, email messages, clips and information.
www.willardmovie.com

Please do not contact me asking where to acquire a Gambian rat -They are illegal in the U.S.A, (Read above) Nor do i know where to find any, except suggesting a trip to their natural habitat in Africa. They are almost impossible to find in the U.S.A. at this time.