Gambian Pouched Rats

 


These friendly rats temporarily store food in their cheek pouches hence the name pouched rat.
Gambian Pouched Rat


Giant African Pouched Rats, also called Gambian Pouched Rats (Cricetomys gambianus) are HUGE! The body length can be as much as 10 - 17 inches long from head to base of tail! Their tail is about the same length again or longer. These rats weigh from 2 to 6+ lb. Is this big enough for you?

They have an absolutely adorable face, actually rather comical and whimsical in appearance. If you like rodents, they are sure to captivate you in a heartbeat!

Their color is variable in shades of gray or brown (some can be spotted or mottled, some with a strip across the shoulders) with the undersides being paler. They have very large ears that are virtually hairless. The tail is hairless with the 2/3 nearest the body colored dark with the remaining portion to the tip a white or pale color.

These pouched rats are so named because they have cheek pockets in which they carry food and other items.

They are avid collectors and thieves of all sorts of baubles such as buttons, coins, and other small objects.

They are shy in nature and naturally non-aggressive. They make very nice pets because of their propensity to bond with their owners and become very affectionate. They are also relatively long-lived for a rat and can live up to eight years of age.

These rats can attain reproductive maturity by 5 months of age. Gestation is about one month, give or take a few days with litters up to 5 pups each.

Their diet is widely varied in the wild consisting of vegetable matter and small insects and invertebrates. In captivity, they are easily mananged with vegetables, rodent block, dry dog food, seeds and grains. They are notorious for storing large caches of food, so the volume must be monitored closely or their storage area will attract insects or wild rodents.

In captivity, unneuteted males will fight, often to the death. Pairs of the opposite sex are usually compatible.

Their most acute senses are those of hearing and smell. Their eyes are very small and it is believed that their sense of sight is poor.



 

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