African Bush Rat? HELP!

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JennyBug

JennyBug

Sometimes I love too much
Joined
Feb 1, 2009
Messages
658
Location
Indiana
One of my students came in saying she traded her cat for a chinchilla. She said the chinchilla looked sick, and that it looked more like a rat than what my pictures of my babies look like. I pulled up a picture of a degu, and she said it looked kind of like that.

She left me a note the other day when I was home sick and told me it was an "African Bush Rat." I googled it, but I can't find information about them in captivity ANYWHERE! Her mother said if I want it, I can have it, but I haven't the slightest idea how to care for this creature or anything like that.

Has anyone heard of this animal in captivity before, or better yet, does anyone have experience with this kind of critter? I would rather take it and give it to someone who knows what they are doing...
 
Are you sure it's not a degu? I'd go see it in person, if possible. Could it be a short tailed possum, egyptian spiny mouse, prairie dog, ground squirrel, flying squirrel? Let us know what you find out. Whatever it is, I would take it and figure out what it is.
 
And try to find out where it came from! Might not even be legal to own!
 
I'm still in shock the parents would let her "Trade" her cat for a chinchlila. Definitely not the type of people who should own animals.
 
Yep, that's kinda why I'm taking her...

I'm pretty sure it's a degu because the people who gave her to the girl insisted she was a chinchilla. I found a couple of websites that referred to degus as "mini chinchillas," so that was probably the reason.
 
I agree with Ash! o_O ... I'm still irked about the girl trading in her cat for another animal...

I guess a picture of what the animal looks like will confirm all speculation of what it is. Seems like you have your hands full. Good Luck!
 
Is she sure that this animal that she has isn't a common variety of rodent?

A few weeks ago someone, who swore she had a chin, had her husband bring me a pack rat! That isn't the first time that that's happened to me or even to the shelters around here. People will often be really hopeful about things like that...chins are rodents and sometimes rats and other rodents have similar features. Well, similar enough for someone casually looking things up on the internet to believe that they are the same.
 
I'm betting its a degu

...or a bushy-tailed woodrat, lol. This 'chinchilla' was handed over to me by a nice couple that caught it in their barn and were trying to do right by the poor guy. He was a very cute wild critter so we took him for a drive and released him.
DSC08235sm.jpg
 
I have absolutely no idea what the heck he is, but good lord he is cute! Look at that face, and those big ol' paws and feet!
 
arf2184 said:
...or a bushy-tailed woodrat, lol. This 'chinchilla' was handed over to me by a nice couple that caught it in their barn and were trying to do right by the poor guy. He was a very cute wild critter so we took him for a drive and released him.
DSC08235sm.jpg
Click to expand...
OMG, that is the cutest thing EVER.

*menagerie faints.
 
Oooh! You just want to squuuush him!

Those poor people would have fainted had you told them that was a "rat." LOL
 
See, that bushy tailed woodrat isn't half as cute as the one above. He just makes me want to nuzzle over him! I probably would have lost an eye, but hey, that's why I didn't find him and you did. :p
 
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