Pocket Pet Diseases
The term “pocket pets” refers to small animals, often rodents that are kept as pets and could fit in your pocket. This definition has expanded to include a few animals that are not quite that little, but that are housed in cages. Common pocket pets include rats, mice, rabbits, gerbils, hamsters, guinea pigs, and ferrets as well as rodents bought to feed other animals such as snakes. Owning a pocket pet can be a big responsibility. It is very important that you learn how to properly take care of your pet and about diseases that it might give to people.
* Links to non-Federal organizations found at this site are provided solely as a service to our users. These links do not constitute an endorsement of these organizations or their programs by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web pages found at these links.
Please note: Some of these publications are available for download only as *.pdf files. These files require Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to be viewed. Please review the information on downloading and using Acrobat Reader software.
The following information is from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at http://www.cdc.gov/