I NEED to know!!! What’s the largest pet rat that’s legal in the United States? My dream pet is the Gambian pouched rat, but unfortunately, they’re illegal here. I’ve been doing some research, but I keep hitting dead ends. Now, I’m dreaming of the Bosavi woolly rat, but it doesn’t seem to be domesticated or available in the U.S. Can someone please help me figure this out?
Gambian rats aren’t actually illegal to own in the U.S.—the ban was lifted after just five years. However, they’re still illegal to import from other countries. Unfortunately, those of us who had them during the ban, which was due to concerns about monkeypox, couldn’t maintain a stable population in the U.S. Some owners had their pets confiscated, some donated them to zoos, and sadly, some were put down. By the time the ban was lifted, there just weren’t enough left to keep the population going. Without new bloodlines, the remaining rats were too old, and the population dwindled.
I had an Emin’s pouched rat myself. The breeder actually tried to give me the rest of them when the ban started, but I didn’t think I could handle more than one at the time. He ended up giving them to a zoo, but I don’t believe the zoo kept them. I’ve regretted not taking them ever since.
There have been attempts to reintroduce pouched rats into the pet hobby over the years, but no one has been successful so far. I once heard about someone trying to bring some up from Mexico. Some people even went to the Everglades to try to catch them in the wild and talk to locals, but that didn’t work out either, especially since officials poisoned the remaining population there.
During the African rodent ban, a few species managed to survive in the pet trade—one species of spiny mice, pygmy mice, and ASF rats, which were maintained as feeders. Some species were reintroduced about five years ago, like different species of jirds, other spiny mice species, African pygmy dormice, zebra mice, duprasi, and others, but these populations are again dangerously close to being lost. I’m currently maintaining bushy-tailed jirds, and I know others who have dupes, Shaw’s and Persian jirds, Nile spinies, golden spinies, etc. Sadly, it looks like the zebra mice are gone again; I haven’t seen any since 2020. I’ve heard about someone bringing in springhares, but I’m not sure how that’s going. Jerboas have always been difficult to breed in captivity, so they might never be back.
One large rat species I’ve seen a few times in the U.S. is the cloud rat. But I’ll tell you, they’re not at all like pouched rats. If you’re considering one, be prepared to provide a large, zoo-like enclosure.
Wow, I had no idea about the history of Gambian pouched rats in the U.S. That’s really disheartening. I was hoping to find a similar-sized rat for a pet, but it sounds like the options are quite limited. Are there any other large rodent species that you might recommend as a pet?
The cloud rat sounds intriguing but also challenging. I’d be interested in learning more about what kind of enclosure they need. Are there any resources or specific setups that work well for them? I’d love to get more details if anyone has experience with them.
I’ve heard about the cloud rat too, and they’re definitely not for beginners. They need a massive enclosure, ideally with vertical space for climbing. They’re also quite active and need a lot of enrichment. If you’re serious about getting one, you’d need to commit to setting up a zoo-like habitat.
It’s a shame that the zebra mice are likely gone again. They were such unique pets. I didn’t realize how volatile the populations of these exotic pets can be. If anyone has any updates on any other rare rodent species or if any new ones have been reintroduced, I’d love to hear about it!