Gambian Pouched Rat

The Gambian pouched rat is a large African rodent linked to the 2003 US monkeypox outbreak. Cricetomys gambianus lives in savanna and forest edges across West and Central Africa. It measures about 50 to 90 cm from nose to tail tip, usually weighs 1 to 1.5 kg, and carries food in cheek pouches that can hold more than 100 ml. It is nocturnal and omnivorous, eating fruit, nuts, tubers, insects and snails, and lives about 5 to 8 years in captivity.

In April 2003 a shipment of rodents from Ghana carried monkeypox into the US pet trade, and a Gambian rat from it tested positive. Since November 2003, 42 CFR 71.56 has barred importing rodents obtained from Africa or native to Africa without written CDC permission, which is limited to scientific, exhibition or educational purposes. The FDA lifted its separate ban on domestic sale in 2008, so pouched rats offered in the US should be US-bred, but states can still restrict them. Florida lists it as a prohibited species, and a wild population once bred on Grassy Key in the Florida Keys. Pets need a large, chew-proof enclosure, daily time out of it, a varied diet and early, gentle handling.