Rodents

The agouti (, ) or common agouti is any of several rodent species of the genus Dasyprocta, from Ancient Greek δασύς (dasús), meaning "hair", and πρωκτός (prōktós), meaning "anus". They are native to Central America, northern and central South America, and the southern Lesser Antilles. Some species have also been introduced elsewhere in the West Indiesand in west Africa (Bénin). They are related to guinea pigs and look quite similar, but they are larger and have longer legs. The species vary considerably in colour, being brown, reddish, dull orange, greyish, or blackish, but typically with ligh

thumb|upright=1.35|House mouse (Mus musculus) thumb|Phase-specific vocalizations of male mice at the initial encounter during the courtship sequence

Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents. Species of rats are found throughout the order Rodentia, but stereotypical rats are found in the genus Rattus. Other rat genera include Neotoma (pack rats), Bandicota (bandicoot rats) and Dipodomys (kangaroo rats).

tendency for female rodents to terminate their pregnancies following exposure to the scent of an unfamiliar male

Cecotropes (also caecotropes, cecotrophs, caecotrophs, cecal pellets, soft feces, or night feces) are a nutrient-filled package created in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract that is expelled and eaten by many animals (such as rabbits, guinea pigs, mice, hamsters, and chinchillas) to obtain more nutrients out of their food. When food passes through the GI tract the first time, the stomach and the small intestine digest the food material, which then moves into the colon, where the food particles are sorted by size. The smaller particles of fiber are moved into the cecum where they are fermented by