ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses several less common laboratory rodents: deer mice and white-footed mice, Mongolian gerbils, and prairie and meadow voles. Deer mice are involved in research related to ecology (Wolff 1985b), hantavirus and Borrelia biology, longevity, and evolutionary questions. Gerbils are currently used in research as models of ischemic brain injury. Voles are used in various research endeavors, including studies of behavior, pair bonding, ecology, and as models of infectious disease. Peromyscus species occupy varied habitats throughout North America, including urban and suburban areas, forests, deserts, grasslands, beaches, and agricultural land. Gerbils are desert rodents, found in arid and semiarid regions of the world. Some species may be considered as agricultural pests.
