Guidance

Pet rats, mice, hamsters: reducing the risk of infection

Information for GPs to provide to patients about reducing the risk of human infection from pet rodents.

Documents

Reducing the risk of human infection from pet rodents (print version)

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Details

This guidance covers:

  • what infections rodents carry
  • what to do if you’re bitten
  • the infections pet rodents carry
  • which infections can be passed to humans
  • preventing infection by washing hands after handling and cleaning their homes

A previous version of this guidance was published by Public Health England (PHE).

Published 20 February 2013
Last updated 9 November 2023 + show all updates
  1. Updated guidance.

  2. First published.