Care tip of the Month - December

If you have a rodent with a tail, such as a gerbil, rat, mouse, degu, chipmunk, sugar glider or chinchilla, make sure that if you give them an exercise wheel that it is not a design that their tail can get stuck in. Some exercise wheels on the market are made of mesh or metal bars and if their tail falls through the slats as they run, it can be seriously damaged or even cut off. You can buy plastic enclosed wheels or wheels made of mesh with very small gaps, or you can even buy 'flying saucers' now which allow your pet to run on top of a spinning disk. Have a good look around for a suitable wheel for your pet, there are lots of designs out there these days so you should be able to find one that is both fun and safe for your little friend.

These 2 wire wheels are NOT SAFE exercise wheels for a rodent with a tail!

Below are Examples of Wheels That are Suitable for Rodents with Tails:

Care tip of the Month - November

Birds should be given fresh food daily as well as their seed mix, such as fruit, vegetables, pasta, egg, etc. Always have a seperate bowl for their fresh foods. If you put it in their seed bowl it will spoil the seed making it wet and eventually causing mould to grow.

Care tip of the Month - October

Be very careful how many treats you give to a Chinchilla. Too many or the wrong foods and you will make them very ill. In the wild, they eat a very plain, dry diet that is high in fibre with very little or no fat (mainly grasses, shrubs, roots and dried berries). They cannot tolerate foods which are rich or moist or high in fat or sugar. They are very susceptible to diarrhea. Too many treats will give them the runs, which can be very serious in such a small animal.

Suitable Treats
The occasional raisin is OK (once a week maximum), or a tiny bit of apple or carrot (preferably dried), hay pellets, shredded wheat or herbs (milk thistle, rose blossom, nettle, peppermint, lemon balm, parsley, and dandelion are all fine - don't go overboard with the dandelion though as it is a laxative!). No more than one treat should be given each day, and do not give any at all if your Chinchilla has even slightly runny or wet faeces.

Remember that treats do not always have to be food. A sandbath is the biggest treat for a Chinchilla. Also, apple tree branches, new toys, card boxes, gnaw sticks and toilet roll cardboard tubes will all be very much appreciated by your little friend, as well as time out of their cage (in an indoor run or safe room) being the ultimate treat.

Hugo & Carlos investigating and gnawing on their new wooden toy

Care Tip of the Month - September

You can make a great toy for small furries or parrots using an egg box or a clean empty card box, (such as one that had cereal bars, jaffa cakes or wrapped bars of soap in) . Fill it with shredded plain matt paper (the stuff that you can buy as paper nesting material for hamsters is great for this - do not use gloss paper or paper that has been printed on), and then put some of their favourite treats in amongst the shredded paper. Close the box and then they will have to chew their way in as well as finding the treats. My gerbils often use the box for sleeping in afterwards or as a tunnel or play thing. This toy is great fun for any pet that likes to chew, hamsters, gerbils, mice, rats, degus, rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets or parrots will all enjoy finding the treats. Some pets are smarter than others and if yours struggles to get into the box, you can make a little tear in one of the sides to start them off. They will soon get the idea that there is food inside and will start to make the hole bigger to get to the tasty treats!

Care Tip of the Month - August

Do not house birds in the kitchen or have them in there with you while you are cooking. The fumes from non-stick pans are poisonous to all birds and can on occasion cause instant death. These fumes can come off any hot non-stick surface around the home, including:


frying pans
saucepans
cooking utensils
sandwich toasters
grilling machines
hair-straighteners or curling irons

irons and ironing board covers

coffee makers
bread makers
and anything else that is considered to be non-stick.


As well as the poisonous fumes, kitchens are unsafe places for birds anyway. Not only do the temperatures get too high for them to deal with but hot oils, boiling water and sharp knives, do not ever mix well with birds. Whether they are sat on you or safely away from your cooking, if something suddenly startles your bird, it can be dangerous for both of you!

Care Tip of the Month - July

One of the first things that you should do when you get a new pet is to find a good local vet. Likewise, when you move house it should be at the top of your list of priorities. Do not leave it until you have an emergency as you usually need to be registered with a vet in order to use their emergency 24hr service. It can be a difficult and sometimes daunting process finding a vet when you first get a pet or move to a new area.

The first thing to do is to make a list of all of the veterinary surgeries in the local area. Do not search too far away because if you have an emergency you will not want to travel farther than about 20 minutes maximum. The following links will be useful when making your list of local veterinary practices:

www.yell.com
www.any-uk-vet.co.uk
www.vetclick.com/find-a-vet/
www.rcvs.org.uk/findavet

If you know anybody in the area with a pet then ask them who they use and if they would recommend them. Recommendations are always the best way to really know which vets are good and which are not. When I first moved to Kidderminster, Worcestershire that is exactly what I did and the veterinary surgery that was recommended to me turned out to be a great one.

The next stage, once you have your list of local practices and any recommendations, is to go and visit the surgeries on your short list. This is really important as you can tell a lot by the look of the place, its cleanliness and the welcome that you get from the receptionists. Ask for information about the surgery, opening times, emergency surgery, and don't forget to ask if any of the vets at that surgery specialise in small animals or birds (depending on what type of animal you have of course). They will often have a leaflet that you can take home to read about the surgery too but generally you will get a feel for the place and first impressions really tell you a lot so listen to your instincts.

I have used two different vets in Worcestershire that I would highly recommend. Vale Veterinary Group on the Birmingham Rd in Kidderminster is my current vets and they have been nothing but brilliant with the variety of animals that I have taken in (although I have not taken a bird there yet so I cannot vouch for their capabilities with birds as yet). In particular, the receptionists are fantastic, they are friendly and welcoming and always helpful and chatty even though they always seem so busy. The other practice that I would recommend is White House Veterinary Surgery on Newtown Rd in Malvern, Worcestershire. They were absolutely brilliant with the different rodents that I took there and were not phased by unusual breeds. They really seem to know what they are doing.

Do your research and you should find a good surgery near you. It is also a good idea when you do register to take your pet for a routine check up so that you can meet your vet and see them in action. It also gives them a chance to get to know your animal and get a weight etc for him/her when they are healthy, which will be useful for a comparison if you do take them in when they are sick one day.

Care Tip of the Month - June

Can rabbits and guinea pigs live together? This is one of those ongoing debates where the answer you get depends on who you ask!

In my opinion, yes on some occasions they can. However, you need to introduce them slowly and carefully (preferably when they are babies) and make sure that they get along well. As with any animals sharing a hutch, whether it is 2 rabbits, 2 guinea pigs or a rabbit and a guinea pig sharing, you have to be very careful to make sure that they get along and that one is not picking on the other. If it is a rabbit and guinea pig sharing, you have to be even more sure because rabbits are bigger and stronger and often have more dominating personalities so they can seriously hurt a guinea pig if they bully it. This is the main reason that some people do not think that they should be housed together. Rabbits can sometimes be quite possessive over food as well so you need to watch them eating together and make sure that the guinea pig is not being pushed away from the food.

Giving enough fruit and veg every day is also important so that the guinea pig gets enough vitamin c each day. Like us, they cannot produce their own vitamin c so it is really important they are given enough in their diet (guinea pigs, humans and marmosets are the only mammals that cannot produce their own vitamin c). Dried rabbit food does not contain enough for them so they cannot survive on just that. Dried guinea pig food contains more but it is still a good idea to supplement it with freh fruit and veg as well.

Some rabbits will bully their guinea pig hutch mate, and if this is the case then seperate them immediately before the guinea pig gets seriously injured. However, as long as they get along, share food alongside each other, and they have a big enough hutch, they can live together very happily and be the best of friends. Just make sure that you supervise them well in the early days to be sure their relationship is a good one. I think that whether they are going to get on depends mainly on their individual personalities than on what type of animals they are. Similarly, if it is two rabbits or two guinea pigs sharing a hutch, the same care needs to be taken to make sure that they get along and that one is not being picked on.

Care Tip of the Month - May

With Spring now well under way, dandelions are sprouting up all over the place. If you have rabbits, when you are weeding your flower beds or mowing the lawn, make sure that you go around the dandelions. Rabbits love them and they are good for them too! They can eat the flower itself and the leaves too but don't go too mad with them, just a couple of leaves or flowers per bunny each day will be fine, particularly if they are not used to eating greens as a sudden change in diet like this can give them the runs.

Always remember to wash the dandelions before feeding them to your rabbit and don't give them anything that could have fertiliser or weedkiller on.

National Pet Month Care Tip - Deciding Whether to get a Pet

You must think very carefully before you decide to get a pet to make sure that it is the right decision for you and the animal. There are numerous factors to consider as a part of making this hugely important decision. You owe it to yourself and the animal to make sure that you have really thought it through and are sure that you can provide a good life for the animal and that it is really what you want too, otherwise you will end up caring for a pet that you don't really want after you have gotten bored of it. You also need to make sure that it is the right pet for you too and that you know enough to be able to look after it properly.

Hopefully this guide will help you to think through the decision thoroughly and come to a decision about what type of pet to get, if one at all!

Things to consider:

• Life-span of the animal - Even small animals and birds can live a surprisingly long time so think hard before you get a rabbit, guinea pig, parrot, etc.
• Responsibility - Your new pet will rely on you entirely to take care of it. It is not something that you can pick and choose when you can be bothered with it. If it needs cleaning out, then it needs cleaning out now, not when you are in a better mood or less tired! DO NOT rely on children to take care of it - they get bored quickly!
• How much time do you have - This is a very important thing to consider that so many people don't. If you don't have the time to look after a pet properly, then do not get one. It's just not fair on the animal.
• Cost - Can you afford to have a pet? You need to consider the cost of the cage/tank/hutch and all of the set up costs as well as purchasing the animal in the first place (parrots can cost thousands for instance), but more importantly can you afford the ongoing costs too of food, toys, bedding, etc and don't forget vaccinations, flea treatment, and unexpected vets bills or pet insurance. Pets are expensive!
• Space - Do you have the room for a pet? Where is its housing going to go? Where is it going to be exercised? Have you got a lawn for a rabbit or a guinea pig?
• Are you house-proud? - If you are very particular about your house being clean and tidy and the thought of a smelly cage in your lounge, or a pet weeing on the carpet, or chewing holes in your sofa, or the husks of seeds all over the floor, or of finding droppings on your favourite rug all send panic through you, then maybe you should not get a pet, or should at least think carefully about what type of pet you should get. Remember pets need to be taken out of their cages for company and exercise, the mess is not just confined to their house!
• Family pet? - If the pet is for the whole family or for a child, then you need to consider what type of pet is appropriate for the age of the youngest child. Parrots do not tolerate being poked and will bite hard! Rabbits are heavy for little children and will bite and scratch if mishandled or scared but make great pets for slightly older children if handled correctly. Guinea pigs on the other hand, although they can bite, they are very tolerant and will put up with a little more. Gerbils are fantastic pets for children and have a great temperament but may be a little too fast for very young children to handle. Rats make interesting pets for teenagers (particularly boys who seem to love them) but be aware that they can give a nasty bite so they are not appropriate for young children to handle. Whatever, you decide to get, it is VERY important to supervise children with pets and teach them from day one how to handle the animal correctly and to respect it, not torment it!
• Long-term care - If your pet is for a child or teenager, who will look after it when they leave home or go to university? Rented accommodation do not usually allow pets. If you are considering getting a parrot, you may also need to think about whether it is going to outlive you. It may seem morbid but some species of parrot can live for 70 or 80 years. You need to be realistic and think about who is going to look after it when you are not around.
  
• Knowledge - Get books out of the library BEFORE you get the pet so that you know as much as possible about it BEFORE you bring it home. Then you can make sure that it is the right pet for you and you know what you are letting yourself in for and what to expect. It also means that you can give the animal a better life and provide for all of its needs. Learning about the animal is very important and you owe it to your pet to learn as much as possible about how to make it happy. Once you know everything there is to know about an animal, sit down and completely re-evaluate if you still want it and if you think it would fit in with your lifestyle.
  
• Lifestyle - Think about the needs of your potential pet and then think about a normal day in your household. Do they fit with each other? For instance, if everybody is out at work all day, a parrot will not like being on its own all day, a rabbit will need to be put out on the lawn in a run and supervised in daylight, etc.
• Holidays - What will you do with your pet when you go on holiday?
• Consider the breed - Not only do you need to consider what type of animal to get, but you also may need to consider the breed too. For instance, if you do not have a lot of time, you may want short-haired rabbit or guinea pig, rather than a long-haired breed which will need regular grooming.
• Will it be happier in a pair? - You need to research whether the pet you are getting is best kept on its own or in a pair or a small group. Some animals will be miserable if they are kept on their own (gerbils are happiest in pairs or small groups) but some animals need to be kept on their own (male Syrian hamsters will kill other males). Of course, if you are going to keep more than one then you need to know the sex of them. If you do not want babies then either do not keep a male and female together or consider neutering. If you want a same-sex pair, research whether two males will get along with each other or if two females will fight. There is a lot to consider here and you need to get it right if you are going to have a happy and well balanced pet.
  
• Existing pets - Will the pets that you have already co-exist safely with the new pet? Is it realistically possible to keep them completely separate. For example, if you have a dog, do you have somewhere safe that the dog cannot go to be able to get your hamster out of its cage. If you have cats, is there somewhere safe that your rat's cage can go where they will not be tormented by a hungry cat?
• Is your house suitable? Does the whole family want the pet? - Do you live in flat? Do you have a garden? Is your house big enough? Do you have neighbours that complain about noise? Do you have a baby? Is anyone in the family asthmatic or allergic or phobic? These things all need to be considered as the whole family needs to be comfortable with the new arrival.
• Get everything ready - My final bit of advice is that once you have decided on a pet and are convinced that it is the right decision, get absolutely everything ready for it BEFORE you bring it home. Make sure that you have bought everything that it needs and then set up its housing where it is going to go. Even put the bedding in along with its toys, water bottle, food, etc so that as soon as the new arrival comes home, it can be put straight into its new house with no fuss or stress. It can then be left to settle in COMPLETELY UNDISTURBED for at least 24 hours. It will have been confusing and stressful for your new pet to have been taken from its old home to its new one so it needs to some calm and quiet time to get used to its new environment. I know its tempting, but resist the urge to get it out to play on the first day. Make sure that all members of the family respect this rule too.

I know it may seem like an awful lot to consider but it is an important decision and your new pet will be with you for a long time (8 or more years if its a rabbit or even 70 years in the case of some parrots). You owe it to yourself and your new pet to put the time in now to make sure that you will both be happy sharing a life together.

Easter Pet Care Tip

During Easter, many of us give chocolate eggs and it can be tempting to share this tradition with our pets. However, never give chocolate to pets, it can make them very ill. Special animal-safe chocolate is available for small animals from most pet shops and this is much better for them if you would like to give your little furry friend an Easter egg. Most small animals actually prefer the box to the egg that is inside it anyway, either to play in or to chew on. They are particularly fun for them as they usually have a window on the front for your pet to run in and out of. Make sure that any plastic on the box is removed though.

Treat your pets to an empty Easter egg box this Easter, a free and easy present that they will love that will not make them ill.

Care Tip of the Month - April

Never feed avocados to birds. They are poisonous to them and will make them very ill.

Care Tip of the Month - March

For animals that live in outdoor hutches all year round, it is a good idea to get a hutch cover to protect your pets from the cold winds and rain or snow. As well as protecting your pet from the elements, a cover will extend the life of your hutch too. You can buy covers for hutches of all sorts of shapes and sizes but you can quite easily make your own for a cheaper option. A large piece of polythene or tarpaulin, available from your local diy store, can be put over the roof and back of your hutch (with enough extra material to cover the front of the hutch rolled up on the roof). Hold it down by attaching it to the front of the roof or by putting bricks on top. The cover can then easily be pulled down over the front as well during the cold weather and again held down by attaching it to the front of the hutch or by putting bricks on it.

Whether, your hutch cover is bought or homemade, first of all always make sure that the cover is not on too tightly as it still needs to allow air to get inside. Secondly, only have the front of the hutch covered in cold weather. Otherwise, in warm weather, the cover can cause the hutch to get too hot for your pets and they can easily overheat.

Care Tip of the Month - February

Rabbits should be picked up by the scruff of the neck (i.e. the loose skin on the back of the neck) or by holding him/her around the tummy behind the front legs. The hind legs should always be supported too. Once you have your rabbit in your arms, make sure that he/she is held securely so that the rabbit cannot jump out of your arms and always support his/her hind feet so that your rabbit is comfortable and feels safe and secure.

Care Tip of the Month - January

All small furries and birds will love food treats hidden around their cage or hutch. It's a great way of giving nice treats and getting their brains working at the same time! Don't go overboard though as treats are often quite high in fat!