Care tip of the Month - December

Don't forget your pets over the Christmas period. If you are going on holiday or visiting family then make sure that you organise for somebody to take care of your animals. Don't leave it until the last minute as everybody is busy over Christmas so people will not be as available to pop in to feed your pets as they usually are. Of course, you can book your small furry and feathered friends into Little Pets Hotel but again don't leave it until the last minute as I have limited availability over the xmas period.

Care tip of the Month - October

Many small animals need their nails clipping regularly. If your pet's nails are getting long or very sharp, especially if they are beginning to curl, you should either take them to the vets to have them cut or learn to do it yourself. If you want to do it yourself then make sure that you have the right equipment. Nail clippers made especially for small animals or birds will make the job easy to do and will leave a good clean cut on the nail. You will have to restrain your animal well so that it can't wriggle just as you are about to cut the nail. You may find it easier with two people so that one person can restrain while the other does the clipping. Take a close look at the nail and you will see a thin vein running through the length of it. This is called the quick. You do not want to cut as far down as the quick as it will bleed and will be very painful for your pet. Make sure that you can see the quick before you cut and be very careful not to cut too much off the nail, making sure that you avoid cutting into the quick. It is easy to see it on a white nail but if your pet has dark nails it can be difficult to know where the quick is. It is better to cut off too little than too much so just trim the nails a little if you are unsure. You can always do it again the following week if they are still too long.

Care tip of the Month - September

Giant rabbits make great pets and are becoming widely available now from pet shops as well as breeders. Generally they are more docile than the smaller breeds and although they often do not like being picked up just like other breeds of rabbit, they are often more affectionate and will come up to you to be stroked. Giant rabbits are calmer and more interactive but less playful. They make great houserabbits and are just as easy to litter train as smaller breeds providing they are neutered. However, giant rabbits need more space to run around, more food due to their size, they are more expensive to buy, and they need very large housing, whether indoors or out. Standard hutches, runs and cages are not usually big enough. Remember, they need more height as well as length and just like other breeds of rabbit, they prefer to be kept in pair.

If you are thinking of getting a giant rabbit, please remember how big they grow. Usually they will get to the size of a terrier but some can even get as big as a labrador!

Care tip of the Month - August

Choosing a hutch for your pet is an important decision. Whether it is for a new pet or it is a new hutch for your existing pet, it will be your pet's home and where he or she will spend most of their time so it is essential that you choose one that they will be happy in. Here are a few things to think about when hutch shopping:

• Firstly, get as big a hutch as you have room for.
• Think about how easy it will be to clean - often novelty hutches have lots of difficult to reach areas and corners.
• Shop around at pet shops, garden centres and on the Internet.
• If you buy it on the Internet then look at the dimensions and get a tape measure out so that you can see how big it is before ordering it. Often photographs can be misleading about the size of it so this is the best way to picture the actual size and avoid disappointment when it arrives.
• Consider where the hutch will go in your garden and whether you want a run attached to it or a separate freestanding run that you can move around the lawn.
• Think about how suitable it is for the type of pet you have:
  
• • Rabbits need taller hutches than guinea pigs so that they can stand up on their hind legs. Very large rabbits will need it even taller and will need enough space to turn around in so bare this in mind when looking at the length and depth of the hutches on sale.
  • Guinea pigs often do not like ramps so tiered hutches are usually not suitable. However, there are some exceptions and some guineas love running up and down the different levels. This is particularly true for baby guinea pigs that get used to the ramps at an early age.
  • Ferrets need thick, strong mesh that they cannot bite through, and good catches to stop them from opening the doors and escaping. Consider putting on bolts as they will not be able to open them.
• Groups of animals need more space than single pets. Picture them in the hutch, will they have enough space?
• Most hutches have an indoor area which is essential so that your pet has somewhere to get warm and dry and to hide away if they want to. Make sure that this area is big enough for all of your pets to get into together.
• Consider whether the doors open wide enough for you to easily catch your pet when needed. There is no worse design than those with tiny doors that you can barely get your arm in to. Wide doors also make cleaning a lot easier too.

Remember, a good quality hutch doesn't come cheap but if you buy a good one and you take good care of it, it should last your pet years.

Care tip of the Month - July

Tunneling is a natural behaviour for many small animals and yet they are often not given the chance to do it in captivity. By giving them really deep bedding once in a while, they can really go for it. Gerbils in particular absolutely love it but so do dwarf hamsters, syrian hamsters, rats, mice, degus, chipmunks, jirds, ferrets, guinea pigs and rabbits. If they have a plastic or glass tank then deep bedding is easy to do. However, if it is a wire cage, then you can provide digging boxes or deep trays with deep bedding in which some pets will like. They can be filled with woodshavings, megazorb, paper cat litter, hay, carefresh, shredded kitchen towel, or even willow sticks for them to climb amongst. If your pet likes it, then vary what you put in there to keep it interesting. You can even hide some non-perishable treats amongst their bedding or in their digging box for your pets to find whilst they dig. They may not find them straight away but it'll be a nice surprise when they do!

Care tip of the Month - June

Ferrets absolutely love to explore. However, the are also great at climbing and escaping through tiny gaps so letting them run around loose in your garden is not a good idea. However, a harness and lead allows your ferret to explore, sniff and dig around your garden without being able to run off. Beware though, walking a ferret is not like walking a dog! They will go where they want to go, not where you want to go! The elasticated leads are particularly good so that they can have as much freedom as possible whilst still having the safety of the lead. Make sure that the harness fits your ferret well and is secure enough that they can't get out of it. Get them used to the harness a few times first before introducing the lead and then try out the lead in a secure area (such as around the house) to make sure that your ferret can't squeeze out of the harness or get it undone. Once your ferret is used to it, they will love going out for walks and it is a great way to give them exercise and stimulation. You can then make it even more fun by hiding treats around the garden for your ferret to find, or put things around for them to climb on or into. Recycling boxes are great or big plant pots full of dirt for them to dig in.

Care tip of the Month - April

A hanging sock stuffed with treats is a great toy idea for a large parrot such as a Cockatoo, Macaw, Amazon or African Grey. Get an old sock and fill it with bits of ripped up egg box, strips of kitchen towel and cut up corrugated cardboard. These all give different textures for your parrot to chew on and find their treats amongst. Pour in some sunflower seeds, nuts and bits of millet spray (or whatever other treats they particularly like as long as they are dry so they don't stick to everything). Then tie the sock to the bars on the roof of the cage. This can keep parrots occupied for hours and can be particularly good for destructive parrots to get rid of some of their energy on! If your parrot is not sure what to do with it or doesn't seem interested then you can make little holes in it to get them started or move it to an easier place to get to (i.e. hanging next to a perch). Once they get the idea, you can move it to somewhere that is a bit harder to reach to make it more difficult for them and a bit more of a challenge.

Care tip of the Month - March

If you have animals that like to graze on grass, such as rabbits or guinea pigs, never use weedkiller on your lawn and if you must use fertiliser then be careful to buy animal safe fertilisers and follow the instructions carefully. If you pick plants or cut branches for your pet, whether it is a rabbit, guinea pig, chinchilla, chipmunk, parrot or finch, and whether the plant is a branch, grass, dandelions, or leaves, make sure that you only pick plants that you know are safe, non-toxic, and have no pesticides, fertiliser or other chemicals on. Ideally, getting plants from your own garden or a friend's garden is the safest, just make sure that you know what you are picking. If you are at all unsure what it is or if it is chemical free, do not feed it to your pet.

Care tip of the Month - February

Whatever pets you have, always take the time to clean their food and water containers properly and regularly (preferably daily). This is really important for their health, particularly for birds, but for any animal a build up of bacteria (which they are then consuming whenever they eat or drink) can make them really ill, sometimes even fatally. Use a small animal or bird safe disinfectant for scrubbing food bowls, water bowls and water bottles and then rinse well afterwards (food bowls will need drying too). Bottle brushes are very useful for getting the slime and grime out of the tricky to reach parts of a water bottle. A scourer or sponge, or even kitchen towel is often enough for bowls if they are done regularly enough. Water bottles should be taken completely apart regularly so that the spout can be cleaned as well.

Care tip of the Month - January

It is a new year yet again and many of us are thinking about the year ahead and making new year's resolutions. Maybe this year, instead of the usual lose weight, quit smoking, do more exercise, etc, maybe this year you should make your new year's resolution about your pets and vow to make their lives better in some way. It is a rewarding thing to do for both you and your pet and it is a resolution that you may be able to keep too!!

Making your pet's life better in some way is usually easy to do. Here are some ideas but choose things that are appropriate for the type of pet that you have:

• Get them out of their cage more often, therefore spending more time with them and giving them more attention
• Feed them a better diet - better quality food, more fruit and veg and more variety, less treats if they are overweight, or maybe more appropriate treats if you are one for giving pets things that you shouldn't.
• Give them more things to do - move the contents of their cage around more often, give new toys or make adventure courses for them or make exciting things to go in their cage, such as hidden treats inside an egg carton, or hide treats around their cage/hutch for them to find.
• More exercise - whether it is in a run or a hamster ball or just time running around the house
• Clean them out more regularly - most of us can be lazy at times but don't make your pet's well being a priority
• If you have a pet that is a little shy, take the time and patience to sit quietly with him/her and build up her confidence with you
• Make time for more one-on-one attention. This is so important if you want a really good bond with your pet. Turn off the TV, stereo and computer, stop tidying up, cleaning, etc and go somewhere quiet and just sit down and devote your time to your pet. Play with him or her, interact and give fuss, or just sit and watch them enjoying themselves exploring. It can be really rewarding and it is the best way to really get to know your pet. It can also help you to notice illnesses or strange behaviour much faster too.
• Give your pet a health check more regularly - check teeth, ears, skin, bum, nails, eyes, and feel for lumps and bumps. Any problems and they will need a trip to the vets. If you do not have a vets then you should register with one straight away in case of an emergency - if it is out of hours most vets will only see patients that are registered.
  
• Training - if you have a particularly intelligent pet they sometimes enjoy a little training. It is stimulating for them and it can improve your bond too. Rats, rabbits, ferrets and chinchillas are all particularly good at training but don't expect too much too soon. Get a book on training your type of pet and it will give you all the tips that you need and tell you how to get started. You can train with food rewards, fun rewards or even use clicker training (I have had fantastic results with this on a rabbit). Some pets pick things up much better than others but it can be good fun seeing how smart your animal really is. People often underestimate their pets!