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!