Small pet

This is the No. 1 criterion. Guinea pigs (also called cavies) are susceptible to upper respiratory infections, so drafty locations are not healthy for them. Make sure to place your guinea pig’s cage setup in an area that’s draft-free.,So, you’ve decided to add a guinea pig (or maybe a number of guinea pigs!) to your family. Now what? While these small animals may be a little less needy than other, larger pets like dogs, their care still requires thought and attention. First up: Survey your home and find the best place for a guinea pig cage. Believe it or not, the wrong cage placement could negatively affect your guinea pig’s well-being and even lead to health issues for your new piggy—and that’s the last thing you want. Consider the following seven factors when deciding on an ideal guinea pig cage location in your home.

Sugar gliders are nocturnal. This means they want to sleep all day and might be inclined to leap around their cage or enclosure at night. You won’t have to tip-toe around your sleeping glider during the day too much; they can sleep rather deeply and some owners report that they can be downright hard to wake from a deep slumber.,Thinking about adding a little sweetness to your life — as in the form of an active, flying marsupial? OK, so sugar gliders don’t actually fly, but these little dynamos are excellent gliders that know how to spring themselves across a room. To say that sugar gliders have some unique behaviors is an understatement — here’s why.

You know your best buddy needs a cozy place to call home. With the best hamster cage, they will feel as snug as a bug in a rug—and have a safe space to climb, burrow and stretch out their little hammie legs. To help you choose the right cage for your pet, we’ve rounded up the top selling and top rated hamster cages of 2022 by Chewy customers. Whether you’re looking for small hamster cages or the biggest hamster cage, these best-sellers are the ones tried, tested and loved by Chewy pet parents—and hamsters—alike.

Choosing between a hamster versus guinea pig can be tricky — they’re both small, adorable, and popular pets.   However, their needs and personalities are wildly different, so one may be a better fit than the other for some pet parents.   We’ve worked with the experts and explored these key differences to help you decide on the ​​guinea pig versus hamster debate. 

Many people come to the Bunny Bunch adoption center that I founded wanting to adopt a rabbit. One of the most common questions I am asked is: Can rabbits and dogs live together? There is not a yes or no answer to this question. I know many people, including myself, who have rabbits and dogs living together. However, I have heard many horrible stories over the years of rabbits being killed or injured by the family dog.

I recently bought a Winter White hamster. Unfortunately he died three days after getting him. My boyfriend and I took him back and planned on getting another. At the store they had three in a cage already. We got two of the three. I asked the girl working there if the cage we had was big enough and she said yes. It’s been a few hours and one of the hamsters kind of chases the other around and the other squeaks. This is occurring every now and then. I am very worried. I have to wait until the morning to get a separate cage. I’m just concerned about what is going on. My boyfriend said they’re just playing, but after losing one hamster I’m extremely nervous. I was thinking of either just separating for good, maybe getting a larger cage or getting another cage and connecting them.,Question 1

Hedgehogs have very specific dietary requirements, so knowing what to feed them (and what to avoid) is essential for good health.   Taking in an animal with such specific needs is a big commitment for any pet parent, so do your research before adopting—and consult with an exotic vet to make a dietary plan for your hedgie as soon as you bring them home.  

by Cheryl Lock No matter how much you love your pet ferret, there’s one thing ferret owners don’t love, and that’s the smell of ferret poop around the house. But with a little luck and a lot of patience, you can train your ferret to use a litter box. “It’s not always an easy task, but yes, it is very possible [to litter box train a ferret],” says Serena Fiorella, LVT, owner of Treat Worthy Pet Creations, LLC. “Usually ferrets like to relieve themselves in corners, and they don’t usually go where they eat or sleep. So, theoretically, a litter box in their favorite corner of the cage should work.” To start, Fiorella suggests training your ferret as young as possible, since babies usually take to the idea fairly easily. “It is much harder to litter train an older ferret that has gone most of his life without using a litter box,” she said. Harder, yes, but still not impossible. Here are some pointers from Fiorella to help get you started, no matter how old your ferret is. Where should I put the litter box? In the cage is always best, says Fiorella. “Training a ferret to use a litter box outside of the cage is much more challenging since there are more places to explore, and they usually end up far away from the box when they need it,” she said. “Ferrets have a very fast metabolism, so when they have to go, they have to go. If the box is too far away, they won’t use it. I definitely recommend getting them trained to use a box in their cage before even considering letting them loose in the house.” In general, your ferret will already have exhibited where in his cage he prefers to go (probably in a corner), so use that to your litter box training advantage. Be open to trying different areas though, suggests Fiorella. “They may decide they don’t like the corner you put the box in after all, and you may have to move it.” You can also try putting multiple boxes in several corners throughout the cage to get a feel for which location your ferret likes best. Cages with more than one level should have a box on each level to make it easier for your ferret to use it immediately when he has to, said Fiorella. It’s also a good idea to attach or tie down the litter box in the cage. “Ferrets are big into rearranging their surroundings,” says Fiorella, “and they will dig the box away from the wall or out of the cage corner and go next to it, right where the box should be.”

It’s been a long day. You come home from work and immediately start to fix dinner. Your daughter comes to you after checking in on the family rabbit, Hippity. “Mom, I think something is wrong with Hippity,” she says. “What do we do?” What do you do? Just like yourself, your pet rabbit may encounter some health issues along the road of life. Knowing when your rabbit is having a health issue and what to do about it will make caring for your beloved pet a lot less stressful. First of all, how do you know if your rabbit is sick? “Decreased activity, lethargy and decreased appetite,” said Angela M. Lennox, DVM, DABVP-Avian, of the Avian and Exotic Animal Clinic of Indianapolis in Indiana. “These signs are not specific for any single illness,” she added, “and can be caused by a variety of problems.” Lennox noted that as prey species, rabbits hide signs of illness and that it is common for those with chronic or long-term illnesses to suddenly appear sick. Byron de la Navarre, DVM, of the Animal House of Chicago in Illinois, explained that any change in appearance could indicate a health issue. “Normal bunnies are very meticulous, just like cats,” he said. “They don’t require a lot of grooming. If you start to notice an unkempt fur coat or hair mats that they normally don’t have or that urine or fecal material is staining where they go to the bathroom or their feet or tail, those would be indications that something might not be well with the bunny. “If you do notice something,” he continued, “hopefully you have already established a relationship with a veterinarian who is familiar with treating rabbits. Some change from the normal should prompt a call. We take lots of calls all the time during the day just to put people at ease. Or, if it’s a real issue, to schedule an appointment right away or come in right away, depending on how severe it sounds.” Sometimes health issues arise at night after the veterinarian’s office has closed for the day. Don’t panic, there may be an emergency veterinary office that is open through the night. Do some research ahead of time to know where the closest one to you is located. Typically your veterinarian’s office recommends one in its after-hours recording. Thinking of waiting until Monday? Sometimes it is best not to wait. “We’ve had some people who’ve noticed something on Saturday afternoon or Saturday evening and thought they could wait until Monday morning,” de la Navarre said. “Maybe the animal luckily is still with us, but it’s a lot sicker than perhaps if it had been treated right away.”

Chronic Progressive Nephrosis   Symptoms Lethargy Weight loss Kidney and urinary problems Protein in urine (proteinuria) Fixed specific gravity of urine (isothenuria) Causes Glomerulonephrosis is hereditary in rats. Some other causes for the kidney disease include: High caloric intake Obesity An excessively high-protein diet Old age Diagnosis The veterinarian will conduct blood and urine tests on the rat to confirm the diagnosis. A rat with glomerulonephrosis will normally have an excessive amount of protein in its urine. Its urine will also have a fixed specific gravity; this measures the kidney’s ability to concentrate or dilute urine in relation to plasma.   Treatment There is no known cure for glomerulonephrosis. Your veterinarian will prescribe medication to ease its symptoms, however, the disease is fatal in rats. Living and Management The rat should be placed in a stress-free environment and given a low-protein diet, as protein can aggravate glomerulonephrosis. The diet should also be well-balanced and easily digestible. Prevention There is no surefire way of preventing this disease as it is hereditary. However, a well-balanced, low-protein, low-calorie diet should maintain the rat’s health and help prevent the onset of kidney diseases.