Pleasing 4 Pets

Guinea pigs come from the rodent family. The word rodent is derived from the Latin word ‘rodere’ which means ‘to gnaw’ as they have large incisor teeth that are continually growing, this means that you will need to provide your rodent with appropriate foods to gnaw on, as this is a necessity to prevent them from overgrowing.

Guinea pigs com from the Caviidae family, this family is then broken down into many different Genera and then each Genera is broken down into Species. There are lots of species of guinea pig; eight all together, however you are most likely to know one as there is only one species widely kept as a pet.
A guinea pig has a small compact body much similar to a hamster without a tail, they have small little feet, in the wilderness they will live in burrows across the grassland and mountain areas and they are native to South America. They have an average life span of 4-7 years.

The guinea pig is a sociable pet and is very active during the day and therefore is a good pet for children, the guinea pig enjoys human companionship; they are good natured and rarely bite making them still the most popular smaller pet in a lot of countries.

In order to provide a soft comfortable surface for your guinea pig and to soak up the urine the floor needs to be covered. For the majority, wood shavings, though irritation to the eyes can be caused by very fine sawdust, therefore this should be avoided.

There are other types of wood shavings that should not be used such as, Cedar wood shavings, this type of wood shaving can usually be distinguished by its red tint, they uses phenols which can result in sever irritations to guinea pigs. On the other hand pine wood shavings will cause your pet less problems and are also a softwood, also you can use, without problems, kiln dried processed pine. Scented shavings should also be avoided as these too may result in irritation. Corn on the cob beddings is not recommended as guinea pigs have been known to eat it, which can result in it swelling in the stomach. The safest form of wood shavings to use is wood shavings that are made from hard woods such as those that are created from small animal litter made from wood pulp such as Carefresh. Most shops will sell a variety so be careful to look at the type you wish to buy.

Each morning and each evening your guinea pig should be fed a basic mix specifically for guinea pigs, on top of this they should be fed fruit and veg to ensure that they are receiving the correct amount of vitamin C to remain healthy. Your guinea pig should also have a large supply of hay at all times this helps to also keep its teeth in good health. There should always be a fresh supply of water available for your pet, this is a necessity. Pet shops also sell vitamins which you can add to their water; this can be especially beneficial to your guinea pig if it is ill.

The grooming of your guinea pig is different dependant on the type of guinea pig you have. If you have a long haired variety it will require grooming often in order to prevent the matting of their coat, where as a short coated guinea pig shouldn’t require any grooming. When it comes to looking after you’re guinea pig it will require regular cleaning which should be done weekly. The cage or hutch should be cleaned by emptying it of all the contents, the wood shavings, food and hay should all be removed and replaced with fresh ones.

Many people will often buy their first rabbit from a pet shop. The majority of pet shops obtain their rabbits from commercial breeders in order to ensure a constant supply, yet, these commercial breeders usually use mass breeding programmes aimed at quantity rather than quality, which are therefore bred on the basis of profit, although some pet shops will buy from private breeders.

If you choose to buy your pet rabbit from a pet shop it’s always a good idea to check that the shop staff is competent and confident when determining the sex of rabbits, and also that female and male rabbits are kept separate to avoid purchasing a pregnant rabbit.

You should look elsewhere for your rabbit if you are not satisfied with shops, lack of knowledge, condition of the pets or overall condition of the pet shop. The heartache and additional expenses that can be caused by dealing with problems that they may present if unhealthy or pregnant.

If you come across a situation when the condition of the shop or the rabbits were in a state of high concern it is possible that this pet store is not licensed however, the majority of shops will be. However should you come across such a case a report should be made to the Animal Welfare organisation or the local authority.

Rabbits enjoy human companionship and are very affectionate animals. They often prefer to sit by the owners than be handled. However, they have a trainable and very playful nature which means they love to play. Rabbits rarely ever bite, and most can become used to handling within a very short time provided that they are handled carefully and regularly. To help a rabbit get used to being handled it is always good to feed it a piece of vegetable or fruit by hand, it will soon become used to this and will feel comfortable letting you stroke it whilst it eats.

At some points you will have to pick up your rabbit, once your rabbit is happy you will have nothing to fear, it will accept it being picked up and stroked and will usually accept being picked up carefully. The best way to pick up your rabbit is, by placing one hand under the chest of the arm and the other one over the rabbit’s body and other under its bottom, so that you can support its hind legs and then lift it. You should never lift your rabbit too high in case of wriggling and falling, and a rabbit must never be lifted by it ears either. Once you have lifted your rabbit they should then be sat on your lap or held against your chest.

The intended location of your pet rabbit should be considered before preparing the cage. If you choose to keep your rabbit in a hutch outside you should consider where to put it. It should have a waterproof roof, and should be kept out of direct wind rain or sunlight. Indoors, the cage should again be kept out of direct sunlight in a room of constant temperature and away from draughts, consider where to put the rabbit in order to keep it away from heaters etc as well as any other unfriendly pets.

When preparing the cage you should place on the floor of the cage a good layer of wood shavings. Be sure to put plenty of hay in the cage, or in the chamber, enclosed part of the hutch. Place a filled water bottle fixed to the cage a comfortable, reachable height for the rabbit. Check that the water bottle is working efficiently. Pet shops also sell vitamins that can be added to the water that can be particularly beneficial if your rabbit is ill. Fill the food dish with rabbit food and place in the cage. Be sure to place any cage accessories in suitable positions within the cage.

Keeping a rabbit, as with any pet, requires a commitment to care for it throughout its lifetime, a rabbit may live from 5-10 years or perhaps even longer, this commitment includes a routine of feeding, cleaning and spending time with the rabbit, as well as veterinary treatment if your rabbit becomes ill, and this may be costly. Overall, owning a rabbit over time can become a costly experience. Appropriate care will go a long way towards ensuring a long life span and happy and healthy rabbit.

Uterine cancer can often be a common cause of death in female rabbits (does) it can often spread to other organs before it is diagnosed. If the rabbit is not intended for breeding this can be prevented by spaying and is best to be done between the ages of 6 months to 2 years.

Rabbits make good pets, they can be kept either outside or indoors as they make good house pets as they are easily litter trained. This decision will affect the type of housing your rabbit will need, if your rabbit is going to be living outside it will need a hutch, but if it is going to live inside it will need a cage that will prevent and sawdust etc from escaping the cage. Your local pet store will supply these as well as all your other pet needs.

Rabbits for the most part are very sociable creatures, though males when kept together will often fight yet if they have been neutered bucks will live happily together, as will female does is they are introduced to live together from a young age, or carefully introduced at an older age dependent on the animals individual temperaments.

Guinea pigs and rabbits are often kept together as companions, it is correct that they will both live happily together and accept each other, again depending on their temperaments individually, however, the rabbit has extremely powerful hind legs and its habit of bouncing around rapidly can often result in the accidently injury or death of the guinea pig unintentionally, this even applies to the smallest breed of rabbit. As there are also different dietary needs and means of communicating for the rabbit and guinea pigs. For these reasons it is more recommendable that rabbits should be housed with other rabbits as a companion and not a guineas pig.

Rabbits make very good pets as they enjoy human companionship and are generally calm and enjoy human companionship. Without the option to retreat or hideaway they may display a degree of aggression when upset or threatened although very rarely aggressive under other circumstances.

When looking to buy a cat as a pet it is important to decide where you would wish to buy your pet from. This decision can be very important because where you buy your pet from can affect the condition, temperament and quality of your pet cat all together. There are many options including pet shops, private breeders and also rescue homes.

Should you choose to obtain your cat from a rescue home you will find a variety of cats and ages, this is because many cats across the country, every year become homeless or abandoned from kittens, to cats and older cats, due to careless owners and through no reason of their own fault.

A cats behaviour is usually assessed upon their arrival and if needed they are often given remedial training before they are offered up for re-homing, meaning that the cats or kittens that are offered are usually very suitable for owning as a loyal and lovable pet. As well as all ages most rescue homes will have a variety of breeds, not only cross breeds but pedigree breeds too however the cats breeding and background details are often not known to be exact, though , this should not make a difference unless there is an intention to breed or show the cat. But, if the intent is to show the cat then it is probably more beneficial to buy from a private breeder.

There are many cages for gerbils and other rodents, these can be purchased from your local pet stores or online and are very suitable for the gerbil. The most popular variety of cage is the plastic and wire cage. This type of cage is composed of a solid plastic bottomed base and a wire roof caged top. This wired top removable from the base which is particularly useful when it comes to the cleaning of the cage or the removal of your pet gerbil. This type of cage once again comes in many varieties, with ones with numerous levels. This type of cage is very durable, and lightweight as well as quite cheap.

However there are things you should bear in mind when purchasing this type of cage. You must think about the security of the gerbil, and how secure the doors are some doors can be too easily opened by the gerbil. As well as this you may wish to think about the depth of the base of the cage, a cage with a shallow base may result in shavings being kicked outside of the cage.