Pleasing 4 Pets

Rabbits are mammals, similarly to rodents they have incisor teeth which grow continually which means that they must eat tough foods in order to wear them back down and keep them in shape. They belong to the Lagomorph family, a family which also includes that of the Hare and the Pika, the word Lagomorph aptly means hare-shaped.

Rabbits form the Leporidae family, this family contains over 50 species, some more common than others, the species that you are most likely to know is the Oryctolagus cuniculus, quite a mouthful, this species is popularly kept as a pet and within this species various there are various breeds which through selective breeding have been developed by enhancing different characteristics.

Rabbits are herbivores which means that they only eat plants, and are particularly known for loving carrots and lettuce, however, lettuce can cause them great illness, they are also known for their high productive rate, ‘breeding like rabbits’. They have very long ears, which can either be upright or loped pepending on the breed, powerfully strong hind legs which they use for hoping about and defending themselves as well as a short little fluffy tail. They make for rather cute and animated looking pets and if trained and cared for correctly they make great pets for children.

The hamster belongs to the rodent family. They are mammals and have large teeth that are continually growing, making it a necessity for the to gnaw on tough objects in order to stop their incisors from overgrowing. Aptly, the word rodent is derived from ‘rodere’ which is latin for gnaw. Hamsters form the Cricetidae family which is broken down into different Genera. This Genera can include those of Cricetulus, Phodopus and Calomyscus. There are various species of hamster within each Genera.

Throughout the nation there are many different species of hamster, some of which you will know, some which you won’t. Most hamsters in the wilderness live in semi desert areas in burrows. The burrows are made up of lots of different tunnels and chambers much like the hamster cages you may have seen and here the hamster would store food and sleep. Hamsters are nocturnal animals, they will sleep throughout the day and awake at night when it is much cooler. They have excellent hearing and smell, but very poor eyesight. The majority have expandable cheek pouches and they use these to carry bedding and food back to their burrow. The hamster is the most popular rodent as a pet in many countries.

You have you hamster and you’ve just forked out on the world’s best cage fully loaded with all the tubes chambers and spinning gadgets any small rodent should need. Now to prepare the cage. Here are the important thing you should take into account.

Firstly a good layer of food shavings should be placed across the floor areas of the cage. The water bottle should be filled with clean water and being careful to make sure it’s at a reachable height the bottle should be fixed to the cage. Run your finger over the spout of the water bottle to check that it is correctly dispensing the water, give it a little squeeze and dry the end of the spout before trying again. There are also liquid vitamins that you can purchase from a pet shop, these can be particularly beneficial for your hamster should it take ill. Should you have a food dish fill it with the hamster food you have bought and place in the cage otherwise sprinkle across the cage floor. Make sure to place any cage accessories in appropriate places throughout the cage. Bedding should be placed inside the hamsters chamber or ‘house’. An exercise wheel should be fixed to the side of the cage or place in a suitable position if it is a free standing one.

Your hamster will want to build a nest so some bedding material would be greatly appreciated by the little critter. You can buy this bedding material from your local pet shop. Some bedding is avoided as it can be eaten by your hamster and the fine fibes can get caught inside you hamster and cause an injury, such as the fluffy cotton wool type stuff. Some things that are often used shouldn’t also, like material or wool, these don’t dissolve in the stomach and can cause a blockage if eaten. Any material provided should be easily broken down so that the hamster can get free if it gets caught in it and it should also be able to dissolve in water so that if the hamster were to eat it, it would be able to dissolve in the stomach and not cause any damage to your hamsters health.

The best thing to use is shredded, soft paper bedding, this will cause your little hamster no harm if eaten and is easily broken. This can be bought from a pet shop however you could use a undyed and unscented toilet paper and tear it into strips for the same effect.

Most hamster owners will buy their first hamster from a pet shop, though if possible the best place to purchase your hamster would be a specialist private breeder. This is because you are more likely to get a hamster with a good temperament and great robust health as they are carefully bred to produce these qualities. You may also find, some compassionate breeders may offer a guarantee for the hamster back if found to be unsuitable, this cannot be said for pet shops as most of their hamster will have been bred, in mass on commercial farms for the market alone.

You are also likely to find hamster breeders that breed particularly to produce a high quality, healthy hamster than can be shown and therefore it will be of high importance that those hamsters have a great temperament, they will often keep one or two for themselves and sell the others further guaranteeing quality as you know a lot of care and planning has gone into the breeding of your hamster.

A private breeder will also know exactly what he’s talking about and should you decided to ask for any advice they would be able to give you the most reliable.