Small Animals Quick Guide, Which Would You Choose? by Gordon

Small animals: Which one?

There is no doubt small animals make a fantastic first pet, children find them fun and interesting and even adults melt under their cute looks and behaviour. They are relatively easy to look after and endlessly reward their owners with hours of fun and endless affection, which is what makes them so popular. However, how do you choose what type of small animal is right for you? Ultimately research and contact will be the best way to answer this for yourself, but to help you along the way, here is our quick guide to the most popular types.

Hamsters:

Being small and fluffy as well as having many various coat markings, hamsters are one of the most popular small animal groups. They are often chosen as first pets for children and make playful companions.

Character: Curious and adventurous, fairly intelligent. With the right handling are fairly tame and calm creatures, although will bite if scared or upset. Hamsters are nocturnal and live inside.

Housing: Solid bottomed cage, with either bars or ventilated plastic. Sawdust and paper shreds are used for bedding. Due to their intelligent and active nature they must also have toys in the cage. Must be escape proof. Syrians should be housed alone, although some other species will live together.

Food: Hamsters are omnivorous so can eat a wide range of treats, although they are healthiest when on a staple of dried hamster mix.

Life span: One to three years.

Rat:

Being larger than the hamster and somewhat more active rats make great and entertaining animals. Although not for everyone, their behaviour and large variety of colours makes them very popular.

Character: Highly intelligent, very curious and active. Less likely to bite, but will if annoyed. Can become very tame and can become great companionable pets.

Housing: Large wire cage with at least two levels to allow for exercise. Needs to be solid bottomed and escape proof. Rats are nocturnal and live inside. Can live together if put in single sex groups from an early age.

Food: Omnivorous, they eat a huge range of foods. They do best on a staple of dried rat mix with a variety of treats.

Life span: Two to four years.

Guinea pigs:

Being a larger size, these small animals make great pets as some people find them easier to handle. They are very responsive to their owners and will vocalise during feeding time or when their owners are near, this trait along with their cute looks are some of the reason they are so popular as pets.

Character: Very sociable, clever and active. They can be nervous but with the right handling become extremely tame and will more than often freeze rather than bite.

Housing: They should be housed in a hutch or large cage space, with access to an outdoors run in the summer. In the winter they need to be housed indoors, either in a large cage space or hutch. The cage doesn’t need to be tall as they don’t jump around but they need to have a lot of floor space, as they are active creatures. Soft bedding such as woodshavings or straw should be used. Can be housed with littermates or single sex groups. Must not be housed with rabbits.

Food: Herbivorous, they require a lot of fibrous foods to maintain health. It is best to feed a dry mix specially for guinea pigs and supplement with hay, vegetables and other treats to help wear down teeth.

Life span: Five to eight years.

Rabbits:

With so many breeds and so many different breed characteristics rabbits make truly fascinating pets. It is clear why they are so popular, with their defined personalities and interesting behaviours.

Character: Playful, loving and active. Social but this needs to be maintained to stop them from becoming shy. Companionable if handled well.

Housing: A large hutch, with access to a run in the summer. Rabbits should be taken indoors during the winter. Can be allowed to free roam indoors if done so from a young age and it being safe to do so. The hutch needs to be thoroughly cleaned to avoid fly strike. Can be housed together, space permitting and a male and a female can be placed provided they are neutered. Can also place two does together. Should never be housed with guinea pigs.

Food: Frequent feeding of either a dry mix or a nugget mix formulated for rabbits. This should be supplemented with treats and hay to help wear down the teeth.

Life span: Five to ten years.

Gerbil:

Lively and entertaining, these little critters are a fun pet that makes a fun difference from other small animals. Highly active they will fascinate many owners.

Character: Friendly, inquisitive and social. Very active animals.

Housing: A ‘Plexi’ glass tank known as a gerbilarium is best used as this will allow sufficient ventilation and ensure there are no unwanted escapes! Thick layers of sawdust should be used in the lower half to allow burrowing and digging tunnels. Should be housed with littermates (to prevent fighting) in same sex pairs. They will happily live with mixed sex groups but litters will occur. You should not house them alone.

Food: A dry mix of gerbil food should be a staple, along with various treats. Their diet needs to be carefully handled as they can be susceptible to high fat intake which can cause health issues.

Life span: Three to five years.

Mouse:

Small and cute as well as tame mice make great pets although are probably more suited to older children and adults due to their smaller size.

Character: Happy, playful and active although can be timid or shy at first.

Housing: Solid floored cages, especially built for mice, either with smaller metal bars or plastic sides that they cannot gnaw. A secure lid and soft bedding, much like a hamster is needed. They also require hiding places in order to feel secure. Can be kept in single sex groups or pairs. Males, however, will dispute over territory and produce a musky odour.

Food: Omnivorous, they should be fed a wide variety of treats alongside a staple of dried mouse food. You need to be careful with fat and sugar levels.

Life span: One to three years.

Chinchilla:

Large fluffy and extremely active, chinchillas are good pets if you have the space, they are good for older children and will be loved by all. Their sweet natures nad sociable habits mean they are fascinating creatures.

Character: Very fast and lively characters with a sweet and inquisitive side. Can be slightly timid but usually warm up to their owners quickly.

Housing: Chinchillas need very large cages as they will jump, run and dart around them. A specialised chinchilla cage is best as they have removable trays at the bottom for frequent cleaning. There doesn’t need to be any substrate as they mainly climb but toys, platforms and things to keep them amused are always appreciated. A sand bath that is changed daily should also be available. You can keep chinchillas in pairs or polygamous groups of two to three females to one male.

Food: Chinchillas are true herbivores and as such have delicate digestion, therefore a special chinchilla dry food or pellet should be given. Treats should also accompany this but should be marked safe for chinchillas to avoid giving too much sugar or protein. Hay should also always be available, as they need a lot of fibre and also need to wear down their teeth.

Life span: Ten to twenty years.

Degu:

Lively, social and vocal they love human interaction so make great pets. Perhaps more suited to the more experienced keeper, due to the level of care they require. They do however have a low record of disease, which means they can be very straightforward in their health.

Character: Social, lively, good natured and very curious.

Housing: Their cage needs to be large, focusing on height as they love to climb, much like chinchillas they don’t need bedding although aspen would be appreciated. They also need a sand bath and plenty of toys to keep their active minds busy. They cannot be kept singularly as they are highly social and will not do well with human interaction alone, they need at least one cage mate and will rarely fight. They are active during the day.

Food: True herbivores, they need plenty of hay for their digestive systems. Although degus are becoming more popular, foods for them are not as easily available. Instead you should aim to feed a diet suitable for chinchillas, making sure it is nugget form to stop selective feeding. You also need to avoid sugary foods and treats, as they can get diabetes more easily than other small animals.

Life span: Five to eight years.

Ferrets:

Ferrets are lively and very intelligent, they are active creatures with more complex needs than any of the other small animals and are probably best suited to someone with more experience of pet ownership.

Character: inquisitive, intelligent, active and independent.

Housing: Best put in large wire cages, with multiple levels to allow adequate exercise. They can also be kept in large outdoors enclosures if space permits as well as freely in the house as they can be litter trained. They are social and will prefer living with at least one other ferret, although large groups and un-neutered companions may fight so it is best to keep neutered males and females. They also need plenty of toys or opportunity to use their active minds.

Food: Ferrets are carnivores, so they have largely different diets to any of the other small animals here. They can be fed on a high quality kibble to provide all the protein and fat, some ferret owners will also provide treats such as thawed chicks, tinned meat and raw meats.

Life span: Five to eleven years.

How To Stop Your Parrot From Biting - free article courtesy of ...

"Why is my parrot biting me?"

This is a question asked every day by parrot owners who thought they would never own a bird that bites.

Once you have been bit, it is hard to return comfortably to the biter. At least that's what most people say. It does take a positive mind set and it is best to return with some understanding of the parrot's needs.


Common Causes For Biting

Consider what may be happening from the bird's point of view. Has there been a change in their environment? Is there something in the parrot's recent or distant past that scared him or caused him not to trust you or other humans? Are there unexpected noises or sudden movements when the biting occurs? Could the parrot be jealous of someone or something at the time? Could the bird be angry at you, someone else in the room or even a situation?

Most of the time, the bird will warn you by giving you clues with their body language. The problem is, we don't always speak parrot so we don't recognize the clue they are trying to send to warn us.

Depending on the parrot, they may fluff up their feathers and slightly raise their wings while pining their eyes, they may make a particular noise that sounds like growling or hissing, they may scream, they may open their beak and lunge a warning, and some will just run away.

Besides considering the above, you have to consider the possibility that when one of the things above has happened that the biting behavior has been reinforced by improper responses. The biting may have become a habit that you have to break.

Fear

Fear is the most common reason a bird will attack. You must consider the environment from the parrot's perspective. They don't think like humans and they don't understand our language for us to explain to them why things are the way they are. They didn't ask to come live with us, so the burden is on us to accommodate them.

There are many obvious reasons your parrot could be afraid. A common reason would be if you just brought the bird home and it doesn't know you or where it is. It could be afraid because it was abused or ignored in its previous home or worse, homes.

Imagine someone coming and taking you to their giant home and a bunch of big and little giants moving about your cage, making noises in all kinds of decibels and pitches. They even stare at you and try to put their giant claws on you! Nothing in your cage is the same. The look and smell of this home is even different. And maybe you were hurt by one or more of these giant looking creatures in the past. Are you going to be comfortable? Might you be scared??

Now there is a similarity in humans and parrots in that there are no two alike. Just as some people are outgoing and some are shy. Some people are nervous and scared of everything, and some seem to be brave from birth.

You can help the brave child learn to make wise decisions and respect others, and you can help the nervous child to come outside of themselves and enjoy life, but the core personality will always be there.

We have to do the same with our parrots. We have to help them see the world differently, but we can't make them change their core being. We can train them and encourage proper responses to their environment, but we have to respect them in the process.

Frustration

Many parrots bite because they are frustrated. They want attention and you aren't giving it to them. Maybe they want to play or eat and you won't leave them alone. You may have trained them to be in a particular routine and now you have changed it.

They may be bored in their cage and would like out to play or be with you. Make sure you allow your parrot time out of its cage and give the bird quality attention daily, just like you would want if you were the one locked up in a cage all day. This is even more important if your parrot only has human friends.

There are more possibilities than I will mention. You need to spend the time to figure it out. You owe it to the parrot that you forced into your home. Always keep that in mind.

Hormones

You can sit and think about this one. Both humans and animals have hormonal times, and they all have them at different ages. Some people have more personality difficulties during those times than others. I won't get personal here; just ponder it if you will. Will you accept that your parrot has to go through this too? How did or do you like to be treated when you are going through an emotional time? Enough said??? OK

If your parrot screams because he wants you and then lunges because he's whacked out, then be sweet and talk nicely or give him his favorite treat when he has calmed down. Don't reward the bad behavior, but don't punish the bird for being hormonal. Keep up the relationship as best you can. It won't last forever.

Molting

In order to get you to put yourself in this one, let's pretend that you have to get new teeth every few months. You may not remember how uncomfortable it is for teeth to come in, but you probably have been around a baby that was teething. Again, some take it better than others. Some like their gums rubbed and some don't want you within ten feet of them. Actually they cry because they want you and then they cry because you come. I have never molted, but it does NOT look comfortable. Let's give these guys a little break if they are grumpy.

"Teething" or rather Beaking

Young parrots will often go through a stage where they beak everything. They don't know what we feel when they beak us. We have to communicate to them that it hurts and encourage them not to bite or beak us.

Don't allow your pet parrot to nibble when it is young and you will deter biting when they are old. There are many ways to deter this behavior.

When my Green Cheeked Conure nibbles me, I squeak like he does when I touch one of his pin feathers coming in that is sensitive. This doesn't work for my husband, because he can't squeak, his voice isn't high enough. He gives the little guy the "earthquake" instead. (The "earthquake" is a very gentle movement of the finger or arm that distracts the bird.)

Now if your little buddy likes the "earthquake" routine, he will bite just to get the ride. You will have to try one of the many other methods.

Some people blow in their faces, I personally don't like that one, but some say it works for them. If you keep a chew toy with you, you can tell them "no" and encourage them to bite the toy. Mine doesn't usually want the toy, he likes the way my finger or neck feels, so this doesn't work for me. He can be distracted by food however.

Make sure you aren't teaching the bird that if he bites you he gets a toy or food! We are talking about a bird that is exploring their environment, not biting you for attention.

Don't give up too fast on any method you choose. Some pet parrots take a long time to change, again just like kids and adults. Some parrots are more stubborn than others. Patience, love and understanding is the key here.

Selfishness

In humans, selfishness is a character flaw. In parrots however, it is just what they are. We can not expect them to act or respond like humans, even though they do sometimes.

If your parrot is trying to communicate to you "I don't want to come to you, I'm busy right now" then leave him alone unless you have to interact with him. Watch his body language and respect his wishes.

If you miss the signal and he bites you, then try not to react in an excited way. Stay calm and speak sternly. If you entertain the bird with your response, he might selfishly choose this entertainment more often. Think about it.

We put our parrots back in their cage, shut the door and walk out of the room. Some people cover the cage too. My cage takes so long to cover that he would probably forget why he's in there by the time I could get it covered.

If they aren't screaming for our return, we come back in a few minutes and give them another chance…if they want one. We don't force them to come back out.

It is very important that you don't give the bird any attention at all during the "time out" period. Don't talk to the bird, don't look at the bird, act as if the bird doesn't exist. When the time out period is over, give your bird a chance to do something right and reward him. Even if it is that he quit screaming or that he came to the side of the cage when you talked to him.

NEVER EVER hit your parrot or sling your parrot when it bites! It can harm your parrot both physically and emotionally. The bird may never trust you or like you again. He may have a hard time trusting any human again.

If your parrot likes you but bites others, you can help the parrot accept the other person. When your parrot attempts to bite or in fact does bite the other person, you be the one that disciplines them. They don't care if the other person dislikes them, but they do want to please you.

Conclusion

Take the time to study your parrot and learn the nature of its personality. Study its body language and learn its moods. Be sensitive to when they need attention and when they need time alone. Give them the opportunity to just be with you and not have to interact with you if that is what they want.

Take the time to expose your parrot, slowly, to new people, places, objects, sounds and environments. It is unlikely that a pet parrot that will live 20 to 80 years will never have to leave home or have a different routine. Help your beloved parrot now, to prepare for the unexpected changes later.

Guidelines For When Buying Leopard Gecko From Breeders

Sometimes it is possible to come across a healthy leopard gecko in a pet store. But, do you really know what you are buying? Some leopard geckos are imported from their natural habitats, the hot, rocky parts of Asia, into the United States. This is not good because leopard geckos that are born in the wild should stay in the wild. Going to a breeder to buy a leopard gecko is a better choice. Purchasing your leopard gecko from a breeder ensures that you are going to be purchasing a lizard that is healthy and of good stock. The breeder will also be able to give you an accurate age of the lizard and with an animal that can live up to twenty years, this is very beneficial as well. But finding a leopard gecko breeder is not always easy and ensuring that they are reputable is a challenge as well.


In order to purchase the best leopard gecko possible, you must first be familiar with what you are buying. Handle the gecko before you buy it and make sure that you look it over well. The ability to determine the health of the gecko is very important knowledge to have. You are looking for the eyes, nose, and vents to all be clean and clear. They will be active and alert with a full body and tail. Leopard geckos store their fat in their tails. This is what they rely on when food is scarce. If the gecko has a full tall, most likely it has been well fed. The leopard gecko should also have healthy looking skin. Once they are home, they should show a healthy appetite, eating regularly. A few red flags of a non-healthy gecko are swelling, bumps, sores or abrasions on the skin. You should also make sure that there is no paralysis of any of its limbs or tail. There should also be no mucus in the lizard's mouth or nose. Other signs of an unhealthy leopard gecko are that it might be lethargy, have labored breathing or abnormal feces.


When handling the leopard gecko, it should be friendly. Good breeders take the time to tame their geckos so they will be friendly when they are purchased. An unfriendly leopard gecko is a good indicator that this breeder is more interested in dollars and cents and a good turn over rather then suppling pet owners with the longevity of a good pet. Make sure you find out what sex the leopard gecko is before you purchase it as well. Each gender requires different care needs. If the breeder has not taken the time to sex the lizards, they are most likely not offering their animals the best care. Plus, a knowledgeable leopard gecko breeder will have no problem identifying the sex of each lizard.


A good way to find a leopard gecko breeder is to go to a reptile show. Reptile shows have become quite popular. Very knowledgeable leopard gecko lovers, breeders, suppliers, and more attend reptile shows. It is reasonable to think that you will be able to find the right leopard gecko for you including the kind of color pattern that you are looking for.

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