Hamster Handling : sent in by Winter Wolf
:
Bringing home a new hamster is wonderful, but you
must allow your new friend to get used to its surroundings,
which is usually a week or two. Then when the little
friend is settled into its new home you can begin
hand training.
For the first 2 weeks to a month or more work with
him or her to get used to your hand moving SLOWLY
in and out of their homes. Reach for a toy or a dish
and fill then return it to its original place.
The next step is trying to pick it up. I suggest wearing
winter gloves and gently cup your hands as you reach
for your friend. If it becomes scared it is best to
keep hands near the bottom of their cage that way
they do not have far to fall.
You may also try a dishcloth, a warm snuggly place
for them to cover up in, then you can pick them both
up and not worry the little friend.
Another neat trick is to hand feed the little things,
that way they get used to your smell, and eventually
we can pick our little friend up.
GUINEA
PIGS : sent in by Beverly
If
you’re willing to open your home to one or,
preferably, two guinea pigs, please adopt from a shelter
or rescue group if you can. Before you do, be prepared
to care for your guinea pig for as long as seven years
or more and to spend about $20 per week on food, hay,
bedding, etc. An exotic-animal veterinarian will need
to see the guinea pig annually and can also help with
regular nail trimming—a must. If you are housing
a male and female together, you must also first have
them sterilized. However, spay/neuter surgeries are
more dangerous to perform on small animals, so it
is preferable to house females with other females
and males with no more than one other male—three
or more males together will fight.
INDOOR
RABBIT KEEPING : sent in by Beverly
Rabbits
can live in an outdoor hutch or an indoor cage, according
to the climate you (and they) live in. If kept in
a cage, rabbits need a lot of room so they can easily
move around. A rabbit's cage should be a minimum of
five times the size of the rabbit. Cages with wire
flooring are hard on rabbits' feet, which do not have
protective pads like those of dogs and cats. If you
place your rabbit in a wire cage, be sure to layer
the floor with cardboard or paper. Place a cardboard
box in the cage so the bunny has a comfortable place
to hide, and respect your animal's need for quiet
time. (Rabbits usually sleep during the day and night,
becoming playful at dawn and dusk.)
Rabbits
and Hutches : sent in by Sally and Mr. Daisy (old
man bunny)
Rabbit guardians must remember that rabbits are social
animals and enjoy being part of the family. Many rabbits
are confined to hutches or cages every day and never
do get to interact with their human family. This makes
for a very unhappy bunny as well as an "anti
social" pet.
If possible, place the bunny's cage where he/she can
see the goings on of family life.
More importantly, try to let the bunny have some "free
range time" (time out of the cage), for at least
a short time every day. It is to be noted that most
rabbits can be litter trained and problems like carpet
and cord chewing are usally only present in young
bunnies and can be easily rectified.
For problems with carpet chewing...the bunny thinks
your nice plush carpet is grass. :o)
Make the bunny's free range time in an area of the
house not carpeted.
As for cords...my husband and I just taped cords to
the wall when my bunny was a young man.
Some people do experience problems with their bunny
chewing on a nice piece of funiture leg like it was
designed just for them. Two things will solve this
problem. Be sure to provide your rabbit with things
to gnaw on. Pet stores have an array of safe chewable
toys.
Another suggestion...there is a product available
in most pet shops called Bitter Apple. A tiny bit
applied to the furniture wood will discourage most
rabbits. It was developed by a vet and is harmless
to animals and won't hurt your wood.
BEDDING
FOR RATS : sent in by Beverly
Proper
bedding is essential for your rat’s happiness
and health. Bedding should be comfortable for your
rat to walk on and it should absorb moisture. Two
good candidates are aspen shavings and paper products
such as Carefresh. These types of bedding can be found
at most pet stores. There are some types of bedding
that should never be used with small animals. These
are cedar shavings, pine shavings, and recycled newspaper
products. The cedar and pine shavings are very aromatic
and contain oils that will irritate your rat’s
mucous membranes. This can make them very sick and
can sometimes lead to the death of your rat. Recycled
newspaper bedding contains ink that can be potentially
toxic to your rats. There are other types of bedding
available, such as corn cob bedding and walnut shell
bedding, however, these are hard and less comfortable
for your rat to live on.
