Disaster Davis: Pet Care

Cuddly Critter Care

If you’re a frequent visitor here then you’ll know that I published a post on rabbit care in October (if not, you can find that post here: https://disasterdavis.wordpress.com/2015/10/19/hop-to-it/ ), it were proven helpful to some therefore I thought it a good idea to publish another, this time for a smaller cuddly critter. Whilst hamsters are considerably easier to care for than rabbits, there are maybe still some things that people are unsure of regarding the correct care for their small friends. I have vast experience of owning both Syrian and Russian Dwarf breeds therefore feel I’m able to give adequate tips and advice where appropriate on this matter.

Hamsters are a fantastic pet to choose for many reasons such as being easy to clean out, lower cost, easy to tame and not requiring much space in the home. If you’re taking a holiday they’re also much easier to plan for, as they can be transported to a trusted person’s home in their cage and easily cared for in your absence, no nonsense and no need for pet shelters or feeling tied to your home due to the responsibilities your pet creates. Hamsters are also a fantastic pet choice for children due to many of the reasons already touched upon. They will still need to be handled carefully of course and you should supervise your child whilst doing so in case the hamster manages to escape and run away or get lost. They can still bite and will do so when feeling threatened or will give you a slight nibble when getting settled into their new home, however this is purely to figure out who you are. When holding their pet, children should always sit somewhere as near to the floor as possible in the event that the pet may jump. Gloves are advised if you have a particularly aggressive hamster or if your child is extremely anxious, although this will hinder the bonding process if the animal is unable to become used to the scent of the handler. A negative to owning one is of course that they’re nocturnal and tend to sleep throughout the day, meaning you will probably barely see them! I’d also advise homing them in a living room rather than in a bedroom for this exact reason, furthermore hamsters will learn their owners voices and feel at home more quickly when not being hidden away and treat equal to that of a neglected after thought.

Habitat
First things first, your hamster is in need of an appropriate place to call home! This will need to of course include their food, water, things to do, gnaw sticks, wheel and a bedding area. Cages with lots to do are the best, with different levels and activities to stimulate your pet. When picking a cage think about cleaning, there are more simpler cages that still incorporate fun activities that will be easier to handle during the cleaning process than others. Also try to avoid anything with bars (unless this is the roof of the cage) as your little rascals legs can slip through these, getting stuck and potentially harming themselves. You will need a bedding area for your pet and it’s advised to use materials such as a shredded soft/cloth paper bedding rather than anything else as many materials (for instance wool) can become tangled around your hamsters organs when ingested. Paper based materials will disintegrate although double check ingredients to avoid anything with potentially harmful substances. Below is a picture of my current set up for my Syrian hamster, with a very happy, cute and inquisitive Jeremiah sneaking into the shot!

Diet
You should be giving your hamster fresh food and water daily, regardless of how much they have left of either. Hamsters are notorious for stashing their food in their beds, therefore if you are unsure about how much food to be giving them, check in their bed when cleaning the cage to see if you might need to either increase or reduce the amount you’re providing them. For a more in depth look at what you can, can’t and should be feeding your little friend, please follow this link from the RSPCA as information of the utmost value is contained within this page! ( http://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/rodents/hamsters/diet ) If you haven’t been bothered to check this out however, (you mustn’t really care that much about your pet and probably shouldn’t be getting one!), then please note that rhubarb and grapes are poisonous for rodents – don’t feed these items to your pet under any circumstance.

Happiness
The happiness of your friend depends on many factors, including stimulation, love and correct care. Hamsters (especially Syrian breeds) are incredibly friendly and inquisitive, they love to be social and interact with you. Please put in the time to socialise, you are all they know, it’s even worse for Syrian’s and other breeds which are unable to live with a mate. As I said before hamsters will learn the sounds of their owners voices which helps to create a bond, spend plenty of time talking calmly to them and hold them at least once a day after initially forming a bond and they have become tame. If you would like me to publish a post solely on bonding with your hamster then please don’t hesitate to ask, I would be more than delighted to oblige. Offer them plenty to play with, avoid housing them near any electrical items (the noises they transmit scare them), care for them correctly and give them plenty of love and you can’t go far wrong!

Health
There’s a catalogue abundant with health issues your little friend can have and so many different ways to observe that your pet is unwell, including visible signs or a change in their behaviour. You know your hamster the best therefore will know ultimately if something doesn’t seem quite right, although if they have a loss of appetite, either a lack of or are excessively drinking, a lack of exercise and activity, itching, sneezing or aren’t keeping themselves clean, then this is probably a sure indicator that something could be wrong. Other things to observe are any noticeable problems with their eyes, hair loss, sores, discharge, enlargement of any area, breathing (difficult, labored or rapid) and changes to their excrement such as suffering from diarrhea, or potentially having constipation if you notice that they seem to have less feces in their cage than usual. An adept vet should be easily able to identify any problems, check first for vet surgeries for a vet knowledgeable of small animals, also always find a vet before any problems arise, ensuring you are able to get your animal seen to quickly and minimizing extra pressure on yourself due to the need to find a vet at short notice. Being prepared is always the best option. Also different breeds are more prone than others to particular viruses, infections and health problems – some simple research on the specific breed will bring you many answers and a wealth of knowledge, it’s always good to know as much as you can about any animal you give a home to.

On an end note, never house two hamsters together unless you have been told already by somebody trustworthy and experienced that the breed you have can live together, most breeds will kill one another and even when homing breeds that can cohabitate please be mindful of if you have bought the animals together and from the same breed, also watch them closely for any major squabbles and ding dongs as it can turn nasty! In other words, proceed with caution.

I hope this has been helpful for you, please contact me with any further questions you may have about any aspect of their care, I would be more than happy to go into further detail for you.

With Love,
Disaster Davis x

Further Reading!
http://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/rodents/hamsters/diet
https://www.hamsters-uk.org/content/view/29

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Animals

Are you aware of the Animal Welfare Act? This doesn’t just cater for dogs and cats, it actually includes equine animals and rabbits and it’s not there only for when the damage has been done to an animal but it’s actual purpose is to prevent animal suffering of any type. “Section 9 of the Animal Welfare Act places a duty of care on people to ensure they take reasonable steps in all the circumstances to meet the welfare needs of their animals to the extent required by good practice.” (http://www.rspca.org.uk/whatwedo/changingthelaw/whatwechanged/animalwelfareact 19/10/2015) Every pet owner is obliged to follow this and it’s also inclusive of anybody with domestic animals, such as farms or animal breeders. I may have started off on a serious note here but it’s of incredible importance to be aware of!

My main focus today is on caring for rabbits, if anyone pondering the idea of acquiring a rabbit or two is reading this right now, I implore you to continue doing so and to take heed of the information I’m sharing. Rabbits are statistically the most neglected domestic animal, neglect IS a form of abuse of which no living being deserves. Over the years I have seen cases where rabbits are being mistreated to an awful degree or I see increasingly more people getting these as pets for their children but never fully researching the correct care beforehand. I’d love to think that by sharing some of the things I know to be true from caring for rabbits myself, whilst backed up by research and further reading links, that I could be proving myself helpful for creating a loving and happy bond between owner and pet. A rabbit is as much a part of the family as anyone else and should be treat with the same amount of care as any other member of that family. You are all they have and all they know, they have a right to life and to love, too. Please don’t fail to give them what they truly deserve. So what does a rabbit actually require to be kept safe, happy and healthy? Read on to find out just that.

Funds

Rabbits are very expensive animals to keep although very few people appear to think this through first and often find that they’ve taken on too much. It’s said that on average it can cost £1,000 per rabbit and considering a rabbit’s life expectancy is approximately 8 – 12+ years, this adds up to much more in the long run. Most people assume that all you need is a hutch and to keep them fed, this isn’t the case. You will need to consider not only a good quality and large living space consisting of hutch and a run, their food; consisting of fresh greens, pellets and hay, but also a range of toys for them to play with, things for them to gnaw on, bits and bats such as a litter box or hay holder and finally their vets fees and potentially pet insurance. Considering vets fees I don’t just mean if they get ill, either. Every rabbit will need to have initial vaccinations at approximately 12 weeks old, (individual vets have different ideas on when is best for this therefore do research early to plan this accordingly, as it could be as early as 8 weeks!) as well as yearly boosters and neutering. I’ve recently found out myself that rabbits can also be micro-chipped just as dogs and cats can, which I think is an especially fantastic idea for any owners of outdoor rabbits! Of course there is the fact that if your rabbit is not cared for correctly then it greatly increases the chances of needing to take multiple trips to the vets as your furry friend will likely become ill. A good idea to help with the costs of keeping rabbits, like with any larger animal, is to take out pet insurance. You will have to do your research yet again to find the best fit for yourself as an individual, this can be costly when considering long-term, although will be extremely helpful to get the treatment your pet will need in any worse case scenarios – vets bills, prescriptions and operations are extremely costly and can be needed at any time!

Diet

A great deal of pet owners will take little to no consideration with regards to their pets diet, choosing the first thing they assume will be the best. So many people still feed their rabbits on a muesli based rabbit feed and it’s the worst choice that can be made. It’s a known fact that muesli based feed includes so many more sugars etc than that of a pellet based diet. With a muesli diet rabbits, like any other animals on this type of feed such as hamsters, will choose to pick out their favourite bits, which are usually the pieces with the highest sugar intake, whilst leaving the rest. The best idea when choosing food for your rabbit is to go for the basic pellet based option, yes it may look incredibly boring but it’s the most nutritional and healthy for your little friend, surely that’s what matters most? On this note, a rabbit should not be expected to live on a diet only made up of pellets or muesli, hay is a huge component. A rabbits teeth never stop growing and they do so at an alarming rate, every week their gnashers could be gaining 3mm! Due to this, we become responsible for ensuring that they have plenty to gnaw on, which believe it or not includes a constant access to hay! Any hay is better than none, however meadow hay is the best and mostly recognised option. Don’t be alarmed if your rabbit consumes an incredibly large amount of hay, this is in fact meant to make up the majority of what they feed on. Fruit and vegetables I hear you calling out? Yes it’s true that rabbits do like fruit and veg, however you must be sure to limit their intake of these as many are high in sugars and are bad for your rabbit in large doses, they’re a great idea to use as a treat which can have the added benefit when used as a reward for training purposes. Here are a few links from the RSPCA which will provide much more concisely what foods your pet can or can’t eat at all, or how much you should be limiting them to of certain foods. Please note a rabbit should always have access to fresh water which must be changed daily, I however change Echo and Eden’s twice or sometimes three times a day to ensure freshness whilst preventing them from being left without.

Basic Diet Requirements: http://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/rabbits/diet/planner

Safe and unsafe

fruits/vegetables: http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/resources/content/info-sheets/safefoods.htm

Interaction

Rabbits are social animals and you should aim to spend at least an hour every day interacting with them to ensure they don’t get lonely and suffer depression. Leaving a rabbit to their own devices for much of the time is a form of neglect. Consider if you will get one rabbit or two, as rabbits are used to living in warrens with other rabbits when in the wild – also this ensures the rabbit isn’t lonely when you aren’t around. Even when getting two rabbits you will need to spend time with them although getting 1+ is still a highly beneficial thing to do. It’s most common to get rabbits together from the same breed, who will be already bonded as this takes away the hard work of having to do this for yourself. Any rabbit will have to be bonded first if you’re going to introduce a newbie to one you already own, this is also the case for re-introducing your pets after a period of separation. I will explore this very topic in-depth in the near future, so keep your eyes peeled and be sure to hit that follow button! Please note that costs will go up considerably when choosing to own more than one furry friend, this is something to consider before welcoming them into your home. A rabbit isn’t just for it’s infancy or a short time period, they will be a part of your family for many years to come and are there to stay. Would you honestly like to be given a home, only to be abandoned some time later after your owners have realised they haven’t thought things through thoroughly? Abandoning the pets you apparently care for is never okay.

Interaction is also a necessity with respect to the bonding process. A rabbit of which is happy with it’s owners; feeling safe, secure and loved, will respond much better to learning good behaviours and being affectionate towards you. Rabbits make amazing friends if you’re willing to put in the required time and energy into them. Rabbits don’t respond so well to children and aren’t the best pet of choice for your child. As we all know children can be very rough when playing with or petting animals also sudden movements can all scare your rabbit, they can lash out when they feel threatened – biting, kicking or scratching. Are you prepared for the possibility of this happening? It would be highly unfair to expect your rabbit not to stand up for itself. Although if you do decide to obtain a rabbit for your child, please note that regardless you are the care giver and are responsible for the complete welfare of your pet, not your child. You may choose to let your child do things such as feeding and cleaning out your pet but you must be the responsible adult and ensure that this is completed correctly.

Home & Security

Every rabbit needs ample space to live and play in, including both a hutch and a run. It’s of utmost importance that they’re able to behave as closely to what they would do in the wild therefore they will need to be able to burrow, stand tall, hop and run – taking lots of space to do so, the more rabbits you own the larger space will be required to home them comfortably. Toys and things for your rabbit to do should also be provided for their entertainment, keeping them happy, along with a range of nibble sticks and items to gnaw on. You can choose to keep your friend either indoors or outdoors and there are things to consider with both options, such as:

Indoors – Do you have the adequate space in your home for a large hutch and run, where will you keep it in order to least disrupt your home? Rabbits can be smelly animals therefore it’s advised to not keep them anywhere you would cook or eat. Whilst living indoors they would still like to be given some garden time, somewhere providing fresh air, sunlight and the option to dig – after all, any of us would hate to be cooped up indoors all of the time. As well as the smell, rabbits are messy critters and they malt, are you prepared to have the entire contents of your home looking like one giant rabbit? Believe me this is true to life, I speak from experience. There is nowhere that those hairs won’t creep their way into and they’re seemingly impossible to get rid of. Any wires or dangerous items in your home will have to be kept incredibly minimal and tucked away somewhere on the chance that your rabbit may escape either whilst you’re out of the house or during the night, speaking of which – they’re noisy on a night as rabbits are known to wake at dusk and dawn! If you can find a fix for all of these points then that’s amazing because it really is preferable for the rabbit and yourselves to have your friend indoors. It cuts out on a lot of risks I will soon share with you that living in the outdoors presents, keeping them indoors gives great peace of mind from knowing they’re safe. On cold winter nights it keeps them warm by living indoors also, which can cut down the chance of your fur baby getting poorly or infections from bugs they would potentially encounter outside.
Outdoors – Outdoors definitely presents more dangers for your furry friend, Echo and Eden are currently living back outside and the notion terrifies me on a daily basis, I find myself constantly worrying about them. You will have to consider predators, such as foxes and ferrets. If any of these manage to get to your rabbits they WILL kill them, for seemingly no reason at all. Ferrets are smaller and probably the biggest threat as they will be able to find their way into the hutch more easily than a fox can, you will need to consider ways to throughly predator proof your rabbits home. Cats can pose a threat also and will scare your rabbits although not on the same scale of danger as the other two animals. Hutch security such as locks and using covers are things that can be considered to safeguard your pet, this also can work against humans too as we have all heard the horror stories I’m sure. Security for your garden is something to plan also, keeping people and larger animals such as foxes out (this also doubles as added home security). The strength and condition of the hutch is important to note, you don’t want it blowing over in bad winds if it’s a fragile item. Weather related also and another reason to use a hutch cover, is to provide the rabbit with added warmth and weather protection, keeping the hutch interior warm, dry and comfortable. Rabbits like to dig, if they are placed on grass then they will partake in this hobby, if you’re away from them for some time how do you know they haven’t dug their way out of their home entirely and gone missing, is there anything you could do to stop that from occurring? With all of this in mind it’s probably wise to consider micro chipping in the eventuality that your pet may well escape, it gives some hope that you may get your rabbit back. Last but not least the size of your hutch and run needs to have some serious consideration – this is where your rabbit lives, it’s whole world. Most if not all pet shop hutches are far too small for even one lone rabbit to live in, take a good look at different places for a good quality and sized hutch, or even consider making your own to your preferred specifications. Stated by the Animal Welfare Act, a hutch should measure 6ft x 2ft x 2ft with an added run size of 8ft x 4ft x 4ft. Please watch and listen to the following video, it really does give you food for thought.

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