Pet Care
Pet Care Help
Small pet care is easier than you think
In general, keeping a small pet can be very rewarding. The basics apply: fresh water, the right food, a clean and safe habitat, proper temperature, and lots of affection.
Having a child with allergies could influence which small pet you choose for your home. Read the descriptions below and click on any animal to download an info sheet containing more in-depth details on each species.
Click to download the care sheet
Rats & Mice
Rats and mice are very clean animals and enjoy daytime hours. While these critters don't need a lot of human interaction, they do enjoy social time. Plus, the more you hold them, the more they warm up to you. Rats and mice have energy, running two to three miles in one night, so provide an exercise wheel. A chew toy is a necessity, since their teeth never stop growing.
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Gerbils
Gerbils are cute, tame, and great first pets. They are active and entertaining during the day. Gerbils love to explore and build, so supply digging material in the cage, such as paper-based items or cardboard. They will enjoy an occasional sand bath—they roll around in sand, and their fur gets shiny and smooth. Chew toys are also necessary for gerbils, as all rodents have continually growing teeth.
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Hamsters
Hamsters love attention and are quite friendly. They spend an ample amount of day time resting. Their simple needs and small size make them perfect for kids and school classrooms. You need to satisfy their urge to gnaw by giving them a chew toy. Besides chewing, these animals love to exercise on an exercise wheel or in a run-about ball. Most hamsters are solitary animals and need to live without a room mate.
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Ferrets
Ferrets are known for their curiosity and fun-loving personalities. They enjoy stealing and hiding objects, part of their natural nesting instincts. Ferrets like energetic play, so they'll enjoy all the fun, exercise, and toys they can get. Despite their great energy, they're also heavy sleepers, enjoying long hours of napping. Ferrets' slightly musky odor can be easily controlled with shampoos and ferret specific sprays.
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Guinea Pigs
Guinea Pigs are very friendly animals that greet each other by touching noses. They require easy, basic care as well as daily affection. Guinea Pigs cannot manufacture Vitamin C, so they need a daily supplement or a diet formulated specifically for Guinea Pigs with Vitamin C added. You may be surprised how smart a Guinea Pig can be, quickly learning their own names or certain sounds. A bag of food opening will likely get them to whistle or squeak.
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Rabbits
Rabbits, like many small animals, love attention and form strong bonds with their owners. Rabbits are naturally timid, and enjoy a comfy, safe habitat. But, they like to show off, too! Sometimes, they'll put on “shows” for children, hamming it up when they hear laughter. Rabbits want to run, so a large area in which to exercise is recommended. They also love toys, something they can flip in the air or toss around their habitat and if the toy is also chewable that's a bonus as rabbits require chew toys for dental health.
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Chinchillas
Chinchillas have extra-soft fur that helps keep them warm in cold weather and cool in hot weather. Nearly every day they take a dust bath to keep this fur soft. Chinchillas can't sweat! So, they must be kept in a cool space with plenty of air ventilation. Chinchillas are more active at night than during the day, and they may greet kids in the morning with chirps and squeaks. You can teach a Chinchilla tricks, and they may even learn to recognize their own name. Chinchillas enjoy extra space in their cages, and they like ledges on which to jump. Plus, they'll give an exercise wheel a real workout! They love to chew and need chew toys to help keep their ever growing teeth trimmed.
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African Fat Tail Gecko
African fat tail geckos should be housed in a 10 - 20 gallon aquarium or terrarium. They are nocturnal meaning they are active at night. So make sure you offer a nice cave or dark spot for hiding. They also like to have a humid hiding spot to retreat to when it comes time for shedding. You can use a small cave or other hiding spot and then add some moist moss inside.
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Bearded Dragon
There are many different types of reptile bedding out there. So which ones are good for bearded dragons? For babies, it is best to keep them on reptile carpet until they are at least 6” long. They tend to eat their bedding when they are so small. Once they have gotten bigger, you can switch them over to digestible calcium sand, crushed walnut shell, or alfalfa pellets.
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Crested Gecko
In the wild, crested geckos eat fruits, nectars and insects. There are some pre-made gecko diet formulas that you can find at your local pet store. These are a well balanced source of nutrition for your gecko. Feed baby crested geckos 6 - 12 pinhead to small size crickets daily for about the first year. Offer them crested gecko diet in a small dish a few times a week. Once they reach adulthood you will want to feed around 6 - 10 medium to large size crickets every other day along with a crested gecko diet.
Click to download the care sheet
Leopard Gecko
Baby and adult leopard geckos can be housed in a 10 - 20 gallon aquarium or terrarium.The size of your cage will determine what wattage your heat light should be. You want the cage to have an overall temperature of 80 degrees and a basking area of 85 degrees. A red heat light or black night heat light works great because you can leave them on all the time. As for the basking area, you will want to use a white spot light. Keep the day light on for about 12 hours per day.
