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Home > Small Pet >
 | Badger & Fox
The diet of the Eurasian badger consists largely of earthworms, insects, and grubs. They also eat small mammals, amphibians, reptiles and birds as well as cereals, roots and fruit.
Foxes are omnivores. The diet of foxes is largely made up of invertebrates. However, it also includes rodents, rabbits and other small mammals, reptiles, (such as snakes), amphibians, grasses, berries, fruit, fish, birds, eggs, dung beetles and all other kinds of small animals. Many species are generalist predators, but some (such as the crab-eating fox) are more specialist. Most species of fox generally consume around 1 kg of food every day. |
|  | Chinchilla
Fully guaranteed brand leading cages, feeding bottles, accessories, food, bedding, toys and grooming are here for all your chinchilla needs. Please read the following care guidelines. Make sure that the cage is big enough. One chinchilla can be kept in a cage approximately 90cm high x 61cm wide x 46cm deep. Cages should remain indoors unless kept in a purpose built, secure outer building. He/she should also have a run outside of the cage for approximately one hour each day. Chinchillas do not like a lot of noise so the cage should be placed in a quiet environment that is well ventilated but not draughty. During hot spells of weather, make sure the cage is shaded from bright sunlight and that there is a constant flow of cool air.
Chinchillas do not like to be too hot and can suffer from heat strokes.
Temperatures above 75ºf can be fatal to chinchillas.
Although chinchillas do not smell, the cage should be cleaned out at least once a week. Clean down shelves and boxes etc everyday.
Hygiene and cleanliness are very important.
Left over food, mouldy hay, droppings in food and stale water can cause bacteria to form which can be harmful to your chinchilla. Most cages will have a tray at the base which you can pull out to place in sawdust, paper etc. Some people use wood based cat litter.
There should be wooden box, for the chinchilla to sleep or hide in and suitable 'play' items.
Chinchillas need to keep their teeth trimmed and so will try to chew almost anything. For this reason chinchillas can not have the run of the house like a cat or dog. Also, let everyone know when your chinchilla is having a run. A good safety feature is a door hanger to say when your chinchilla is out of the cage. There have been many incidents where chins have been stepped on.
As chinchillas will try to chew many items, avoid anything made of plastic and do not let them chew anything which is painted or stained.
Plastic, paint, stained wood etc can all be toxic. If they try to chew any of these things, they might ingest some and this could be harmful to them.
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|  | Chipmunk
Chipmunks are small striped squirrels in the genus Tamias. Except for one species in northeast Asia, they are found only in North America. All chipmunks have facial stripes. Chipmunks have an omnivorous diet consisting of grain, nuts, birds' eggs, small frogs, fungi, worms, and insects.
We carry a wide choice of habitats large enough to enable the chipmunks to explore and play in their surroundings. Top name brands offer accessories, bedding, toys and food. |
|  | Duck & Swan
Ducks exploit a variety of food sources such as grasses, aquatic plants, fish, insects, small amphibians, worms, and small molluscs.
Diving ducks and sea ducks forage deep underwater. To be able to submerge more easily, the diving ducks are heavier than dabbling ducks, and therefore have more difficulty taking off to fly.
Dabbling ducks feed on the surface of water or on land, or as deep as they can reach by up-ending without completely submerging. Along the edge of the beak there is a comb-like structure called a pecten. This strains the water squirting from the side of the beak and traps any food. The pecten is also used to preen feathers.
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|  | Ferret
There are many commercial ferret food products. Some kitten foods can also be used, so long as they provide the high protein and fat content required by the ferret's metabolism; high-quality commercial ferret foods are preferred to kitten foods by many ferret owners because the foods are geared more toward a ferret's metabolism than to a cat's. Most adult cat foods and kitten foods are unsuitable for ferrets however, because of their low protein content and high fiber. Ideally, a ferret food should contain a minimum of 32% meat based protein and 18% fat and a maximum 3% fibre. Low-quality pet foods often contain grain-based proteins, which ferrets cannot properly digest and result in lower nutrition leading to increased food intake and more waste.
Ferrets may have a fondness for sweets like raisins, bananas, peanut butter, and breakfast cereal. The high sugar content of such treats has been linked to ferret insulinoma and other diseases. Veterinarians recommend not feeding these foods to ferrets at all. Like many other carnivores, ferrets gradually lose the ability to digest lactose after they are weaned, and as a result, lactose-free milk is preferred.
Ferrets do not require frequent bathing, which may remove natural oils in the coat that prevent dry skin. However, most ferrets are not averse to water. Ferrets also need their nails clipped about once a month, and usually shed twice a year in the spring and fall.
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|  | Gerbil
Gerbils are inquisitive, friendly animals that rarely bite, Gerbils make good pets for children. They are easy to look after, hygienic, and sociable. They also love digging! Unlike hamsters, Gerbils should not be kept on their own but in same sex pairs or groups. They generally live for 3 to 5 years and are most active during the evening and at night. Gerbils in the wild live underground in tunnels, so you should aim to create a similar environment for your domestic pet. A Gerbil cage is the best option, although a glass aquarium can be used, provided a wire mesh lid is fitted to allow ventilation.
Your Gerbil’s home should be kept out of direct sunlight and away from draughts.
Shredded paper nesting material should be provided, along with wood shavings or sawdust. As Gerbils are naturally desert creatures, they use food and water efficiently and therefore produce little waste. The cage should be cleaned once a week - a small litter tray can be provided to help keep a hygienic environment for your Gerbil.
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|  | Guinea Pig
Your Guinea Pig can be kept indoors or outdoors all year round. They do not like sudden loud noises so it’s best to position their hutch in a quiet position. A wooden hutch is ideal although a wire cage can also be used provided it is fitted with a plastic floor to avoid injury. Your hutch must be weatherproof with a separate nest area for each Guinea Pig and plenty of dry bedding - shredded paper or wheat straw are ideal but do not use fluffy bedding. A louvered door can be fitted over a wire door to offer protection in cold weather. Two Guinea Pigs should ideally be housed in a hutch or cage around 120 x 60 x 45cm. If using a smaller hutch, consider adding a separate run in the garden or allow your pets some daily supervised exercise outside their cage.
The hutch should allow shade during the heat of the day and shelter from strong winds. A grass run can be built into the hutch or located elsewhere in your garden – again with a nest area protected from the sun.
Keeping Guinea Pigs and Rabbits together in the same hutch is not recommended. They have different requirements and unless you have previous experience of keeping both pets together, they should not be mixed.
Guinea Pigs are natural grazers so they should be given plenty of fresh clean hay along with a quality Guinea Pig mix or pellets twice a day (Rabbit food is not suitable). Guinea Pigs lack the enzyme that produces vitamin C so it’s important to supplement their diet with small quantities of fresh fruit and vegetables - melon, oranges, and dark green leafy vegetables are all good sources but, as with Rabbits, care should be taken not to overfeed. You can also buy vitamin C to add to your Guinea Pig’s water – this is recommended. Fresh drinking water should always be available from a gravity bottle, and food should be given in earthenware bowls – Guinea Pigs will chew plastic.
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|  | Hamster
There’s a vast choice of Hamster houses available, ranging from simple cages to complex multi-level stacking systems with interconnecting tunnels.
Your Hamster’s home should be kept out of direct sunlight and away from draughts.
Shredded paper nesting material should be provided, along with wood shavings or sawdust. The cage should be cleaned at least once a week and a small litter tray can be provided, helping to maintain a hygienic environment for your Hamster. A good quality Hamster mix makes an ideal core diet for your pet. This can be supplemented with small pieces of fresh fruit and vegetables. Be aware that Hamsters hoard food in their beds, so don’t give them too many green vegetables (which can rot). Fresh drinking water should always be available, usually in a gravity bottle although a small heavy bowl can be used instead. Like all rodents, a Hamster’s front teeth grow continuously, so provide them with something to gnaw on – dog biscuits are ideal.
Hamsters are most active during the evening and night, Hamsters enjoy cardboard tubes to run through and chew on, or a wooden ledge to climb on. Wire-spoked Hamster wheels are not recommended; solid wheels are much safer. Hamster ‘exercise balls’ should be used with care – your Hamster can soon become exhausted.
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|  | Hedgehog
Although traditionally classified in the now abandoned order Insectivora, hedgehogs are not exclusively insectivores but are almost omnivorous. Hedgehogs feed on insects, snails, frogs and toads, snakes, bird eggs, carrion, mushrooms, grass roots, berries, melons, and watermelons. In fact, berries constitute a major part of an Afghan Hedgehog's diet in early spring after hibernation. The hedgehog is occasionally spotted after a rainstorm foraging for earthworms. Although forest hedgehogs, most well-known to Europeans, are indeed mainly insectivores, this is not necessarily true for other species.
In areas that have hedgehogs in the wild, they are often welcomed as a natural form of garden pest control. Many people leave food out to attract hedgehogs. Although hedgehogs are lactose-intolerant, they will eagerly consume cheese, milk, and dairy products, causing illness.
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|  | Lizard
Species of lizards sold as pets include iguanas, bearded dragon, leopard geckos, tegus and monitor lizards. In general, lizards require more maintenance than other exotic pets. Their faeces are usually more offensive, requiring frequent cage cleanings. Finding a veterinarian whose practice includes lizards is also important.
All glass vertically oriented vivaria are the preferred housing for lizards geckos. Size of the viv is dependant upon species. We would personally recommend 45cm high x 30cm wide x 30cm deep for the small species and 75cm high x 45cm wide x 45cm deep for the larger as a suitable minimum. The majority of day gecko species require daytime temperatures in the range 27 - 31C with a night time drop of 5 degrees and a relative humidity of between 50 - 80%. Background temperature can be achieved by securing a heatmat to the rear of the tank, controlled by a suitable thermostat. This should be adequate for maintaining minimum night time temperatures. Daytime temperatures can best be achieved with monitored use of incandescent, or better still, halogen basking bulbs controlled by a dimming thermostat. Jump in and view our selection of glass habitats, terrain coverings, thermometers, vines and other accessories.
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|  | Rabbit
Your Rabbit hutch must be weatherproof with a separate nest area and plenty of dry bedding (clean straw is ideal). Ideally a hutch for two medium sized Rabbits should measure 150 x 60 x 60cm. But if your hutch is smaller, consider adding a separate run in the garden or allowing some daily supervised exercise for your pets outside the cage. The hutch should allow shade during the heat of the day and shelter from strong winds. A grass run can be built into the hutch or located elsewhere in your garden – again with a nest area protected from the sun. A litter tray can be emptied daily and makes the hutch easier to clean.
Rabbits love company, making them great house pets. A quiet area for sleep, a straw-filled nest box and a clean litter tray are all you need for a happy indoor Rabbit. Some ‘Rabbit-proofing’ may be necessary (cables and houseplants are very ‘chewable’) and you’ll need to ensure your Rabbit has an outdoor run in the garden – Rabbits need natural light to obtain vitamin D. Rabbits can mix well with other domestic pets but careful introduction and supervision is required. A typical Rabbit diet should be 75% hay with plenty of fresh water. A good quality pellet will provide any additional nutrients and vitamins they need. They also enjoy fresh vegetation – carrots, spinach, watercress, broccoli, apples, and dandelion leaves – but care should be taken not to overfeed. Never feed your Rabbit grass clippings, potatoes, or lettuce as these can cause health problems.
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|  | Rat & Mouse
RATS: Rats are very active and love to climb, so the larger and taller their cage, the better. A good cage size for a pair of Rats would be 50cm x 80cm with around 50cm depth. The floor should be solid to avoid injury to the Rat’s feet and plenty of litter should be put on the floor to absorb ammonia from the animal’s droppings. Note, an aquarium style glass cage is not suitable for Rats as it will not give enough ventilation.
Your Rat’s home should be kept away from draughts and out of direct sunlight, although a little sunlight each day does help them absorb vitamin D which helps prevent malnutrition problems. A nesting box filled with shredded paper should be provided, along with wood shavings or sawdust for the floor – fluffy bedding should not be used. The cage should be cleaned at least once a week - a litter tray can be provided to help keep the environment clean for your Rats. A good quality Rat mix makes an ideal core diet for your pet. This can be supplemented with small pieces of fresh fruit and vegetables. Dry dog food makes a good source of protein. Be careful not to overfeed as Rats can soon become fat. Avoid giving your Rats sunflower seeds or peanuts. Fresh drinking water should always be available, usually in a gravity bottle although a small heavy bowl can be used instead. Like all rodents, a Rat’s front teeth grow continuously, so provide them with something to gnaw on. MICE: A simple wire cage with a plastic floor or a glass tank with a wire lid will make an ideal home for your pet Mice. Avoid wooden cages. Minimum cage size for a pair of Mice is 45cm x 30cm with at least 25cm depth, giving them plenty of room to stand upright. Remember Mice can squeeze through very tiny gaps, so make sure there are no spaces wider than your little finger otherwise your Mice could escape.
Your Mouse cage should be kept out of direct sunlight and away from draughts.
Shredded paper nesting material should be provided, along with dust-extracted wood shavings. Always provide a nest box filled with shredded tissue paper. The cage should be cleaned once a week - a small litter tray can be provided to encourage a hygienic environment, and always replace a little of the old bedding and nesting material for familiarity.
A good quality commercial rodent mix makes an ideal core diet for your pet, but care should be taken not to overfeed as Mice can easily get fat. This can be supplemented with small pieces of fresh fruit and vegetables. Mice love sunflower seeds occasionally and also enjoy tiny amounts of carrot, apple, and broccoli. Contrary to myth, they don’t need dairy products like cheese! Clean fresh drinking water should always be available from a gravity bottle.
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|  | Small Animal Treats
Pet food treats are worthwhile for small animals.
They stimulate appetite, help maintain a varied and nutritionally complete diet and provide ancillary vitamins and trace minerals that may be in short supply in the animal's regular diet.
They provide a bonding opportunity for you and your pet.
Treat foods should not exceed 15% of a small animal's diet, and foods that are skewed towards fats, sugars, excess protein and calcium should be offered extremely sparingly.
Choose the right supplements
Small animals also benefit from supplementary diets.
Supplements help strengthen the immune system, promote a healthy coat and appearance, stimulate appetite and even help prevent boredom.
Supplements can also help keep the small animal's digestive system in good working order.
Only use supplements formulated precisely for the nutritional needs of your small animal. For example, guinea pigs need a food that is supercharged with extra Vitamin C. Other animals have different needs, so get specific when possible.
Supplements should be a once or twice-weekly diet addition. Larger animals like adult rabbits should receive more frequent portions of fresh fruit and vegetables.
Although fruit and vegetable supplements and treats are available in pre-packaged, dehydrated form at the pet store, they lack moisture content. So, don't forget the water. Every small animal must have access to clean, fresh water at all times.
Remember: both treats and supplements need to be used in moderation. Monitor both the quantity of food and treats you give as well as their quality and caloric value.
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|  | Snake
Snakes are fascinating, and with regular handling can be quite tame. However, snakes are obviously not the right pets for everyone. They have unique requirements and should only be kept by those with the commitment to understand and meet their needs. If you are new to pet snakes, find out what you should consider before deciding on a pet snake, and what species are the best snakes for beginners. |
|  | Spider & Scorpion
Spiders and scorpions are well established favourites in the world of exotic pets and if properly cared for, they do well in captivity. Both kinds of animal are fascinating to watch and although much of the detail of the care they need varies with the species being kept, there are a few general requirements to bear in mind when you’re deciding if spiders or scorpions are the right sort of pet for you.
On the whole their demands are relatively modest, they don’t require a great deal of space and they’re very quiet – so they’re unlikely to annoy the neighbours!
The most important requirement for your pet’s home is that it should be escape proof – so a secure glass or plastic container is essential. Many spider-keepers go for the kind of small plastic tank with a ventilated lid sold in most pet shops, though an old aquarium or even a big jar can house spiders and scorpions well.
What you put in the tank itself depends largely on the origins of the animal itself; most spiders will do very nicely with a layer of bark chippings or potting compost, which will also do perfectly for the forest dwelling kinds of scorpions. Scorpions which originate from desert areas, however, will need a thick layer of sand.
Suitable hiding places are also useful – but don’t overdo it or you’ll end up having to work hard to see your pet.
Most of the spiders and scorpion species offered as exotic pets tend to come from warmer parts of the world – and mostly from the tropics – so they’ll generally need a little extra warmth to stay healthy.
Heat mats are probably the most popular way to provide it, though there are other good options available from outlets that cater for exotic pets, including hot rocks and soil warming cables. Alternatively, placing your container inside a gardener’s seed propagator can also be a useful way to provide a little gentle warmth.
If you opt for a pad, try to arrange it so that it doesn’t warm all of the tank’s base; scorpions burrow to make themselves more comfortable when it gets too hot – escaping the heat of the sun – but the strategy is doomed to fail if the whole container is heated from below.
Humidity is important for spiders – especially tarantulas – as they need 50-60 per cent humidity to be able to moult properly, so a humidity gauge is an essential piece of equipment for anyone keeping spiders. Providing a small water dish for drinking and a little regular misting from a plant sprayer will keep things to their liking – and it’ll suit the “forest” type of scorpions too. It’s obviously a very good plan to buy a new one, so you’ll be sure it hasn’t been used for insecticides!
All that humidity makes ideal conditions for fungus to grow; keep a look out and remove any compost or bark that shows signs of going mouldy.
Desert dwelling scorpions – and any spiders from similar parts of the globe – obviously need much drier conditions, only occasionally needing a slight misting; although they get most of the moisture they need from their food, a small dish of water is always a good idea.
Both spiders and scorpions are carnivorous predators and will consume surprising quantities of insects. Crickets and locusts are ideal; many local pet shops stock them, but if yours doesn’t there are companies which will supply them by mail order.
Scorpions are probably best fed at night, since they are nocturnal and a little secretive in their habits. Once you’ve added the food, it’s best to leave them alone in the dark – scorpions can often refuse to eat if conditions aren’t right, so uneaten food can often mean that all is not well.
Neither spiders nor scorpions are great pets for handling. Larger spiders such as the tarantulas can be seriously injured or even killed by quite a small drop and they can flick hairs off their abdomen with their hind legs, which can cause skin irritation in people and even the most docile spider may bite or scorpion sting. On balance, handling is probably best kept to a minimum.
These fascinating animals make for very interesting pets and since – unusually for invertebrate exotics – they can enjoy a fairly long lifespan in captivity, you could be enjoying their company for some time.
These factors are taken into account when creating a scorpion habitat.
Glass aquarium tanks are probably the easiest housing to use, and they should have a tight fitting secure lid. A 10 gallon tank is sufficient for one scorpion, but a larger one (20 -30 gallon) will be necessary for groups. However, don't give them too much space since it will be difficult for them to catch their prey in a large tank.
There are multiple opinions on the ideal substrate for emperor scorpions - some use soil, some use peat and others use vermiculite. No matter what you choose, it should be fairly deep (3 - 6 inches) to allow the scorpion(s) to dig burrows. Pieces of bark, flat stones, broken ceramic flower pots or even commercial reptile hides should be provided as hiding spots for the scorpions. Providing pieces of sphagnum moss on top of the substrate will also aid in retaining moisture in the environment. Scorpions will move the cage decorations/furnishings around a bit, and although it may not look neat and tidy, it is best to avoid constantly rearranging the furnishings or else the scorpion(s) will become stressed.
The habitat should be maintained at a high humidity level by regular (daily) misting. The substrate should be kept damp, but not wet. If there is mold on the substrate or condensation on the walls of the tank, the humidity is too high.
A temperature gradient should be provided, from about 70-90 F. Many recommend occasionally allowing temperatures of about 100 F. The temperature gradient is important to allow the scorpions to regulate their body temperature as needed. The easiest way to provide the gradient is by using a heating mat designed for use under reptile tanks. This should be placed under no more than about 1/3 of the tank, so the scorpion can move from warmer to cooler temperatures if desired. Always verify that appropriate temperatures are being provided by using accurate thermometers in a few location within the cage. Being nocturnal, scorpions do not have a requirement for UV lighting, and prefer a light-dark cycle with a slightly longer dark period.
In the wild, scorpions eat a variety of invertebrates (insects, other arthropods) and vertebrates including small lizards. In captivity, they seem to do fine with a diet primarily of crickets, supplemented with other insects such as mealworms and moths. An adult emperor will only need 3 -6 adult crickets per week (feed every other day or so). The crickets should be fed a nutritious diet so that the nutritional value is passed on the the scorpions, and the crickets can be dusted with a quality reptile vitamin/mineral supplement every few feedings. Feed at night to replicate the conditions under which scorpions would naturally feed.
A shallow (shallow enough to prevent drowning) water dish should also be provided.
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| |  | Tortoise, Turtles & Terrapins
Even though it is believed that tortoises are able to live outdoors and are capable of surviving the various weather conditions, the limited period of warm weather and sunshine in the UK is not really enough for the tortoise to maintain correct husbandry. Therefore tortoises should always be kept warm and awake and never put through hibernation without seeking professional advice. A good indoor enclosure can consist of a cardboard box with a UV light and heater at one end to create a temperature gradient. Ideally though, a vivarium consisting of thermostatically controlled heating and UV light will create a much more realistic and natural environment.
Hermann’s Tortoises are vegetarian, feeding on plants, greens, and flowers in the wild. The perfect Tortoise diet should be low in protein and fat but high in calcium and fibre. Note – lack of calcium is the most common nutritional problem in Tortoises so it is recommended that a calcium supplement such as Nutrabol be given at every meal. It is also a good idea to provide weekly supplements of vitamins A,B,C, and D.
Your Tortoise will enjoy eating dandelion leaves, endive, carrot, kale, watercress, and dark greens. Complete dry foods are available that provide a high source of fibre. A cuttlefish bone should be kept in the enclosure – an additional source of calcium.
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