3,719 answers about small mammals
Rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, rats and ferrets are small pets with big care needs — the right hay, safe housing, gentle handling and early signs of illness. This page gathers the small-mammal library of KinsLe Answers in one place, organized by topic. Every answer is original, written by KinsLe, and tied to a real KinsLe feature.
353 answers in Health & Vet Care — page 11 of 15
The same day, without waiting to see how things look tomorrow, if your guinea pig stops eating or produces far fewer droppings than usual, breathes with effort or noise, sits hunched and withdrawn, has diarrhoea or blood in its urine, develops a swollen hard belly, or cannot use its back legs properly. Guinea pigs are…
Work through the same short routine each week: look at the front teeth for even wear and alignment, listen to the chest by holding your rat gently against your ear for rattles or clicks, run your fingers over the whole body and along the belly feeling for lumps, then check skin, coat, eyes and weight. Rats are prone…
In general, pet rabbits are vaccinated against two serious viral diseases: myxomatosis and rabbit viral haemorrhagic disease, which exists in more than one strain, so cover against both strains is the usual aim where vaccines are available. What is offered and how often boosters are given varies by country and by…
Note when each mouse is active compared with its usual pattern, how many animals are affected, and exactly how the breathing looks and sounds — fast is normal for mice, but visible effort, a hunched posture, clicking or wheezing, or any open-mouth breathing are the details a vet needs. Record when you first noticed…
Talk through what garden time actually exposes your rabbit to — blowflies and the risk of flystrike on soiled fur, fleas and mites picked up from grass and wildlife, ticks in longer grass, and the microscopic parasite spread between rabbits in urine — and ask which of those risks matter in your area and which call for…
Go in with a written list covering food and vitamin C, teeth, a healthy weight range for your pig's build, housing, and how often routine check-ups should happen, and finish by asking which warning signs should bring you back the same day rather than waiting. Photograph your guinea pig's enclosure and its pellet…
A picky guinea pig raises a vitamin C question because pigs cannot make their own, so ask your vet whether your pig's current diet is plausibly meeting needs, which foods actually eaten by your pig count as meaningful sources, and how to judge intake when favourites rotate. Ask whether a supplement is appropriate for…
For bonded pairs, the useful questions cover timing, combinations and the bonding itself: ask when each rabbit should be neutered given their ages and sexes, whether a mixed pair is at risk of pregnancy before appointments can be arranged, and how long after neutering a male can still father a litter. Ask how…
Go in with questions about necessity, the plan and recovery: what exactly has been found and what will be done, whether the teeth can be checked or imaged first, what experience the team has with rabbits or guinea pigs under anaesthesia, and how your pet will be kept warm and monitored. Ask when to feed beforehand,…
Quarantine starts with complete separation: house the unwell pig in a different room if you can, with its own bedding, bowls, bottle and hay, and handle it after your healthy pigs, never before. Wash hands between animals, do not share toys, tunnels or cleaning tools, and watch the separated pig's appetite, droppings,…
The most useful thing you can bring a vet is a precise picture of what changed: when your degu last ate hay normally, whether pellets and vegetables are still being eaten, how much water is being drunk, and whether droppings have become fewer, smaller or softer. Also note energy, weight if you can weigh gently, any…
A rabbit's first vet check is usually a calm, hands-on health review rather than anything invasive: the vet will weigh your rabbit, look at the eyes, ears, nose and skin, check the front teeth and feel along the jaw, listen to the heart and chest, and feel the tummy and body condition. You will talk through diet,…
Rabbits and guinea pigs instinctively hide pain, so the signs are usually behavioural rather than dramatic: eating less or stopping, fewer or smaller droppings, sitting hunched and still in one spot, hiding more, and losing interest in favourite foods or companions. You may also notice tooth grinding, a tense or…
Flystrike happens when flies lay eggs on a rabbit, usually around a soiled or damp rear, and the hatching larvae damage skin very quickly, so prevention centres on keeping bottoms clean and checking them often. During warm weather, check outdoor and senior rabbits at least twice a day, keep hutches and bedding clean…
Most rabbits recover best in a small, quiet indoor space where they cannot race around or jump, with hay and water within easy reach and their usual greens offered to tempt eating. The key home job is watching input and output: a rabbit who is eating, drinking and passing droppings is moving the right way, while one…
Wet tail is a serious diarrhoea illness seen most often in young hamsters, and the name comes from the wet, soiled fur around the tail and rear from watery droppings. Other signs include a hunched posture, sunken or half-closed eyes, loss of appetite, unusual quietness or irritability, a tucked-up tummy and sometimes…
Guinea pigs cannot make their own vitamin C, so when intake falls short the signs tend to involve sore joints and reluctance to move, a rough coat, slow-healing skin, loose teeth or sore gums, reduced appetite and, in youngsters, poor growth. A pig who squeaks when picked up, hops instead of walking, or sits hunched…
Rats with respiratory trouble often sneeze more than usual, make clicking or wheezing sounds as they breathe, develop reddish discharge around the nose and eyes, and grow quieter and less interested in food. Watch breathing effort at rest, because a rat working hard to breathe, breathing through an open mouth, or…
The signs centre on the nose, eyes and the sound of breathing: repeated sneezing rather than an occasional sneeze, discharge from the nostrils, runny or crusty eyes, and breathing you can hear — wheezing, clicking or rattling — especially at rest. As things worsen the pig eats less, sits hunched and fluffed, and may…
The standout sign is scratching that is out of proportion — frequent, frantic scratching, often with the hind foot, that disrupts eating and sleeping. Alongside it you may see flaky, scurfy skin, especially along the back, patches of thinning or broken hair, and sores or scabs where the scratching has broken the skin.…
Gut stasis means the rabbit's digestive system has slowed or stopped, and the signs track that slowdown: eating less and then nothing, droppings that shrink, dry out and then stop, and a rabbit that sits hunched and still, sometimes grinding its teeth. The change usually builds over hours to a day or two rather than…
The first sign is usually on the fur, not the rabbit: clusters of tiny white eggs, like grains of rice, laid around the rear, belly or any sore patch. Once maggots hatch you may see them moving in the fur, the coat looks wet and matted, and there is often a sour, sweetish smell, and the rabbit itself may be restless…
Rabbit dental trouble usually starts at the hay rack: a rabbit eating less hay, or taking much longer over it, while still grabbing soft food and treats is showing you the classic first sign. Selective eating follows — pellets or favourite greens taken, fibrous food left — along with a wet chin or dewlap, smaller and…
Guinea pig teeth grow continuously, and the back teeth — the ones you cannot see — cause most of the trouble. Watch for slower eating, food dropped from the mouth, a new preference for soft food over hay, a wet or dribbling chin, smaller droppings, and steady weight loss on your weekly weigh-ins. The front teeth can…
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