🐰 Stuff Every Small Pet Owner Should Know: Training Guide

Lifespans to Plan For

Different small pets live for very different lengths of time. Indoor pet rabbits usually live 8 to 12 years, so a rabbit can be part of a family for a long time.

Outdoor pet rabbits usually live only about 3 to 5 years. Rabbits do best indoors, where they get plenty of time with the family.

Guinea pigs usually live 5 to 8 years. Hamsters usually live 18 months to 3 years. Gerbils live about 2 to 3 years. Pet rats usually live about 1.5 to 3 years.

Ferrets can live 6 to 10 years with good care. Some ferrets live shorter lives because of accidents or illness.

Awake and Asleep

Hamsters are nocturnal. They are usually awake at night and asleep during the day. Play with a hamster when it is already awake, not by waking it up.

Guinea pigs are mostly diurnal. They are awake during the day, so kids can handle them without disrupting their sleep. Hamsters and rats are more active at night.

Ferrets can sleep up to 18 hours a day. When they are awake, they are very active and playful.

Age, Care and Commitment

Rabbits are often not the best match for children under 7. Very young children may hug, squeeze or chase a rabbit, which can terrify it.

An adult in the home must be the rabbit's main caregiver. Kids can help every day, but a rabbit's needs are too specific for a child to manage alone.

Most children lose interest in a live bunny after only a few weeks. A rabbit can live 8 to 12 years, so the grown-ups must be ready to do the care.

Never buy or adopt a rabbit on impulse. Impulse Easter purchases often lead to many bunnies being surrendered to shelters shortly after Easter.

Rabbits are considered exotic pets in vet care, so finding a qualified vet can be surprisingly hard. Find a rabbit-savvy vet before bringing a bunny home.

Rabbits are cheap to buy but can be pricey to care for. Housing, hay, bedding, neutering, vaccinations and vet visits all cost money.

Social Needs

Guinea pigs are social animals and often do well in pairs or small groups. They naturally prefer living in groups, so plan on at least two.

Rats are social animals and need company. Keep them in a same-sex group, and remember male rats may fight unless they grew up together.

Adult hamsters are usually best housed alone. They can become aggressive even if they grew up together, and adult females can be protective of their space.

Gerbils are highly social and live in family groups in the wild. A same-sex pair from the same litter is often the best setup.

Rabbits are highly social and need another neutered, compatible rabbit. Experts strongly advise against housing a rabbit with a guinea pig.

Finding a Healthy Pet

Adopting from a shelter or rescue can give you a rabbit that is already spayed or neutered, sometimes microchipped. Adoption counselors can match a rabbit's personality to your family.

Shelters and rescue groups are often happy to place already neutered, bonded rabbit pairs. Some also offer bonding help.

A young female guinea pig that was housed with males may already be pregnant. Ask whether the seller will take back a sick or pregnant animal.

Gerbils are too small to handle roughly and are not recommended for very young children. Never lift a gerbil by its tail.

Ferrets are not recommended for homes with children under 5 because young children have a higher risk of bite injuries.

Where Ferrets Are Allowed

Ferrets cannot be kept as pets in California or Hawaii. Some cities, such as New York City, also prohibit them, so always check local rules first.

Hawaii prohibits ferrets as pets because they are potential carriers of the rabies virus.

Space and Exercise

Indoor rabbits need several hours of exercise per day. House Rabbit Society recommends at least 4 hours of active play every day.

A 4 foot by 4 foot exercise pen with free roam time is ideal for most rabbits. A cage is only a resting room.

Ferrets need at least 2 to 4 hours every day outside their cage in a ferret-proofed area to stay healthy.

Rats are nocturnal and can be noisy at night, so place their cage where sleeping family members will not be disturbed.

Bedding, Floors and Hiding Places

Avoid cedar shavings and raw pine. The oils can irritate small pet lungs. Paper-based bedding is safer and digestible if eaten.

Wire floors press on and hurt small feet. Rabbits and guinea pigs need a smooth solid floor or resting area.

Guinea pigs need a hideout in their cage to help them feel safe. A small wood or cardboard box works well for hiding and sleeping.

Hamsters need a deep layer of bedding so they can dig and burrow like they would in the wild.

Rats are very active and enjoy climbing. Give them a roomy cage with levels, not a wooden cage that soaks in urine and can be chewed out.

Rabbit-Proofing and Ferret-Proofing

Rabbits naturally chew. Protect electric cords with hard tubing or move them out of reach, because chewing wires is dangerous.

Check a ferret cage for sharp wire and any openings big enough to escape. A loose ferret has no homing instinct and may wander off.

Cleaning and Temperature

Spot-clean an indoor rabbit's cage every day. Fully clean it with hot, soapy water at least once a week.

Rabbits do not handle heat well. Above about 77 degrees F can be dangerous. Rabbits release body heat through their ears.

Guinea pigs can get heatstroke above about 85 degrees F. They are comfortable around 65 to 75 degrees F.

Ferrets have no sweat glands, so they overheat and dehydrate easily in heat and humidity.

Signs of overheating in a rabbit include fast, shallow breathing and wetness around the nose. Move the rabbit somewhere cool, dampen its ears and call a vet.

Rabbit and Guinea Pig Diets

Grass hay should make up most of an adult rabbit's diet. It keeps the rabbit's teeth and gut healthy. Pellets and vegetables are smaller parts.

Alfalfa hay is usually too rich in calories and calcium for healthy adult rabbits. Adults do best on grass hays such as timothy or orchard grass.

Guinea pigs cannot make their own vitamin C, so they must get it from food every day. Without it they can get scurvy, with swollen joints and dental problems.

Feed guinea pigs a small measured amount of pellets, about 2 tablespoons a day, with unlimited grass hay as the main food. Too many pellets can cause diarrhea, gas and bloating.

For adult rabbits, pellets should be a small measured part. House Rabbit Society suggests about 1/4 cup of pellets per 6 pounds of body weight per day.

Do not feed rabbit pellets to guinea pigs. Rabbit pellets do not have enough vitamin C for guinea pigs.

Ferret Food and Unsafe Treats

Ferrets are carnivores. They need a meat-based diet high in protein and low in carbohydrates. Sugary treats like raisins or fruit are not safe.

Chocolate, cookies, bread and other processed human foods are especially dangerous for a rabbit's delicate gut.

Water and Food Changes

Clean and refill a guinea pig's water bottle every day, and check that the sipper is not blocked.

Change a small pet's food slowly over several days. Mix a little new food with the old, then gradually add more.

Ever-Growing Teeth

Rabbit front teeth and cheek teeth grow continuously. Chewing hay and safe wood toys helps wear them to a healthy length.

A rabbit fed mostly pellets can get overgrown teeth because pellets crumble too easily and do not wear teeth down like hay.

Guinea pig cheek teeth grow continuously and need constant wear from hay and grass.

Gerbils need things to gnaw on to wear down constantly growing teeth. Small cardboard boxes and toilet paper tubes make good chew toys.

Overgrown guinea pig teeth can make chewing painful or cause a guinea pig to stop eating.

Rabbit Handling

Most rabbits dislike being picked up because being lifted feels like a predator grabbing them. Sit on the floor and let the rabbit come to you instead.

Only adults should lift a rabbit, and only when needed. Picking up a rabbit can frighten it and injure both the child and the rabbit.

Always support a rabbit's back end when you lift it. A rabbit that kicks while badly held can break its own back.

If a rabbit starts kicking while you carry it, hug it firmly against your body, then crouch low and set it down facing you.

Small Rodents

Never pick up a gerbil by its tail. The tail skin can slip off, and the bare part may need to be amputated. Scoop a gerbil up with both hands under its belly.

Pick up a pet rat gently around the shoulders and support its body as you lift. Move slowly, because a startled rat is more likely to nip.

Move a sick or scared hamster by guiding it into a small container. Even friendly hamsters can bite when they are sick, in pain, scared or woken suddenly.

Until a gerbil is used to you, hold it low over its cage or your lap so a fall is short.

Spaying and Neutering

Spaying female rabbits removes the uterus and ovaries and greatly reduces the risk of uterine cancer. Unspayed female rabbits have a high chance of reproductive cancer in their lifetime.

Neutering male rabbits lowers urine spraying, circling and fighting. Neutered rabbits are calmer and easier to litter box train.

Rabbits can usually be spayed or neutered around 4 to 6 months old, once they are sexually mature.

In the US, most pet ferrets are spayed or neutered before 6 weeks of age. An unspayed female ferret that stays in heat can develop a life-threatening blood disorder.

Neutering male ferrets cuts the strong musky smell and urine marking.

Vaccines and Prevention

Rabbits can be vaccinated against rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus type 2, RHDV2. The virus is highly contagious and often fatal, with no cure.

RHDV2 can reach an indoor rabbit on people's shoes, clothes and hands. It infects only rabbits and hares, not people or other pets.

Ferrets need a yearly canine distemper vaccine. Distemper is fatal to ferrets and has no cure, and even indoor ferrets are at risk.

Ferrets should get their first rabies shot at 16 weeks or older, then repeat it annually. Stay at the vet's office 20 to 30 minutes after shots to watch for reactions.

Even indoor-only ferrets need heartworm prevention all year, because mosquitoes can enter a house and bite them.

Ferrets need routine vaccines, but guinea pigs do not need vaccinations. Rats and other small rodents have no vaccines.

Illness Signs and Emergencies

A rabbit that has not eaten or pooped in 12 hours needs a rabbit vet right away. This can be GI stasis, which can become deadly fast. Unlimited hay helps prevent it.

Rabbits cannot vomit. Do not stop food before surgery as you would for a dog or cat, and never give leftover antibiotics from another pet, because some can kill rabbits and guinea pigs.

A guinea pig that is drooling and not eating may have overgrown back molars even if front teeth look fine. A guinea pig struggling to breathe needs immediate vet help.

For rats, keep the cage clean to lower ammonia and fight chronic breathing disease. Reddish-brown crust around eyes and nose is a gland secretion, not blood, and can signal stress or illness.

Wet tail in hamsters means diarrhea, a serious illness that can dehydrate quickly. A wet, dirty rear needs a vet fast.

Rabbit ear mites can cause thick brown crusts in the ears. Do not pull the crusts off, because that is painful and can cause bleeding. Guinea pig mites can cause hair loss and intense itching.

Germs and Finding a Vet

Guinea pigs hide illness until they are very sick. Check eating, droppings, breathing and energy every day.

A ferret with vomiting or diarrhea lasting more than 24 hours needs a vet. Bloody or dark, tarry droppings need a vet right away. Keep erasers, rubber bands and foam away from ferrets because swallowed bits can block the gut and need surgery.

Pet rats can carry rat bite fever germs without looking sick. Wash hands after handling rats, and see a doctor if you get a fever after a bite or scratch.

Hamsters can catch LCM virus from wild mice or an infected colony, and infected hamsters often look healthy. Ringworm is a fungus, not a worm, and can show as bald, flaky or crusty patches on small pets.

Find a vet who treats ferrets or rabbits before you bring the pet home. Many vets and emergency clinics do not treat exotic pets like rabbits and ferrets.