HowToDoThings.com Small Pets

How To Design and Build a Rabbit Hutch

Casey47 — Wed, 26 Apr 2006 17:53:00 -0500

Getting a new rabbit can be a great and exciting edition to your family. Rabbits are perfectly happy living indoors or outdoors. They are, however, a little more comfortable when they are outside. This is because they deal with cold temperatures better than they do with warm temperatures. It is important if your rabbit is being kept outside to provide them with a safe, comfortable and stable hutch to live in. There are two distinctly different ways to approach building your hutch.

How To Identify Guinea Pig Illnesses

Amy135 — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 13:23:00 -0500

Guinea pigs are good pets, but they can become ill quickly and need treatment just as quickly. However, since they are prey animals, their instinct is to mask illness in order to survive. A responsible pet owner will look for the following signs of illness in his or her pet.

Lack of appetite is a major sign of illness. Piggies love their grub, and when they won't eat a favorite treat or their regular food, chances are, something is wrong. There will be days when a guinea pig will not eat as much as on other days, but a noticeable lack of appetite for more than a day or so should always ring an alarm bell.

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How To Identify Rabbit Diseases

Casey47 — Tue, 18 Apr 2006 06:04:00 -0500

There are a number of illnesses and diseases that rabbits are susceptible to. Although not all of them are life threatening, it is still important that your rabbit receives the proper medical treatment. Unfortunately when it comes to your rabbit, you are the veterinarian. Most DVM's do not learn how to treat rabbits and other small pets. Occasionally you might find one that specializes, and when you do hold on to them tightly! They are worth every penny.

There are a few illnesses that are very common to rabbits though, and they are easily identified.

How To Care for Hamsters

Ashtyn198 — Mon, 22 May 2006 00:11:00 -0500

If you are deciding whether or not to purchase a hamster as a family pet, you have a lot to consider. Hamsters are not going to be for everyone. While they are somewhat simple to take care of, because they fall into the rodent category, hamsters have some specific habits that can make them hard to live with. For instance, hamsters are nocturnal. If you are a morning person, and do not like a lot of activity at night, a hamster will probably not be the animal for you. In fact, they might even keep you awake!

There are two main types of hamsters that are used as pets. The Syrian hamster, also known as the golden hamster or the teddy bear hamster, is by far the most common of the hamster house pets. These hamsters keep to themselves and if you add more than one hamster to a cage, you can expect a fight to break out.

How To Raise and Care for a Rabbit

Casey47 — Tue, 18 Apr 2006 18:27:00 -0500

Raising your rabbit is a fun experience. Whether you are getting a young rabbit or an older one, you will still experience all of the joys of raising it. Raising a rabbit is a lot like raising a kitten. Rabbits have the same aloof yet kind personality as a cat does. If you are going to keep your rabbit indoors, it can be litter trained just like a kitten. Rabbits will do this naturally, but the litter has to be available at all times. Just like any other pet, your rabbit will learn its name and may even come when called if you spend enough time with it. This will be more likely of course if you keep your rabbit indoors.

Keeping your rabbit outdoors is not out of the question though. Rabbits handle cold weather very well so if you are in a cold climate, this is not an issue. Heat is another issue though, and your rabbit will need to be watched to make sure it does not overheat.

How To Breed Guinea Pigs

Casey47 — Mon, 17 Apr 2006 17:49:00 -0500

Breeding Guinea Pigs can be a very frustrating task, although it is not a complicated one. There are a few easy steps to follow, and then it becomes a waiting game.

First, make sure that your boar and your sow are both healthy. Then make sure that you know your sow's age. A sow has to be bred before she reaches 6 months of age because her pelvic bones fuse together after 6 months. If this happens, she will still become pregnant but she will not be able to give birth. This ultimately spells doom for your sow. For her safety, make sure that she is bred before 6 months of age.

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How To Choose the Right Breed of Rabbit

Casey47 — Sat, 11 Nov 2006 07:00:00 -0600

It is not commonly known that there are actually 45+ breeds of rabbit! Most people looking for a pet rabbit just find a randomly bred rabbit in a pet store in their area. While this is perfectly fine for most people, it is often misleading. It is unlikely most of the time that those kinds of rabbits are the actual breed that they are said to be.

Choosing the right breed of rabbit is just as complex as picking a new puppy for your family. Rabbits are full of personality and different breeds have different characteristics.

In the show circuit, rabbit breeds are divided up into groups by their body types. This is the best way of viewing all of the different breeds, as it divides them mainly by size and type.

Below we will explore each body type and the breeds within them:

How To Feed Rabbits

Casey47 — Mon, 17 Apr 2006 06:49:00 -0500

Feeding your rabbit is an easy task! The hard part is knowing how much to feed your rabbit, what to feed him, and where to get the feed. Here are a few good ideas to get you and your rabbit on the right track to a healthy lifestyle.

What to feed your rabbit: There are many misconceptions when it comes to what rabbits eat.

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How To Care for and Feed Guinea Pigs

Michael 129 — Tue, 04 Apr 2006 11:55:00 -0500

Guinea pigs make excellent family pets, especially for younger children who may not feel comfortable with more delicate animals such as mice, gerbils or hamsters. A guinea pig is much sturdier and less inclined to bite. Depending on the breed, there may be some shedding issues, but guinea pigs do like to groom themselves and care about their appearance. Overall, guinea pigs do provide years of companionship with relatively little maintenance required by owners. A guinea pig can be left alone during the occasional overnight trip, or boarded at a local veterinarian's office. But there are some things that guinea pig owners need to know about care and feeding.

Guinea pigs are strictly vegetarian, and their main source of food while in captivity is compressed pellets of alfalfa and other ingredients. Guinea pigs tend to be brand loyal, so new owners should make every effort to use the same pellets the pet store or former owner provided.

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How To House Train Rabbits

Amy 329 — Thu, 08 Jun 2006 12:42:00 -0500

When many people think of rabbits, they tend to think of bunnies living in hutches in the backyard. The truth is, however, that rabbits are much happier living indoors as part of your family. The good news is that rabbits, much like cats, can be trained to use a litter box. House training your bunny can be fairly simple if you follow a few easy steps.